(Sophia POV)
The silence in the throne room stretched like a blade across my throat. Every eye was on me, waiting for my answer to Adrian's twisted proposal. Marry him. Let him claim my bastard child as his own. Save the alliance between our kingdoms while condemning myself to a living hell.
I stared at Adrian's face, searching for any hint of the boy I'd grown up with, the prince who used to sneak me sweets from the kitchen when we were children. But Adrian was gone. In his place stood a stranger with cold eyes and a smile that promised nothing but suffering.
"How generous of you, dear," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. The word 'cousin' tasted bitter on my tongue. We weren't blood relatives, but we'd been raised as family. Now he was offering to be my husband, my jailer, my executioner.
Adrian's smile widened, and something cold crawled down my spine. "I live to serve the crown, Princess. And you, of course."
