[Leif's POV — ThorenVald Estate—Continuation]
His lips parted, but the words came out hollow, trembling.
"Then…" he said slowly, as though each syllable hurt to breathe, "Who is Leif Thorenvald, then?"
The question hung in the air like a blade suspended between us—unmoving, gleaming, waiting to fall.
I swallowed hard, my throat dry, my heart pounding so loudly it felt like the sound was echoing through the entire room.
When I finally spoke, my voice came out small and unsteady. "A second male lead," I whispered. "A man written to exist in the shadows of someone else's story. The loyal one. The obedient one. Elowen's dog."
He froze.
I forced the words out, each one scraping my throat raw.
"His destiny… was to take an oath for her. To love her blindly. That was what the world wanted him to be." A bitter laugh escaped before I could stop it. "But I didn't want that life. I didn't want to live as someone else's tool. Someone else's tragedy and just wanted to Laze around."
