"This changes everything," Raymond muttered, voice thick with dread. "If she wages war… Ross will be erased completely."
Across from him, his son stood unnervingly calm. Too calm.
"There is another way," the prince said at last.
Raymond looked up sharply. "Speak."
"I will go to Acosta," his son said. "Quietly. No banners. No declarations. I will speak to her."
Raymond stiffened. "Absolutely not—"
"She is not a monster," the prince cut in, measured but firm. "She is a woman who has lost everything. If she truly wishes to reclaim Ross, then she must understand that war will only finish what betrayal began."
Raymond hesitated.
The prince took a step closer, lowering his voice. "Let me reason with her. Appeal to her heart. Her memories. Her mercy."
What Raymond did not hear were the words the prince kept locked behind his ribs.
And her love.
And her belonging.
And the bond that should have been mine.
"She was wronged," the prince continued aloud. "By you. By me. By all of us. But she is alive now—and alive means she can still choose."
Raymond exhaled shakily. Desperation blurred his judgment, dulled instincts that had once been sharp. "If you fail—"
"I won't," the prince said confidently. Too confidently.
"I will convince her not to wage war," he went on. "And most importantly—" His pause was brief, calculated. "I will convince her not to marry another man."
Raymond's gaze sharpened. "On what grounds?"
"On truth," his son replied smoothly. "On remorse. On the future of Ross."
And on love, he added silently. The love I should have protected instead of hiding behind obedience.
He swallowed.
I was wrong not to save her then. I will not make that mistake again.
Raymond turned away, rubbing a hand over his face. "This must remain secret," he said harshly. "If Jinhai learns of this—if the tiger clan head even suspects—he will tear what remains of Ross apart."
"I know," the prince replied. "This is between us."
Raymond paused, then nodded once. "Take Laura with you. She may soften her. Remind her of what she lost—of who she was."
The prince's lips curved faintly. "She will listen."
Because he believed it.
Because he needed to.
As he turned to leave, resolve burned in his chest—reckless, dangerous, and deeply personal.
I will see her again.
And this time, I will not kneel to my father's shadow.
Behind him, Raymond stared after his son, unease crawling up his spine—but desperation kept his mouth shut.
And far beyond Ross, in a palace guarded by dragon fire and whispered prophecy, a storm was already waiting for the man who believed love could undo blood.