Roseline remained standing near the balcony long after the maid had left.
The morning breeze moved gently through the silk curtains, brushing against her hair as her eyes stayed fixed on the palace gates far below.
Gone.
The masked king had truly left.
Quietly.
Without another word.
Without another strange stare.
Without even properly saying goodbye.
Her fingers unconsciously tightened against the balcony rail.
"…Why do I even care?"
Behind her, soft movement came from the bed.
Kingston slowly opened his eyes only to pause immediately when he saw his wife standing silently by the window.
Sunlight wrapped around her figure beautifully, making her look almost unreal.
For a second, he simply admired her quietly.
Then his expression softened knowingly.
"She found out."
He sat up slowly, stretching lazily before speaking.
"You're awake early."
Roseline turned toward him.
"He left."
Kingston sighed internally.
Straight to the point.
"Yes."
"At dawn?"
"Yes."
Roseline frowned slightly.
"That's too early."
Kingston almost smiled.
The concern in her voice was impossible to miss.
"He dislikes long farewells," Kingston explained gently.
Roseline looked away again.
"I wasn't planning to see him off."
"Mhm."
"I'm serious."
"Of course."
Her eyes narrowed immediately.
"You sound unconvinced."
Kingston bit back a laugh.
Unfortunately, his shoulders betrayed him.
Roseline crossed her arms.
"You're laughing at me."
"Never."
"You absolutely are."
Kingston finally gave up and laughed softly.
Roseline huffed before looking back toward the balcony.
The strange feeling in her chest still lingered.
She remembered those sharp silver eyes again.
That overwhelming presence.
And strangely enough…
The way he looked at her near the end.
Not cold.
Not frightening.
But almost…
Longing.
Her brows furrowed unconsciously.
"Kingston."
"Hm?"
"…Who exactly is he?"
The room became quieter.
Kingston's expression softened.
There it was.
The question he knew would come eventually.
He rose from the bed slowly before walking toward her.
Roseline immediately noticed the shift in his demeanor.
No teasing.
No laughter.
Only seriousness.
That alone made her heart beat faster.
"What is it?" she asked quietly.
Kingston stopped in front of her.
Then gently took her hand into his.
Roseline blinked in surprise.
"Rose…"
His voice was unusually careful.
And suddenly—
She felt nervous.
Very nervous.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Kingston exhaled slowly.
"There's something I should've told you earlier."
Roseline's chest tightened.
"What?"
He hesitated briefly.
Not because he doubted telling her.
But because he knew this moment would change her entire life forever.
"You once asked me if I thought it was strange that you were thrown away for the wild animals by your family."
Roseline stiffened slightly.
That topic.
That painful empty part of her life.
"I remember," she answered softly.
Kingston squeezed her hand gently.
"You also asked me before… if I thought someone somewhere might still be looking for you or thought you were dead."
Roseline looked down quietly.
"I stopped hoping for that long ago."
The words hurt him.
Because she truly believed she had no one.
No blood.
No family.
No home waiting for her.
Kingston stepped closer.
"You were wrong."
Roseline slowly looked up at him.
Confusion filled her eyes.
"What do you mean?"
Kingston smiled faintly.
"You do have family, Rose."
Her breath caught instantly.
"What…?"
"You were never abandoned."
Roseline stared at him.
No.
No, that was impossible.
"Kingston…"
"You were loved."
Her eyes slowly widened.
"You were searched for."
"…Stop joking."
"I'm not joking."
Her heartbeat began rising rapidly.
Kingston's voice remained calm and gentle.
"Someone spent years searching for you."
Roseline shook her head immediately.
"No…"
"Rose—"
"No."
Her voice trembled now.
Because deep down…
Something inside her was already beginning to understand.
Those silver eyes.
That strange familiarity.
The painful loneliness she saw within them.
The way he watched her.
The way he reacted whenever she spoke.
The way he warned Alexander to protect her.
Roseline's lips parted slightly.
"…The masked king."
Kingston stayed silent.
And that silence alone became the answer.
Roseline stepped backward slowly.
"No…"
Her eyes widened further.
"No."
Tears instantly gathered before she even understood why.
Kingston gently held her shoulders.
"Rose—"
"That's impossible."
"He's your brother."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The world around her seemed to stop moving completely.
Roseline could only stare at him blankly.
Brother?
Her?
No…
No, she didn't have a brother.
She didn't have anyone.
That was what she told herself for years.
That was how she survived.
So why did her chest hurt so badly right now?
Kingston watched heartbreak flicker across her face.
"He didn't tell you himself because he was afraid."
Roseline looked lost.
"Afraid…?"
"He thought you might reject him."
That broke something inside her immediately.
Her vision blurred with tears.
Kingston pulled her gently closer.
"He found you not long ago, Rose. He knew through our wedding."
Her fingers clutched his robe tightly.
"Then why didn't he tell me?"
Pain crossed Kingston's face briefly.
"Because of what happened in the past."
Roseline's breathing shook.
"What happened…?"
Kingston closed his eyes briefly.
"He lost you once already. And your whole famil collapsed, your parents, grandparents....., the rebels...
The two of you are the last standing, the only ones in your family."
The words struck deeply.
"So he stayed close instead," Kingston continued quietly. "Watching over you. Protecting you from afar throughout the wedding until he was certain you were safe before he left."
Roseline remembered every strange thing from yesterday again.
His constant gaze.
His anger toward anyone threatening her.
The way he softened though annoyed whenever she defended Alexander.
The strange sentence he whispered before leaving.
"You still stand in front of the people you care about exactly the same way she did." --- who, her mother?
A sob nearly escaped her lips.
Because now…
Now it sounded personal.
Like memory.
Like love.
Like someone who knew her.
Roseline covered her mouth shakily.
"He really… searched for me?"
"For years."
"Alone?"
Kingston hesitated.
"Yes."
Tears finally rolled down her cheeks fully.
And suddenly she remembered something else.
"He left without seeing me…"
Kingston sighed softly.
"He wanted to."
"Then why didn't he?"
"Because he was scared you'd hate him."
Roseline's eyes widened immediately.
"Hate him?"
Kingston gave a helpless smile.
"He's the most feared man on the continent, yet he spent half the night panicking because you sided with me instead of him."
Despite everything—
A tiny laugh escaped Roseline through her tears.
That sounded absurd.
Yet somehow…
Completely believable.
Kingston gently wiped her tears away.
"He asked me to tell you good things about him."
Roseline blinked.
"…What?"
Kingston laughed softly now.
"He was very serious about it too."
For the first time since learning the truth, Roseline smiled faintly.
Small.
Shaky.
Emotional.
Kingston's heart softened.
"He didn't leave because he didn't care," he said gently. "He left because he thought giving you space was better."
Roseline lowered her gaze.
Then whispered quietly—
"…I wanted to say goodbye."
Kingston pulled her into his arms immediately.
And this time—
Roseline cried properly.
Not from sadness alone.
But from the overwhelming realization that somewhere in this world…
She had been loved all along. Not disowned or thrown out like she thought.
And she has a loving and caring brother. Her blood.
@Queenzayn