Mark closed the door behind him and silence immediately enveloped the room.

Moonlight filtered through the enormous window at the far end, covering the place with a bluish glow that made any candle unnecessary.

Under that dim illumination was when he truly realized how huge the room was.

The bed took up a good portion of the space. It wasn’t a simple single bed, but one large enough that three people could sleep comfortably without even touching.

The wardrobe against the wall was also exaggeratedly spacious. Even the vanity had an enormous mirror.

’Everything here seems made for two people or more...’

However, Mark pushed that thought away almost instantly.

Because the accumulated exhaustion of the last few days was starting to take its toll. His eyelids felt heavy, his shoulders tense, and a dull pain had settled at the base of his skull and wouldn’t go away.

Besides, the room was somewhat warm despite the hour. Probably because the window faced the side of the castle where the sun had beaten down all afternoon, leaving the walls still charged with some of that heat.

With a weary sigh, Mark proceeded to undress until he was left in just boxers.

Then he sat on the edge of the bed and let out a long sigh while running both hands over his face.

’I just need to sleep...’ Mark thought as he let himself fall backward onto the sheets. ’A few hours and tomorrow I’ll be able to think clearly.’

The mattress sank beneath his weight, enveloping his exhausted body in a softness that almost made him sigh with relief.

But barely had he closed his eyes—

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Mark opened them immediately and stared at the ceiling with an empty expression.

’It can’t be...’

The knocks came again, this time more insistent.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Irritation began to accumulate slowly in his chest as he remained motionless on the bed.

’Seriously? Can’t I have even a moment of rest?’

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Another knock echoed at the door and, finally, Mark let out a long sigh before rising heavily to sit at the edge of the bed.

"Come in..." Mark murmured without bothering to hide the exhaustion in his voice.

The door opened slowly, revealing Emilia.

It took Mark an instant to recognize her.

The queen no longer wore the elegant dress from earlier. Now she wore a black nightgown that reached mid-thigh, held up by thin straps that left her shoulders and much of her collarbone exposed.

Her light green hair was also completely loose, falling naturally over her shoulders and back without the elaborate styling she had worn during the day.

"May I come in?" Emilia asked in a soft voice from the doorway. "I wanted to talk to you..."

’I thought I told her all of that could wait until tomorrow,’ Mark thought, looking at her with eyes narrowed from exhaustion.

He let out a sigh.

"Come in."

Emilia entered the room and closed the door behind her with a soft click.

Then she walked to the bed and sat beside Mark, leaving just a few centimeters of distance between them.

The moonlight hit them head-on through the window, illuminating their silhouettes sitting on the edge of the bed.

"What do you want to talk about?" Mark asked without preamble.

Emilia clasped her hands over her lap.

"I wanted to apologize," she said, lowering her gaze slightly. "For what happened on the balcony..."

"Emilia—"

"I know what I did was wrong," she continued without letting him speak. "I acted on impulse without thinking of the consequences and put you in a situation that—"

"Emilia," Mark interrupted before she could continue.

Then he let out a weary sigh and turned his gaze toward the moon-lit window.

"Let it go... I forgive you," he said in an exhausted voice.

"But—"

"What’s done is done," he continued without taking his eyes off the window. "It can’t be undone, and keep going over it won’t change anything."

"..."

"What’s important now is to move forward and try to fix things the best we can."

Emilia looked at him for a few seconds, as if she wanted to say something more.

But in the end she just lowered her gaze slightly.

"Alright..." she murmured in a low voice.

Mark responded with a slight nod and, after that, silence settled between them again.

He remained looking at the moon through the window, while Emilia kept her eyes fixed on her own hands in her lap, both trapped in a silence that stretched on for several seconds.

Then Mark turned toward her upon hearing a small sob, soft and contained, as if the queen had tried to swallow it before it escaped.

Emilia had her head down and her shoulders trembled slightly. The hands resting on her lap gripped the fabric of the nightgown tightly.

’Oh shit...’ Mark thought.

"I don’t deserve for you to be so kind to me..." Emilia confessed, her voice breaking.

"Emilia—"

"I’m useless..." she continued, her head still bowed. "A good-for-nothing who always ruins everything."

"That’s not—"

"The council was always right about me," she said and the tears began to fall faster. "I don’t know how to govern, I don’t know how to fight, I don’t know how to make decisions, and every time I try to do something all I do is make things worse."

"Emilia, that’s not true."

She lifted her head and looked at him with eyes full of tears.

"Yes, it is..."

"It’s not," he repeated firmly. "You’re quite brave."

"Brave?" she repeated with a bitter laugh that mixed with a sob. "Me?"

"Yes," Mark confirmed. "You decided to confront the council, you retook control of your kingdom, and you stood before all your people to give a speech knowing they could reject you."

"..."

Emilia looked at him with her eyes wide open as tears continued to streak down her cheeks.

Then she hugged him.

Her arms closed around Mark with a strength that didn’t match her slender build, pressing her face against his bare chest as the sobs she had been holding back finally escaped without restriction.

And although he hesitated at first, Mark ended up returning the embrace, letting Emilia cry against his chest for a while.

So the minutes passed as Emilia’s sobs gradually calmed. Until finally she lifted her head from Mark’s chest, leaving their faces just centimeters apart.

"Do you really think that about me?" she asked with a trembling voice. "That I’m brave?"

"Yes," Mark replied. "And while you were wrong to deviate from the plan, that doesn’t take away from everything else."

Emilia didn’t look away.

Her green eyes remained fixed on Mark’s, reflecting the moonlight streaming in through the window.

After that, the two of them looked at each other in silence for a few seconds that seemed to stretch much longer than they should.

"Thank you..." she murmured.

And then the queen finished closing the distance between them.

Her lips pressed against Mark’s in a soft, slow kiss, still carrying the faint salty taste of tears.

Mark didn’t pull away.

And after a brief moment, he ended up returning the kiss as his arms wrapped around her more firmly, drawing her closer to him. Emilia slid her hands behind his neck as they continued kissing under the dim light of the moon.