Truth was usually simple.

But for Theron, the truth about himself had never been simple.

And when it came to Aveline... it was worse than complicated. It was a burden. A weakness. A risk.

Because revealing who he truly was might cost him the one thing he could no longer bear to lose.

Her.

That fear alone was why he had hidden it from her for so long.

But now?

His silence was hurting her. Emotionally. And because of him, her life was already in danger.

Could he really keep lying to her after this?

"My family," Theron said slowly, "is the ruling family of Greenvale."

Aveline stared at him for a second, waiting for the rest of the joke.

When nothing came, she burst into laughter.

The sound startled Hamilton, who had been sitting near the pillow watching the two of them with wide, curious eyes.

Aveline clutched her stomach as she laughed and even smacked Theron lightly on the arm.

"Are you going to tell me next that you’re the Crown Prince?" she teased between breaths.

She could barely even look at him properly, still amused by the absurdity of it.

But slowly...

The laughter faded.

Because Theron was not laughing with her.

And worse... He was not correcting her either.

Aveline’s smile faltered.

Her mind suddenly began connecting things she had ignored before. His strange influence. The way guards obeyed him instantly. The fear others carried around him. The effortless authority in his voice.

Even the way Kael and Edric had treated him earlier.

All of it suddenly made horrifying sense.

"Wait..."

Her voice quieted.

She looked up at him fully now, the amusement draining from her face as seriousness settled in.

"Are you the Crown Prince?" she asked softly.

Theron looked at her in silence.

He could not move. Could not breathe properly.

The truth was finally out between them, laid bare with nowhere left to hide.

And now... everything rested in her hands.

Whether he could still have even the smallest piece of happiness. Whether she would stay. Whether she would look at him the same way again.

Whatever Aveline decided after this would be final.

And he would accept it.

Because after everything he had done, she deserved that choice.

Aveline’s fingers twisted tightly into the bedsheets.

They trembled.

Color slowly drained from her face as though the world itself had gone silent around her. Her heart seemed to forget how to beat for one long, disorienting moment.

Theron... The little boy she had grown up beside... Was the Crown Prince of an entire kingdom.

At first, all she felt was shock.

Then suddenly... Happiness bloomed inside her chest.

Everyone used to call him an orphan. A cursed child. A burden no one wanted. But he was not alone after all. He was the King’s son.

"Why didn’t you tell Lady Flora and Beatrice?" she blurted out suddenly. "I would’ve loved to see their faces when they realized the boy they bullied was actually the prince."

The thought genuinely delighted her for a brief second.

But only for a brief second.

Because slowly, painfully, another realization began settling into place.

Theron was the Crown Prince. A prince with a kingdom behind him. A throne waiting for him.

And she... She was an orphan.

The distance between them suddenly felt endless. A chasm too wide to cross.

Of course, he had refused to marry her. Thinking about it now, it almost felt ridiculous that he spoke to her at all.

Her head slowly lowered. In front of him, Aveline felt painfully small.

Theron watched her carefully, confusion and dread tightening inside his chest.

He had expected anger. Expected her to shout at him for lying. To hit him. To demand why he had abandoned her despite being the Crown Prince all along.

But instead...

She had smiled at him. She was happy for him. Happy that the boy people mocked had actually been someone precious all along.

The tenderness of it hurt him more than her fury ever could.

This woman could get jealous over the faint scent of jasmine on him... yet the revelation that he had hidden his identity from her only made her glad for his sake.

Then why...

Why was she bowing her head like that?

"Aveline..."

Theron moved closer immediately.

But Aveline suddenly covered her face and curled inward, burying herself against her knees.

"Say something," Theron asked softly, anxiety creeping into his voice despite himself.

He tried to pull her hands away gently, tried to lift her face, but she hugged her knees so tightly he became afraid he might hurt her if he forced her.

"Aveline..."

His chest tightened painfully.

"Are you angry at me?"

Aveline shook her head silently.

"Then look at me. I wanted to tell you, but..."

Still, she refused to raise her head. And somehow, her silence hurt far more than any anger could have. Theron could endure screaming. He could endure her punches and kicks. He could endure accusations. He could even endure hatred from her if he had to.

But this quiet withdrawal?

This frightened him.

His thoughts turned darker instantly.

Was she crying?

No. That absolutely could not happen.

Without hesitating further, Theron slid an arm beneath her and lifted her up entirely. Even curled into herself like a frightened little creature, she fit easily against him.

He pulled her directly onto his lap, keeping her curled tightly against his chest as though he refused to let her hide alone in her thoughts.

Aveline could feel the warmth of him everywhere now.

His bare chest pressed against her cheek, steady and warm beneath her, while the hand resting on her back trembled ever so slightly, as if he were genuinely worried about her.

And suddenly, the grief she had buried so deeply surged back up.

The pain of losing her parents struck her heart all over again, reopening that wound that never truly healed. For a moment, she wanted to cry. To wail. To let all that loneliness and hurt pour out of her.

But then...

Theron held her closer.

And through his warmth, another realization slowly settled into place.

He had always known. He knew what her life was like. He’d known she had been abused, abandoned, unwanted. He’d known how little she thought of herself.

And despite all of that... He stayed. Not out of pity. Not because he looked down on her.

He had brought her here himself. Protected her. Endured her temper and her stubbornness. Even now, he kept his distance not because he was ashamed of her, but because he thought it would keep her safe.

In front of everyone, he acknowledged her openly. Even after she kicked him, embarrassed him, screamed at him—he still treated her gently, unconcerned about what others might think.

As the realization fully settled in, the dark thoughts clouding her chest began dissolving quietly, like morning fog melting beneath sunlight.

Slowly, Aveline lifted her head.

Then she moved.

Her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders, and she climbed fully into his lap, straddling him with her legs around his waist before hugging him as tightly as she could.

"I’m happy for you, Theron," she whispered softly against him. "After everything you suffered growing up... you finally got something good in return. People respect you now."

And she meant it sincerely.

More than wealth, more than power, Aveline knew how precious respect truly was. And Theron had earned it, whether people offered it willingly or through fear.

Theron leaned into her embrace instinctively.

Of course, this was her.

This foolish, warm-hearted girl who never cared whether he was a prince or an orphan. The only thing she cared about was whether he was happy.

Aveline pulled back slightly, still holding onto him.

"You must have so many rules to follow now," she said quietly. "That sounds hard..."

When they were children, Theron had always followed her instead of rules. He had been someone who liked freedom, someone who wandered after her without complaint. Palace life must have suffocated him sometimes.

And noble families already lived under strict expectations.

A Crown Prince?

The pressure on him must have been crushing.

"But at least," she added while looking at his face carefully, "you don’t have to worry about food anymore."

Then a mischievous little smile curved onto her lips.

"Though," she added with a teasing glint in her eyes, "you might need to worry about your head."

Theron’s eyes reddened slightly as he looked at her. He did not even try to hide the emotion anymore.

"Don’t worry, though," Aveline said with a wink. "I have mysterious powers now. I’ll protect you."

And that completely undid him.

Those clear, crystalline eyes looked at him with such sincerity, such unwavering affection, that something inside his chest gave way entirely.

She wasn’t angry at him.

She wasn’t asking him for anything despite knowing who he was now.

She wasn’t looking to collect any debts now.

Instead, she was promising to protect him.

Always...

She wrapped around his life like warmth itself. Like home. Like the soft blanket of love he had never realized he needed until she returned to him.

Theron’s grip tightened around her waist.

Then he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.

And for the first time since she had returned to him, Theron kissed her without fear.