[Bonus chapter]The tunnel that led nowhere (part 1)

Stepping away from the seismic revelations that had shaken the Archduke's study behind her, Adela hurriedly walked through the garden with a clear image in her mind – that of a young, beautiful boy cradled in her arms, tears streaming down his cheeks.

No. That's not him anymore.

The passage of time had transformed that boy into someone else entirely, someone who stood at a crossroads facing a defining choice, one between a kingdom's throne and the preservation of her life. In the end, he had relinquished his aspirations for her well-being, abandoning the ambitions he once held dear.

I have to see him.