Chapter 373: Beneath the Veil

Classic Blackwood

The room was quiet now, but the weight of everything that had happened lingered. The cameras were gone, the wires ripped out, yet the invasion still burned in my mind. They had tried to watch us. Control us.

But tonight, they would get nothing.

I turned to Amal, who stood near the bed, watching me. Even in the dim glow of the chandelier, she held herself with the quiet grace of royalty—unshaken, unreadable.

"You expected this," I said. It wasn't a question.

She didn't deny it. "My father's council is thorough."

I scoffed. "Thorough is one word for it."

She sighed, stepping closer, her silk robe barely shifting over her frame. "You think this was about control," she murmured. "And you're right. But it was also about doubt."

I narrowed my eyes.

"They don't believe in this marriage," she continued, her voice steady. "They think it's an alliance forced into existence. A show. And they wanted proof that we…" She hesitated, then met my gaze. "That we're real."

I smirked. "Then let's disappoint them."

Amal studied me for a moment, then let out a soft breath—something close to a laugh. "Agreed."

Silence settled between us again, but this time, it wasn't tense. It was something else. Charged.

She reached for the pin in her hair, pulling it free. Dark waves cascaded over her shoulders, her eyes still locked onto mine. She was testing me—seeing how I'd react.

I didn't move.

Instead, I leaned against the bedpost, arms crossed. "Trying to seduce me, Princess?"

Her lips curved slightly. "Would it work?"

I chuckled. "You're assuming I'm the type to fall for tricks."

She tilted her head. "And you assume I'm playing one."

I pushed off the post, closing the space between us. "Aren't you?"

She didn't step back. If anything, she lifted her chin—challenging me. "I think you're looking for a fight that isn't here, Classic."

I exhaled, shaking my head. "After tonight, after the surveillance, after all of it—you're just… calm?"

Her gaze softened slightly. "I was raised for this world. I knew what would come with this marriage."

Her honesty threw me off guard.

I searched her face for any trace of fear, hesitation—anything that showed she was just putting on an act. But there was none.

Damn.

I reached out, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You really don't scare easily, do you?"

She smiled faintly. "Not when I know what I want."

I leaned in, just enough to test the waters. "And what is that?"

Her eyes flickered down to my lips before meeting my gaze again.

"For tonight?" she murmured. "A truce."

A slow smirk pulled at my lips. "A truce?"

She nodded. "No power games. No politics. Just… us."

Something in my chest tightened, but I masked it with a chuckle. "You almost sound sincere, Princess."

She arched a brow. "Almost?"

Instead of answering, I closed the remaining distance, my lips grazing against hers in a whisper of a kiss—not rushed, not demanding. Just testing.

She didn't pull away.

Her breath hitched slightly, and I felt her hands slide up my arms, resting against my shoulders. She wasn't pretending now. This was real.

For tonight, there were no councils. No politics. No power struggles.

Just us.