Chapter 42 Before the Darkness

Leo’s POV

I should have known.

God, I should have known.

I sat there, unmoving, as the memory played again in my mind—her smile, a fraction too sly, her hand brushing mine like she wasn’t even thinking about it. The sharp tilt of her head. The way her lips parted when she laughed.

Alicia... the real Alicia... was never like that.

She was clumsy with affection. Pure without trying. She would look at me and then away again too fast, cheeks flushed, nerves bundled tightly in every awkward gesture.

Not calculated.

Not polished.

And yet, when the Queen wore her skin, I’d fallen for it anyway.

Because I wanted to believe.

Because I was selfish.

I buried my face in my hands, feeling the hollow ache that never seemed to leave anymore.

I couldn’t afford to upset her.

I couldn’t afford to stay away.

I loved her.

Not the Queen. Not the image she wore. But the girl beneath it all—the one who still believed she could fight monsters bigger than herself and win.