Chapter 127
Annalise
The balcony stretched into the night, a forgotten part of the palace where ivy curled around the stone railings, and the lanterns had long since burned out. Only the moon cast its pale glow, bathing Lucien in silver light.
It had been so long since I last saw him.
And yet, he was still Lucien.
And at the same time… he wasn’t.
His shoulders were broader, his stance heavier, as if he carried the weight of something unseen. His red hair caught in the breeze, but it no longer framed the same boyish face I once knew. His sharp features had hardened, his eyes darker, unreadable.
“How have you been?”
Lucien bowed low, the way one does before their Queen, and for some reason, that alone made my chest feel tight.
It had been a long time since we were simply Lucien and
