Selene's POV
I sat up slowly, the sheets still clinging to my skin.
“I didn’t want to,” I said finally.
Anthony frowned. “Didn’t want to… why? You know what that title means. It changes everything. He would have…”
“That’s exactly why I didn’t.”
He looked confused, so I kept going.
“I didn’t want him to look at me and only see that title. I didn’t want him to treat me like some prize from the Royal Court. I wanted him to choose me… not because of what I was born into, but because of who I was.”
Anthony stayed quiet, watching me closely.
“I wanted to solve things on my own. I didn’t want to use my father’s name or my brother’s position every time things got hard. I thought… maybe if I stayed quiet, I would… earn real respect.”
My fingers twisted in the blanket. “I know it sounds f
