Chapter 144: Fucking Royal

Leila POV:

I shook my head, the weight of it all threatening to crush me. "This is insane," I muttered, pacing the room. "This whole thing is insane. I don't belong in your world, Chase. And I definitely don't belong in your father's castle."

"You belong with me," he said firmly, his voice cutting through my spiraling thoughts. "I don't care about the castle, or the crown, or any of it. I care about you. About Ash. That's all that matters to me."

I stopped pacing, my eyes locking with his. For a moment, I wanted to believe him. Wanted to believe that this impossible situation could somehow work. But reality came crashing down, as it always did.

"Even if that's true," I said quietly, "it doesn't change the fact that your father is going to see me as a threat. Or worse, as a weakness. You really think he's going to just sit back and accept this? Accept us?"