Chapter 88: Final Apology
Another sharp scoff echoed through the queen’s drawing room, its sinister timbre sending a faint shiver down Kai’s spine.
Althea’s laughter was always unsettling, teetering between genuine amusement and derisive mockery. It was almost impossible to discern her true emotions.
"I admire your persistence, my dear boy," she said, her voice calm and measured once more. "It is far more satisfying to toy with humans when they understand their suffering completely, when they can fully grasp the pain and despair you inflict on them."
But that was not true, not for the crown prince.
Perhaps it had been in the past, back when Kai first laid eyes on Lorelai and saw her as a delicate white flower he wanted to crush beneath his dirty heel. Back then, the idea of breaking her spirit had thrilled him. Yet, as the years went by, that initial desire to dominate her had faded, replaced by something far more complicated.
Now, his feelings were an intricate web, tangled between possessiveness and obsession.
In the midst of the cruelty and corruption that defined his mother’s domain, Lorelai stood as the only untainted light. She was pure, untouched by the filth that surrounded them. And Kai wanted that light—all of it—for himself.
He did not mind resorting to any means necessary to claim her.
Even so, a small part of him still clung to the faint hope that Lorelai might choose him willingly. It was a dangerous gamble, but one he was willing to take, even if it meant waiting a little longer.