Chapter Two Hundred and Thirty-Six

Chapter Two Hundred and Thirty-Six
Leonardo

My God…

My baby thought I was leaving him?

I stared at him, at the way his shoulders trembled and his lashes stuck together from tears, and I felt my heart fracture in real time. His hands were shaking. His voice—so small, so broken.

Leaving him! 

That wasn’t even a possibility in this universe.

I reached across the space between us and cupped his face in both hands, gently, like he might shatter if I squeezed too hard. His skin was warm, damp, his eyes glossy and red—but still the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

“Leave you?” I whispered. “You thought I was—baby, no… no, no… never.”

I kissed his forehead. His eyes. His cheeks. Anywhere I could reach.

“Look at me.” My voice shook. “I would never leave you. You’re my life. My hero. My prince. And I love you so much, it hurts.”

His eyes finally met mine.

I couldn’t breathe.

“You’re so stupid,” I said, kissing his jaw, desperate to make him smile again. “If I wanted to dump you, I’d have done it over text.”

He blinked, stunned—then laughed through his tears.

Shit, I thought. That sounded way better in my head.

“You’re a terrible comforter,” he said, still laughing. “And an asshole.”

I grinned. “Not that I ever would, baby… I was just saying—”

“Shut up and kiss me, babe.”

I did.

God, I did.

He tasted like salted sweetness and every ounce of hope I’d been too scared to believe in.

We didn’t talk for a while after that. We just held each other, laughed a little, kissed a lot, and made our way through the final course.

The chef brought out Spandauer—his favorite dessert and a big part of our history. I watched the way his whole face lit up, how he moaned quietly after the first bite, and I knew I’d remember that moment forever.

After the third one, he groaned, full and glowing. “Leo, I’m going to explode.”

I kissed the back of his hand, smiling into his skin. “Would you like to take a walk with me?”

He looked at me with so much softness in his eyes I nearly forgot what words were.

“I’d love to.”

We left the table behind, stepping into the gardens outside the palace. The air was cooler now, the full moon casting silver light over the cobbled paths. Fairy lights lined the hedges, wrapping around delicate stone fountains that glowed with pale blue light.

I guided him gently, wordlessly, past the rose garden, down the marble steps, and toward the side of the palace.

That’s when he saw it.

The gazebo.

Lit up like a dream, waiting for us in the distance.

“Oh my God,” he whispered. “Our private ballroom…”

I saw the way his smile flickered—how memory danced behind his eyes, along with a dozen unspoken what-ifs.

We laughed together, remembering how we’d nearly lost everything just for one stupid kiss.

But I didn’t regret it. Not for a second.

“But you know what?” I murmured. “No one’s taking pictures now. And no one’s watching.”

He turned to look at me.

I reached for his hand.

And slowly, we stepped inside.

The air shifted as we entered—lavender and jasmine hanging softly in the air like a whispered welcome. Dozens of candles flickered around us, casting golden light on the white drapes and marble floor.

He stopped in the center, eyes wide, heart in his throat. I felt it from here.

His gaze darted toward the far corner.

And then he laughed, choking on emotion. “No way… He’s here?”

In the corner, standing like a royal ghost with a bow in hand, was the violinist.

I grinned. “We needed music, baby.”

“For what?” he asked softly, eyes full of wonder.

I didn’t answer.

Because right then… our song began.

The soft notes of A Thousand Years drifted around us like a warm breeze, gentle and aching, made for this night and no other.

I turned to him, chest aching. “May I have this dance?”

He didn’t speak.

He just nodded, his eyes glassy with emotion, his lips parted like he couldn’t believe any of this was real.

I reached for his hand.

He took it.

And somehow, I remembered the steps from my Waltz for Dummies video tutorial marathon. .Forward, sideways, close.
Back, sideways, close.
That’s it… And, if forgetting any of the above, just smile and try not to step on my Charming.

We moved together like we always had—flawed, a little chaotic, but in perfect sync where it mattered. Dancing by the light of the moon… Well, Alex actually danced. I just tried to keep up.

And laugh.

God, we laughed.

At some point, I pulled him closer, pressed my forehead against his, and felt the rhythm of his breath against my cheek. My heart was racing. My brain? Barely functioning.

“You remember the day we met?” I asked, voice low. “The moment I saw you… I knew you were different.”

He smiled. “Me too. The first time I saw you, I knew you’d be trouble.”

We both laughed.

“And you were,” he added, pulling me tighter.

I held him like I never wanted to let go again.

“After everything,” I murmured, “all the drama… the tragedy… the near-death experiences—some literal—I’ve come to realize something.”

He looked at me, waiting.

“I’d rather face hell a thousand times… than live a day without you.”

He swallowed, emotion rising in his throat.

“It kills me, Alex. Not being by your side. Not standing next to you at every one of those events—watching you smile for the cameras, knowing deep down those moments should’ve been ours. Not just yours.”

His eyes welled with fresh tears.

And it shattered me.

“I never wanted you to feel alone, Leo,” he whispered, voice cracking. “Every day, I was afraid you’d get tired of this. That you’d… leave.”

I shook my head. “Never.”

He looked down, lips trembling.

“I feel that way too,” he whispered. “But the law—”

I kissed him before he could finish.

A long, deep kiss filled with every bit of pain and longing I’d carried through the silence.

When I pulled away, I said softly, “The law says all diplomatic events and monarchy affairs are restricted to the king and his inner circle. I know. I understand.”

I stared into his eyes.

“But I can’t be an outsider anymore.”

His face changed.

Everything in him froze.

“I thought you said you wouldn’t…” His voice turned hollow. “Leave me.”

We stopped dancing.

I took both his hands, steadying him as I looked straight into his soul.

“That’s why I want to change this.”

He blinked at me, confused, vulnerable.

“I don’t want to be in the crowd anymore, baby. I don’t want to be behind the cameras or waiting in a hotel room while you face it all. I want to be beside you. At the table. On the list. In your inner circle.”

He stared at me, breathless, his lips parting slightly in disbelief as I reached for the small velvet box in my pocket with trembling hands.

“So, baby…”

I took a deep breath and dropped to one knee.

Alex stumbled back, hand flying to his mouth, eyes wide and shining with pure, stunned shock.

“I know I’m a brute. Sometimes very uncultured, unhinged, unfiltered, and an absolute stubborn pain in your ass…” I laughed nervously, feeling my voice shake. “But I love you. And I will love you for a thousand years.”

I opened the box.

The diamond caught the candlelight and sang.

“And then more.”

He took a step forward, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Would you let me be there with you and for you? Would you let me carry the weight, and the joy, and the madness? Would you make me the happiest man alive?”

My voice broke.

“Alexander Johan Erikson…. Will you marry me?”

He collapsed to his knees with me, sobbing, laughing, trembling.

“Yes,” he whispered. Then louder—“Yes!”

And then we were crying, clinging to each other, kissing between tears and laughter, as our song played on, the candles danced around us, and the night sealed itself into eternity.