That request didn't come from a ruler. Not from the heir of the Northern lands.
It came from a man who knew that once the truth was spoken, he might lose everything.
Liv looked at Jay for a long time long enough that Jay feared her answer.
Then Liv lifted her hand and gently touched his cheek.
"I'm here," she said softly." And as long as you don't push me away… I won't go."
The night remained silent. But for the first time, the quiet between them was no longer distance, it was a pause before a truth that would change everything.
She let out a long breath.
"So do not protect me with lies, Jay," she said. "And do not distance yourself from me in the name of protection."
Liv touched her own chest.
"Because that vow is still alive here."
Jay did not continue right away.
