Chapter 362: Chapter 364

Chapter 364 Ella POV The rooftop was bathed in the soft glow of city lights, the distant hum of activity below drowned out by music playing softly from unseen speakers. The air was cool, but the view more than made up for it.

As I sat at the table in the center of the roof, the patio heaters created a warm buble that I was happy to spend the evening in.

Alexander had gone all out. A beautifully set table stood between us, adorned with flickering candles and a meal that smelled divine.

A bottle of wine sat in a bucket of ice, the deep red liquid glistening in our glasses. It was perfect. It should have felt perfect.

But my mind was elsewhere.

This unexpected romantic gesture was sweet of him, but it felt wrong to be indulging when there was so much work for us to do.

I sighed, swirling my wine in its glass as I tried to focus, to be present. It had been days since we’d had a quiet moment together, and I wanted–desperately–to enjoy it.

But my thoughts kept circling back to everything that had happened, everything that was still happening.

Alexander studied me for a moment before reaching across the table to take my hand. His touch was warm, grounding. “Your mind is somewhere else,” he said gently.

I gave him a small smile, knowing I wasn’t fooling him. “Just thinking.”

“About?”

I hesitated, but there was no point in pretending. “The case against David.”

His expression darkened slightly, his fingers tightening around mine. “It’s nearly over,” he said. “The evidence is overwhelming.

Between the financial records, the testimonies, and everything Amanda’s revealed under questioning, there’s no way out for him.”

I nodded, but the weight in my chest didn’t lessen. “And the king?”

“He’s going to make an official statement soon,” Alexander confirmed. “David, Amanda, and the others will be charged with treason.” He hesitated, then sighed. “They found evidence that David wasn’t just conspiring against the crown. He was planning assassinations–several of them.”

My breath caught as I remembered what had happened to my father in the original timeline. “Who?”

Alexander shook his head. “It’s not all clear yet, but it doesn’t matter. Attempted regicide, conspiracy, murder...” He let out a slow breath. “The penalty for that is death.”

I looked down at my plate, suddenly losing my appetite. It wasn’t that I wanted David to escape justice–he had been ruthless, cruel, dangerous. But death. The finality of it made my stomach twist.

“I knew it was coming,” I admitted quietly. “I just... I didn’t think it would feel like this.”

Alexander squeezed my hand again. “I know.”

I met his gaze, the warmth in his eyes soothing some of the pain inside me. He didn’t offer empty reassurances. He knew what it was like to wrestle with the morality of things, to weigh justice against mercy.

1/2 +25 BONUS Chapter 364 I exhaled, shaking my head as I tried to push the feeling away. “What about Archer?” I asked, shifting the conversation.

Alexander leaned back slightly, his jaw tightening. “Nothing new. If there’s more to his case, the king hasn’t shared it yet and my agents haven’t uncovered it. He was much better about hiding his actions than David or Amanda.”

That didn’t sit well with me. “Maybe we should go to the king directly,” I suggested, though uncertainty laced my voice. “He did say he wanted to speak with us.”

Alexander gave me a knowing look. “You’re hesitant because of Diana.”

I frowned, hating how well he could read me. “She’s always with him, it seems,” I pointed out. “We still don’t know what her role is in all of this. She’s influencing him, but why? What’s her goal?”

His expression darkened. “I don’t know,” he admitted.

I could tell that was weighing on him as well, but before I could push the topic further, he sighed and set his glass down.

“Speaking of Diana... there’s something I need to tell you.”

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