I Was the Stepping Stone novel Chapter 12

Chapter 12

On the day Alaric departed for the western kingdom, the entire city turned out to bid him farewell.

Only Henry and I remained in the teahouse, sipping tea and laughing as if it were any other morning.

Word had it Alaric had sprained his ankle the night before, confined to bed. But bound by his military oath, he couldn’t delay the campaign.

They said he’d tried to leave the manor at dawn, desperate to find someone.

His family had dragged him back, fearing the consequences of tardiness.

I knew exactly who he’d wanted to see.

The High Princess Seraphina.

This war was for her, after all.

Now that the world knew of his devotion-now that I was no longer in the way-they could finally be together openly.

He must have ridden off triumphant, knowing victory would win him the woman he loved.

Noticing my somber expression, Henry conjured a rose from thin air, his boyish grin coaxing a smile from me.

His feelings were no mystery.

The way his gaze lingered, the protectiveness in every gesture-it was all too clear.

But I told myself it was merely youthful infatuation. At his age, how could he distinguish dependency from love?

Three months passed. The war dragged on, reports fluctuating between victory and stalemate.

He must truly love her, I thought, to fight so fiercely.

Whenever Henry caught me lost in thought, I’d brush him off. “What would a kid like you understand?”

“I’m not a kid!” he’d protest, puffing out his chest. “I can be the man you lean on!”

His stubbornness was endearing. But when he muttered, “I don’t want to be your little brother-I want to be your man,” I pretended not to hear.

After Alaric, I no longer trusted myself to navigate matters of the heart.

Or perhaps I simply didn’t have the strength to try.

This was unfair to Henry. He deserved more than a heart still learning to heal.

Some day, I would have to set him free.

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