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"Oddly, no. It wasn't even... tempting." I step into the gazebo, closing the distance between us. "But I found myself distracted by thoughts of you."

Her eyebrow rises. "Oh?"

"You were magnificent today," I tell her, needing her to understand. "Standing in that cathedral, commanding men who moments before had been trying to kill each other."

She steps closer, her hand reaching to touch my uninjured arm. "I thought you might resent my interference. That I'd stolen your vengeance."

I capture her hand, bringing it to my heart. "I realized something today, watching you hold Elena, seeing Luca with his family."

"What?"

"That all along, I thought power was the only thing that mattered. That revenge would fill the emptiness Vito carved inside me. I was wrong."

The admission burns my throat, stripping away the last of my defenses.

Her eyes widen, genuine surprise softening her features. "Dante Ravelli, admitting he was wrong? Now I know you've lost too much blood."

I laugh, the sound unexpected even to my own ears.

"Perhaps I have. Or perhaps I'm finally seeing clearly for the first time." I pull her closer. "You weren't merchandise to be claimed, Francesca. You were salvation I never deserved."

"I came to you as captive," she acknowledges, her fingers tracing the outline of my jaw. "But I stay by choice. As your equal. As your queen."

From my pocket, I withdraw a small velvet box. Inside rests a ring unlike any other—a custom creation combining the Ravelli crest with elements of the Castellano family emblem, diamonds and blood-red rubies intertwined in platinum.

"This is the last time I will claim you without asking," I tell her, removing the ring from its nest. "From this moment forward, we build together. With my brother, with Bianca and Elena. As equal partners. Equal rulers. Asfamily."

Tears shimmer in her eyes as I slide the ring onto her finger, its weight substantial, its meaning even more so.

"My king," she whispers, rising to her tiptoes to brush her lips against mine.

"Our empire," I murmur against her mouth.

Her breath catches, her body leaning into mine.

"First we hunt Nico," she reminds me. "Then we destroy the Volkovs for what they did to Antonio. For my father."

"And then?" I ask, already knowing her answer.

Her smile curves against my lips, part promise, part threat. "And then we build a dynasty that will make both our fathers spin in their graves."

I take her mouth with mine. The taste of her, sweetness… yet mingled with steel… reminds me of everything I almost lost today.

And everything else I've gained.

I entered this world as the second son, the expendable Ravelli, the monster shaped by Vito's cruelty.

I will leave it as king, with a queen worthy of devotion, and a legacy that will outlast us both.

The crown of blood is heavy, but we will bear it together.

The end… for now.