THE KING'S POSSESSION

Chapter 106

Chapter 106: The Princess and the Knight

"Remove your scarf," Isabel demanded with her voice steady but laced with a tension that reverberated through the room. The command was sharp and unexpected and it drew gasps from the gathered nobles and a flicker of surprise from Empress Ilyana herself.

For a moment, Tristan remained motionless, his hesitation clear. He knew that once the scarf was gone, there would be no turning back. His heart pounded as Isabel, with a determined look in her icy blue eyes, began to move toward him.

Ilyana who noticed the resolve in her daughter's eyes, smiled softly and stepped aside, allowing Isabel to approach. The Empress had not expected this sudden turn, but she understood the importance of the moment. It was a rare chance for Isabel to take control of her fate, and she would not stand in her way.

Tristan's breath hitched as Isabel stopped just a few steps away from him. Her gaze was unwavering, her command absolute. With a deep breath, he reached up with trembling hands and began to untie the scarf that had shielded his identity throughout the trials. The fabric fell away slowly, revealing the man beneath.

As the scarf slipped from his fingers, the room fell into a heavy silence as Isabel's eyes locked onto Tristan's face. Recognition dawned immediately in her gaze, followed by a torrent of emotions that she struggled to contain. Her breath caught in her throat as the memories of a life with him, a life filled with love and happiness she longed for began flooding back to her.

Tristan met her gaze, his eyes filled with regret and longing. He saw the shock in her expression, the way her lips parted in surprise, but he did not flinch. This was the moment he had both dreaded and longed for. But when Isabel's eyes began to glisten with tears, his resolve wavered. The sight of her, vulnerable and overwhelmed, cut through him like a blade.

Isabel's tears spilled over, her shoulders trembling as she struggled to hold back the flood of emotions. The court, stunned into silence, watched in awe as the princess—who had stood so strong moments before—began to break. Even Empress Ilyana, known for her steely composure, was taken aback by her daughter's sudden display of emotion. But it was Tristan's reaction that truly revealed the depth of the bond they had once shared. His face flushed with shame and helplessness, unable to do anything but watch as Isabel wept.

The room which was heavy with tension, seemed to hold its breath. Then, with a sudden urgency, Ilyana's voice cut through the silence. "Everyone, leave," she commanded, her tone leaving no room for hesitation. The nobles and guards quickly obeyed, filing out of the hall, their eyes casting curious glances at the scene unfolding before them. The Empress's gaze remained fixed on her daughter, watching as Isabel struggled to contain the flood of emotions that has already overwhelmed her.

But as Ilyana observed the scene, she realized that this reunion was clearly long overdue and her stern expression softened into a smile. The Empress, sensed that her presence was no longer needed and made a decision. With a graceful nod, she turned on her heel and quietly exited the hall, leaving Isabel and Tristan alone.

As the grand doors closed behind her, silence fell once more, enveloping the two who now stood facing each other, their emotions laid bare. Isabel's voice trembled as she broke the silence, her relief palpable. "You're... alive..." she breathed, her words heavy with unspoken fears. "I thought Lucian had hurt you too." Her concern drove her to step closer to Tristan, her eyes searching his face for any signs of harm.

But her approach startled him, and he instinctively took a step back. How could he let her get any closer? This woman before him, the one he had loved with all his heart, had been a beacon in his darkest days, and the very essence of what he had fought to protect. Yet now, standing before him, she was no longer the woman of low birth he once knew. She was now a princess, far removed from the life they had once shared.

Tristan's heart ached with the distance that had grown between them, a chasm widened by fate and circumstance. Isabel had always been beyond his reach, but now she has risen to a status that made her even more unreachable. The pain of this realization weighed heavily on him, and he struggled to find the words to express the turmoil within him.

His gaze dropped to the floor as the weight of his feelings bore down on him. He could hardly believe she was standing before him, alive and safe, yet the distance between them felt insurmountable. "Your Highness," he began, his voice trembling with the struggle to maintain composure.

But as the words left his lips, Isabel's expression changed. The fierce resolve that had carried her through the confrontation with Lucian began to falter, replaced by something more vulnerable, more real.

"Tristan," Isabel whispered, her voice small and trembling, like a child afraid of being abandoned. She took another step toward him, her composure cracking further. "Please... don't talk to me like that. Don't call me that..." Her voice wavered, and she bit her lip, trying to hold back the sob threatening to escape. "I'm still the same woman who loved you. The same woman who missed you every day you were gone."

Tristan's heart clenched at the sight of her. She wasn't the imposing princess he had imagined, but the Isabel he had cherished—vulnerable, scared, and clinging to the hope that he hadn't truly left her behind. The title, the distance, the duties—all of it seemed to vanish in the face of her raw emotion.

Yet his eyes remained downcast, unable to meet Isabel's gaze. The weight of his guilt and unworthiness pressed heavily on his shoulders. "How could I call you by your name, Your Highness?" he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "I... I am now a rogue knight, unworthy of even standing before you. All I have left is the hope that I can do something, anything, to pay for my sins."

His words, filled with self-reproach, struck Isabel like a blow to the heart. Her brokenheartedness transformed into anger and sorrow. She couldn't bear the distance he was putting between them, couldn't stand the way he was pushing her away with titles and formalities. The man she had loved, the one who had stood by her side through the darkest of times, was here, yet he felt further away than ever.

"Then stand up, knight!" Isabel yelled, her voice trembling with both fury and desperation as she stomped her foot on the floor, the sound echoing through the hall. The royal demeanor she had maintained slipped away, replaced by the raw emotion of a woman whose heart was breaking all over again. "Look me in the eyes!"

Her outburst startled Tristan, his head snapping up in surprise. He saw not the regal princess he had promised himself to protect, but the same Isabel he had loved so deeply. Her pouty, quivering lips, the tears in her eyes, the defiance in her voice—it was all too familiar. The ranks that had separated them fell away in that moment, and he was reminded of the woman who had once been his whole world.