The Good Crown

Chapter 52

The academy was quieter than usual, the hallways nearly empty as everyone packed to head home for the break. I stood in my dorm, folding clothes and throwing them into my bag without much thought. Everything felt surreal. This break wasn't just a chance to rest or to visit home—it was an end to something. I knew that as soon as I left, the clock would start ticking down.

A knock at the door pulled me out of my thoughts. I knew who it was before I even opened it. Noah stood there, leaning against the doorframe, his easy smile in place, but his eyes held something deeper, something more serious.

"Heading out soon?" he asked, glancing at the bag on my bed.

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Yeah, just finishing up."

He stepped inside, his presence filling the small room. "I wanted to see you before you left. Say goodbye."

Goodbye. The word hit me harder than I expected. He didn't know it yet, but this wasn't just a casual farewell. This was it. My final goodbye to him, not just for the break, but for everything. After this, things would never be the same.

I glanced away, trying to keep my emotions in check. "We'll see each other after the break."

"Yeah," he said softly, stepping closer, his voice almost hesitant.

I could feel his eyes on me, could feel the weight of everything left unsaid between us. He didn't know the truth—the rebellion, the plan. He didn't know that when I returned, it wouldn't be as the girl he knew. I was supposed to be his escort at the coronation, but after that, everything would fall apart. I had a role to play, and it wasn't the one he thought.

Noah reached out, brushing his fingers lightly against my arm, pulling me back to the present. "I'll miss you, Daniella."

Those words nearly shattered me. I wanted to say something, to tell him that I would miss him too, but I couldn't let myself. I had to be strong. For the rebellion. For my friends. For everything we'd worked for. I couldn't let Noah make me soft, not now. Not when I had to end this.

Noah's gaze softened, his hand dropping back to his side as he nodded, his smile small but genuine. I could feel the weight of his words, the lingering warmth of his touch as he stepped back toward the door. But something inside me screamed not to let him leave, not like this.

Before I knew what I was doing, my body moved on its own. I reached out, grabbing his wrist and pulling him back to me, closing the space between us in an instant. Noah's eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't resist—he never would. He was too kind, too trusting. And I was about to break that trust.

Without thinking, I pressed my lips to his, hard and desperate. One more kiss. Just one more chance to pretend that none of this was happening, that we weren't on opposite sides, that there was nothing standing in our way. In that moment, I let myself drown in the illusion, in the warmth of his lips against mine, in the soft sigh that escaped him as he kissed me back.

Noah was oblivious to the storm raging inside me, smiling into the kiss like this was just another sweet moment between us, like we had a future together. Like there wasn't a plan in motion that would destroy everything between us.

I pulled back, breathless and shaken by my own actions. My heart raced in my chest, pounding against my ribs as if it was trying to break free. Noah looked down at me, his smile still there, soft and adoring. Completely unaware.

"I'll miss you," he said quietly, his voice laced with that same sweetness that always made my chest ache.

I couldn't bring myself to say it back, not when I knew what was coming. Instead, I forced that same smile, trying to hold on to the dream for just a few more seconds. "I'll see you when I get back," I lied again, my voice trembling despite my best efforts.

Noah smiled wider, oblivious to the cracks forming between us, to the walls I was about to build. "I'll be waiting," he whispered, leaning in to press one more gentle kiss to my forehead before stepping back.

I watched him leave, my heart breaking all over again. The door clicked shut behind him, and the room was silent. The warmth of his kiss still lingered on my lips, but the reality of what I had to do hit me like a tidal wave.

This was goodbye.