ROYAL HIGHNESS

38. Nice accident

*Time skip*

The first thing Amyardh noticed when he woke up was the emptiness beside him. 

His head was still heavy from exhaustion, but as he blinked his eyes open, adjusting to the dim lighting of the room, the absence of warmth beside him felt like a silent whisper of loss. Ovie was gone. 

He sighed, rubbing his face as he sat up. Somehow, he wasn’t surprised. She had always been like this—appearing when he needed her the most, offering comfort without asking for anything in return, and then vanishing before he could fully grasp what she meant to him. 

Dragging himself out of bed, he freshened up and changed into a simple white shirt and black pants before stepping out of his apartment. As he locked the door, his gaze instinctively shifted next door—Ovie’s apartment. 

Locked. 

Of course. 

She had probably gone back to her villa or had something urgent to attend to. Maybe she was at the shooting site. Whatever the reason, she had left without a word. 

Shoving his hands into his pockets, he made his way down to the parking lot and slid into his car. The engine roared to life, and without a second thought, he drove back to his villa.

By the time he arrived, the sky had already surrendered to darkness, the soft glow of the city lights barely reaching the secluded elegance of his villa. He stepped inside, walking straight upstairs to his bedroom. 

Throwing himself onto the bed, he let out a breath and unlocked his phone, scrolling through the notifications mindlessly. 

And then, one caught his attention. 

New chapter update from his favorite author.

His heartbeat quickened slightly. He didn’t waste a second before clicking on it, opening the chapter with an eagerness he didn’t quite understand. 

**The Chapter – A Moment of Vulnerability!**

Female Lead’s POV,

I had never seen him like this before. 

The man who always carried himself with a quiet intensity, the man whose presence demanded the attention of a room, the man who never let anyone see beyond his carefully constructed walls—he was breaking right in front of me. 

Tears lined his lashes, glistening under the dim light of the room. His hands trembled slightly as he struggled to hold himself together, his jaw clenched, his breathing uneven. 

He was trying so hard. Trying not to break. Trying not to let me see how shattered he really was. 

But I saw him. 

I saw *all* of him. 

"You don’t have to hold it all in," I whispered. 

He inhaled sharply, his Adam’s apple bobbing as if he were swallowing words he couldn’t say. His walls were crumbling, yet he stood there, desperately trying to keep them up. 

Without thinking, I reached out and took his hand, threading my fingers through his. He flinched, but he didn’t pull away. His gaze met mine, searching, questioning—asking for something he was too afraid to put into words. 

So, I answered without speaking. "It’s okay, you’re not alone....Not anymore." I reassured him, my voice barely above a murmur. I pulled him closer, gently leading him to sit down. His body was tense, his shoulders rigid, as if he was still fighting the inevitable. But the moment I wrapped my arms around him, the moment his head found its place against my shoulder, he let go.