Page 341 of Split or Swallow

She dearly hoped he wouldn’t be the second king to betray her tonight.

“Temperance,” he said, his cold eyes boring into hers. “Do you take my son to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, until death do you part?”

Tem looked at Leo. Was it her imagination, or had he flinched at the ‘forsaking all others’ part?

“I do,” she said.

Maximus turned to Leo.

“Thelonius. Do you take Temperance to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, until death do you part?”

Leo smiled widely, looking at Tem as if she were a flower in a field of ashes.

“I do.”

“Very well,” Maximus said. “I pronounce you husband and wife.”

The words were bitter on his tongue. And why wouldn’t they be? Maximus did not approve of Tem. He did not want Leo to be king. Nothing that was happening right now was even remotely in his favor, and Tem could relate to his disappointment—she felt the same toward Bastian.

“You may now kiss your bride.”

Leo’s lips were on hers before Maximus could finish his sentence.

The crowd cheered, although Tem barely heard them. She only felt Leo’s hands pulling her closer, his entire body pressing against hers. Every ounce of longing he had harbored for her spilled into his kiss, enveloping Tem in an insistent rush. He kissed her deeply, for far longer than was appropriate. And she let him.

When they pulled apart, the crowd cheered. It was deafening.

“Kora,” Tem whispered. She never would have expected such a response to her nuptials.

Leo only held her tighter.

“See, Tem?” he murmured in her ear. “They love you as I do.”

Tem smiled. The silence of the crowd when he’d kissed her in the town square had been humiliating for Tem. Now it seemed like a distant memory—another lifetime. Tem was struck suddenly by the enormity of what Leo had just done. Not only was he going against his own father, but he was forsaking the only world he’d ever known—a world that greatly benefited him. And he was doing it at great personal cost, on nothing but Tem’s word.

For her.

Tem wrapped her arms around him, tucking her head into his shoulder so she could whisper right in his ear:

“Thank you, Leo.”

She felt him smile.

“Anything for you, Tem,” he whispered back.

Maximus clapped his hands together, and the crowd quieted.

“Honored guests,” he said, his gaze falling to Leo. “Now that my son has wed, he is ready for the responsibility of ruling this great kingdom with his wife by his side. To rule well means to take every citizen into consideration—to prioritize every human life.”

Tem noticed how he emphasized only human life.

“It is a privilege to be king,” Maximus turned to face Leo. “A privilege that I know my son will take as seriously as I have.”

Father and son stared at each other. As if in slow motion, Maximus lifted the crown from his own head and placed it on Leo’s. It was a mirror of the Passing of the Crown, only this time, it would remain on Leo’s head.

“It is my honor to crown you king.”

The audience erupted into cheers once more, continuing even as Leo stepped to the edge of the stage and held up his hands.