'But I didn't even damage him.'
Not directly.
Not like the original Florian—the one Heinz maimed, betrayed, broke beyond recognition.
If anything… this Florian was angrier for that Florian.For the boy Heinz killed, the boy Heinz forgot, the boy Heinz blamed even after remembering.
And yet…Why did it still feel like this Florian hated him more deeply than anyone ever had?
Why did it feel like cruelty?
"I know what you're thinking, Your Majesty," Lancelot said, voice calm but heavy. "You believe His Highness shouldn't be this affected. That everything he feels is borrowed—pain he inherited from the original Florian."
Heinz's finger twitched.
Because yes—Lancelot had struck the exact nerve.
"But the truth is," Lancelot continued, "His Highness has been through a lot himself."
He stepped forward, tone softening.
