I Got Married to a Yandere Queen
Chapter 52 - 50 - To Hold a Storm in My Arms

Chapter 52: Chapter 50 - To Hold a Storm in My Arms

Ashtoria didn’t know what this feeling was—this slow, burning sensation curling deep in her chest.

She only knew one thing.

This embrace... was too comforting to let go.

Her body rested against Riven’s chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart—strong, warm, and impossibly grounding. It felt like a place she had been searching for all her life without realizing. A place where her scars weren’t laughed at, where her presence wasn’t feared.

She closed her eyes. Her breath matched his, their rhythm becoming one. And for a brief moment, the world stopped moving.

All the blood, the hatred, the screams from her long, endless nights—they melted away in this single, silent embrace.

But then—

A whisper broke through the stillness.

"Anna... or should I say, Your Majesty."

The words slid softly into her ear, gentle in tone—but sharp as a blade.

Ashtoria’s eyes flew open.

She froze in his arms, her mind racing. In just a split second, she realized—she had revealed too much. Her behavior. Her gaze. The emotionally charged words. The questions that had been too personal about Queen Belmore. All of it...

Riven had pieced it together.

He knew.

But what shocked her more than the revelation... was his response.

There was no fear.

No anger.

No pulling away.

No revulsion or horror in his eyes—expressions she had come to expect from people once they discovered who she truly was.

Instead...

He continued to hold her.

Continued to gently stroke her hair.

Continued to look at her not as a monster... but as something precious.

Ashtoria couldn’t move. Even breathing felt heavy—not because of fear, but because of something far more terrifying: hope.

She didn’t regret showing the side of herself that should have been hidden.

But now, within this embrace, a different fear had started to bloom.

Not the fear of rejection.

Not the fear of being hurt.

But the fear... of losing him.

The fear that he might change his mind. That this might all be an illusion. That someday, Riven would walk away—because he knew who she really was.

And that fear clenched tightly around her chest.

Why isn’t he afraid of me?

Why is he still holding me like this?

What is he seeing... when he looks at me like that?

Those thoughts tore through her mind, ripping at the fragile corners of her soul. Her body burned, her heartbeat thundered in her ears. She wanted to scream. To cry. To laugh. To tear the world apart and lock this man away beside her forever.

But more than anything... she simply wanted to stay in this embrace.

In silence, her hand moved—clutching at Riven’s clothes more tightly, as if afraid he would vanish at any moment. She leaned her head deeper into his chest, shut her eyes tightly, and let the sound of his heartbeat pull her under.

Riven, feeling Ashtoria still unmoving in his arms, sensed that she was still wrapped in the shadows of her past after revealing it. Her body still trembled slightly, and the grip of her hand on his shirt had yet to loosen.

Riven knew... they would be parting ways soon. Perhaps, after this, they would never meet again.

That thought alone made his chest feel heavy.

So he brought his lips closer to her ear again, and whispered in a soft, sincere voice.

"I don’t know the Queen Ashtoria Belmore that everyone talks about..." he whispered. "But the Ashtoria Belmore I’ve come to know over the past few days... she’s not the terrifying figure from the stories."

Ashtoria lifted her head slightly, looking at him, but said nothing.

Riven continued with a faint smile tugging at his lips.

"The one I know... is a beautiful woman. The strongest person I’ve ever met. She taught me how to become a mage, how to hold a sword... and she saved me. She saved my sister’s life."

Their eyes locked—deeply, intensely, with almost no distance between them.

"To me..." Riven gazed at her gently, "...you are an incredible woman."

His words fell quietly between them, but the echo of them roared inside Ashtoria’s chest.

She didn’t move. But in her silence, her body grew hotter, her breath more uneven.

Something was rising inside her—too much, too sudden, too deep.

Joy?

Maybe.

But this was more than that. It was overwhelming. Her heart beat so fast it hurt.

Her hands, once limp, now clutched the back of his shirt tightly—as if letting go would cause him to disappear forever.

She didn’t want this to end.

She didn’t want time to move forward.

She wanted the world to freeze in this moment—when it was just the two of them, in an embrace that shouldn’t have happened... but felt so right.

She stared at Riven, wordless. And he... simply looked back, unflinching, unafraid.

And in that gaze, Ashtoria realized something that made her entire body shiver.

This was goodbye.

Somehow, in some unexplainable way... her heart told her this was the end of their time together.

She couldn’t accept that.

Not now.

Not after hearing those words from his lips.

She wasn’t ready. She didn’t want to part ways. She wanted to be with him. To always be near him.

To have Riven look only at her, speak only her name, think only of her.

That feeling flooded her chest, burned through her mind until she could barely think.

But just as she opened her mouth—

A sudden burst of sound shattered the moment.

The clatter of hooves. Cheers rising. Soft music from bells and street violins.

Both of them turned instinctively.

A grand procession was making its way down the city’s main avenue. Three elegant horse-drawn carriages were escorted by soldiers on horseback and formally dressed foot guards. Flags fluttered in the breeze. Flower petals drifted from second-floor balconies.

The first carriage was adorned with white blossoms and threads of gold. Its curtains drawn back, revealing a young couple sitting side by side—hands entwined, their faces glowing with genuine happiness.

The square transformed in an instant.

People rushed to the roadside, filling the sidewalks to get a closer view.

Children squealed with excitement. Merchants halted their trade.

Street musicians followed the moment with joyful melodies.

Mira, seated not far away, stood as well, smiling softly at the crowd’s joy. She glanced toward Riven and Ashtoria, now standing side by side, but didn’t interrupt. She knew this wasn’t her moment.

An elderly woman near Ashtoria whispered to her friend, "I heard the wedding almost got canceled... someone tried to kidnap Lady Brigitta earlier."

Her friend laughed. "True love always finds a way. And look at them now, so happy."

The voices drifted to Ashtoria’s ears.

She turned to see the newlyweds through the crowd.

Lady Brigitta—a young woman with golden blonde hair—beamed brightly at her husband, a young man in Valderacht’s formal uniform. Their gazes locked, and the whole world seemed to cheer for them.

"May you always be together! Never part!" someone shouted from a balcony, tossing flowers down.

"They say Lady Brigitta fell in love first and chased Young Lord Valderacht until he finally gave in!" a young girl near Ashtoria murmured.

Ashtoria didn’t take her eyes off them.

The radiant smiles of the couple, the warm blessings of the crowd, the evening sky slowly shifting in color—it all felt like a dream that didn’t belong to her.

She tried to picture herself in that carriage.

With Riven.

But the thought alone made her breath catch. Her cheeks flushed.

A feeling like glowing embers flared inside her, racing through her chest and into her fingertips.

She didn’t know how to contain it anymore.

The desire bloomed too quickly.

Too deeply.

Too painfully.

The noise around her faded.

Only the voice of her own heart remained.

Is this... what love feels like?

Is this... what I’m feeling right now?

Her thoughts spiraled. Her breath hitched. Her temperature rose. Her vision zeroed in on one thing—

Riven.

She looked at him, and her soul screamed.

Don’t go.

Please... don’t leave me.

Her hand gripped his body again, tighter than before. But her lips stayed sealed.

She didn’t know what to say.

She didn’t even know the name of all these emotions.

She only knew one thing:

She would never let this man go...

No matter what happened.