accidentally yours | claude de alger obelia

epilogue: finally yours, your majesty

the years rolled by like the gentle tides of a sea, steady and calm, but not without their fair share of waves. evie and claude never became the picture-perfect royal couple everyone expected, but they built something entirely their own, something much more real than any throne could offer.

evie never became empress, and she never wanted to. it was never her dream to be shackled by the weight of a crown, no matter how beautiful it was. she loved the freedom she had, the ability to live her life with no expectations other than her own. and as for claude... well, he was emperor. and even though he ruled a vast empire, in the quiet moments, he had always been hers, even when the world seemed to demand otherwise.

they spent years together-fiancés, companions, and eventually, when the time was right, husband and wife. claude never pressured her to become what she wasn't. there was no need. their love was solid, built on mutual respect and admiration. when athanasia turned twenty, she ascended to the throne, and it felt like a natural progression, as though the world had been waiting for this moment. with athanasia ruling, evie and claude were free to carve out their own little space in the world.

and then there was athanasia, now an empress, still as wise and poised as ever. evie had never imagined being a mother, but athanasia had always felt like the daughter she'd never had. "mama," she would say, looking at evie with that same regal poise she'd inherited from her father, though there was a softness there, too. the name felt like the universe had quietly shifted, like it had always been meant to be.

elias, now twenty, was a force to be reckoned with. though athanasia had grown into a wise and compassionate ruler, elias had grown into an unstoppable troublemaker. and while athanasia reigned with the grace of an empress, elias made sure everyone was entertained with his antics. the two of them were a whirlwind-imagine the perfect balance of mischief and wisdom.

kael and mira had found their own happiness, their love blossoming into a partnership that was as stable as it was chaotic. mira, who had been the world's most energetic bundle of trouble, had finally found someone who could keep up with her-kael. they had one child now, a lively little thing who inherited her mother's loudness and her father's tendency to broody silence. how that combination worked, no one really knew, but it did.

maerin, ever beautiful and ever wise, was the same as she'd been all those years ago. she was eighty-three, but her beauty had not withered. if anything, she looked no older than forty, and she carried herself with the poise and grace of someone who had never stopped being the voice of reason, the one who had always been there to guide them.

one warm evening, the family gathered by the lake near the estate-where it all started, where evie had first fallen into claude's lap. there was no grandeur, no royal ceremony, just an easy peace between them all. the lake shimmered beneath the fading sunlight, and the sound of soft laughter filled the air.

elias, ever the troublemaker, was sprinting around the lake, showing athanasia how to sneak up on people. he was a pro, and athanasia was, surprisingly, getting quite good at it. "you'll never catch me, athy!" elias taunted, darting away from her grasp with a grin.

athanasia, never one to back down, raised an eyebrow. "you underestimate me," she said, her voice full of mischief as she pursued him through the trees.

evie watched them, her arms folded. "well, it's nice to know some things never change," she said with a smile. she was leaning against a nearby tree, looking at the chaos unfolding before her. when her eyes met claude's, there was something in the way he was watching her-an emotion so deep it nearly took her breath away. the emperor. even now, standing by her side, he was always the emperor. but there was a softness in him when he was with her, and that made her heart flutter in a way it always had.

"they're going to be the death of us," she muttered, nodding toward elias and athanasia.

claude's lips twitched into a smile, though it was brief. "they're both troublemakers," he said, his voice low, as if accustomed to the chaos. "just like you."

evie shot him a playful glare. "I'm not a troublemaker," she retorted, though they both knew that wasn't true. she was always getting into trouble, whether it was from sneaking into places she wasn't supposed to be or arguing with mira about something ridiculous.

suddenly, mira appeared out of nowhere, practically skipping toward them. "you two," she said, her grin wide and mischievous, "when are you going to have kids?"

evie's cheeks flushed, and she immediately opened her mouth to protest, but mira continued, "you know, elias and athanasia are already so grown up. it's high time you two take the plunge." she raised an eyebrow, giving evie a pointed look.

claude crossed his arms, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "perhaps we should focus on something other than that," he said, clearly amused. "we've already got two of you to deal with."

mira rolled her eyes, but evie could see the playfulness in her. "oh, please," she said, hands on her hips. "I'm just saying, the clock's ticking, and you two are wasting time."

before evie could respond, maerin chimed in, her voice light and teasing, "you two are not about to become grandparents just yet, are you?" she flashed a knowing smile at claude.

"don't start with me, maerin," he muttered, but there was no real irritation in his voice. it was the sort of tired affection he had when he was around people he trusted.

mira grinned even wider. "I'm just saying, the family would look complete if you two got with the program."

"maybe," evie said with a grin. "but for now, I'm happy right here. with him." she nudged claude, and his eyes softened, as if hearing those words for the first time.

the evening wore on, and the sun dipped lower, casting a warm golden light over everything. as the laughter of their children echoed in the distance, evie leaned into claude, feeling the weight of everything they had been through-everything they had built. her heart was full, and despite everything, she couldn't help but feel that everything was exactly how it was meant to be.

and for once, she believed that maybe, just maybe, there was a quiet sort of happiness in the chaos they had all created together.

and in the end, that was all that mattered.