Page 17 of Taken By the Naga King

“Are you not feeling well?” Gravon frowned at her. “My servants informed me that you did not have any lunch today, and now you’re barely eating your dinner.”

She looked up at him in shock, having forgotten for a moment that she was sitting with him.

“I’m sorry, I just… I read something today that I can’t seem to stop thinking about.”

“And what is that?”

“The fertility crisis.”

“Ah. Yes, it is a growing issue among my species.”

“And there is no solution?”

“Not yet. We have healers trying every day to find a reason for this, or a solution, but so far, we have found nothing.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, realizing what this meant for him. If he could not reproduce, he would not be able to provide an heir to the throne.

The rest of the meal went on in silence. For some reason, this realization stuck in her mind. All she could think was whether this had something to do with why she was here. She had been trying to come up with a reason for him to bring her to Nirum and keep her in the royal quarters, but so far, nothing made sense.

Except for this.

Chapter 7

Gravon

Gravon headed up to the royal quarters, where he expected to find Azha in the library like she had been every day for the past week now. It meant a lot to him that she was so invested in learning about his culture. He took it as the first sign of acceptance of her new home.

While she was settling in, he had decided to give her space. Much more than he would’ve liked, but he felt like she needed time alone. He had seen how anxious she was on her first night on Nirum, and he didn’t want to make anything worse by bombarding her.

But all of that would end today. He was ready to take this to the next level, to let her know the truth. To tell her why she was really here.

Gravon winded his way through the halls, on his way to do just that, except when he arrived at the library, she was not on her usual couch. He scented the room, knowing instantly she was not inside. In fact, her scent was so faint that it seemed as if she hadn’t been in there at all that day.

He made his way through the dining room and down the hall that led to her room. On his way there, he ran into Vespira.

“Your Majesty,” she said with a bow.

“Where is she?” he asked, getting straight to the point.

“She has been in her room since breakfast. We tried to get her to come out, but she said she was tired.”

Panic. That was the first emotion he felt. Was she sick?

Gravon rushed the rest of the way to her room but stopped himself before barging in. He knocked on the door, waiting until he heard a soft voice tell him to come in before he entered.

Azha was sitting by the window, wearing a long, pale green dress that contrasted beautifully with her dark skin. She looked at him, her expression seeming more sad than sick.

“Are you feeling well? You were not in the library, and they told me you have been in here all day.”

Azha shrugged and went back to looking out the window. “I’m okay.”

It was obvious she was not physically ill, so he decided to go through with his earlier plan. He slithered toward her and took her dainty hand in his.

“Azha, would you like to take a meander through the gardens with me?”

He could tell his words sparked an interest, but for some reason she quickly masked that interest and shrugged again. “Sure.”

He led her out of the room and through the castle, taking her outside. He had shown her most of the grounds, but he had been saving the gardens for last, knowing she would find them the most fascinating.

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