Page 126 of The Throne's Undoing

Something akin to longing passed over her expression, but it was also mixed with grief and regret, contorting her features.

She went on, "Frenzia was supposed to be mine--at least, that's what he told me. But it was never going to be. The people...they would not have accepted a queen as their ruler."

"Change can be hard," Graeson said as he stepped forward and stood beside her, leaving a few feet between them.

"Indeed." Kalisandre gazed out over the small ripples. "But water is constantly changing, is it not? As the river flows and the seasons shift, the water changes as new things and elements are introduced. Change can be hard, but it is also inevitable."

Graeson squatted and reached out, dipping the tips of his fingers into the water. Steam came off its surface, yet its heat did not burn his hand. When he pulled his hand out of the crater, some of the grime that had once covered his fingers had washed off.

"Do you really think people can change?" Graeson asked after a few seconds passed.

"I hope so," Kalisandre said with a nervous chuckle. "If not, what was the reason for all of this?"

Graeson looked up at her and found a hint of sadness there. But beneath the melancholy within the deep blue depths of her irises, he also spotted a glimpse of hope.

Clearing her throat, she rolled her shoulders back and nodded toward the pool. "Are you going to get in?"

"It's getting late," he said, standing up. "We should probably get back."

"You could go back if that is what you want," Kalisandre said as she ran her fingers across the hem of her blouse.

His heart hammered in his chest, and he swallowed the rising lump in his throat.

"Is that what you want?" he asked, though the question did not come out as smoothly as he intended.

Kalisandre arched a brow and reached for the ties at the top of her blouse. "I didn't come all this way just to turn around before even enjoying the springs." She pulled the end of the bow, loosening the top.

Graeson immediately spun around, the collar of his shirt suddenly feeling too tight as heat flushed his cheeks.

Behind him, fabric hit the ground with a softthumpas Kalisandre giggled.

Graeson tipped his head back, willing his restraint to remain firm. But by the gods, whenever Kalisandre laughed, the sound did something to him. It was as if he could feel the sound crawl across his body and break away every wall he had built.

He heard a small sigh of relief escape her lips.

Shit.

Graeson rolled his hands in tight fists at his sides before releasing them. He undid the buttons running down his shirt, each one more torturous than the last as he waited to turn around. Once he tossed his shirt and trousers on the ground, he faced the springs again.

Kalisandre was already seated inside the nearest crater, her elbows propped on the edge as she tipped her head toward the setting sun. She pushed her hair back behind her shoulders, allowing the steam to kiss her face.

She peered at him, her lashes fluttering. She arched a brow, a smug grin stretching across her features.

"Are you going to stand there all day and gawk, or are you going to get in?" she teased.

Graeson ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath before approaching the crater's edge. Despite his desire to be near her, he opted for the opposite side of the small pool.

He stepped into the water, and the steam wrapped his body in a warm embrace, cloaking him. Once he submerged his lower half in the water, he finally understood why she had taken him here. The heat of the water was absolutely delectable. It soothed his muscles, and for once, he felt the tension in his body dissipate.

Graeson shifted backward, his back touching the wall, and sighed as he sat down on a bench that looked to be carved out of the pool itself.

"See?" Kalisandre asked from the other side, calling his attention toward her as she grinned. "I told you this would help you relax."

Graeson swallowed as his gaze dipped to her collarbone, already speckled with water droplets.

He forced his attention up and cleared his throat as he shifted. "You were right."

Kalisandre gasped and pressed a hand against her chest. "You, saying that I am right for once? Now, that has to be a first."

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