Page 45 of Dueling the Suitors

“I’m accompanying them,” Emmett began, but the king interjected with an exasperated look.

“Emmett, we already talked about this. They will be back in a week. And, for goodness’ sake, this is their honeymoon. I’m sure your sister doesn’t want you to intrude on that.”

“I want Emmett to go with us,” Astoria interjected.

“Astoria—”

“If my wife wishes it, so be it,” Silas cut off the king’s words. He lifted his chin slightly when the king turned to look at him.

Her father looked like he wanted to protest, but after a glance at Silas’ determined gaze, he relented and sighed. “You may go,then,” he said to Emmett and left with Marcia, leaving the four of them in the hallway.

Astoria stared after her father in disbelief. Normally, he listened to no one.

Emmett glanced at Silas. “I don’t know what you did, but thank you.”

There wasn’t a trace of smugness on his face like Astoria expected. “It’s simply called power,” he said.

Emmett nodded and looked down at Astoria, who still clung to him. “I will go and ask my horse to be ready, then.”

Astoria stepped back from him and turned to her middle brother as Emmett walked away.

“Well,” Silas, her brother, began, planting his hands in the pockets of his slim pants. “The power magnification was a myth after all, wasn’t it?”

Astoria wrung her hands. “It was.”

Silas nodded thoughtfully and turned to look at her husband, his gaze suddenly fierce. “If you treat her in any unfair way—”

“I swear on my life,” her husband cut him off, lifting his chin.

“Good for you, then,” Silas said and turned back to Astoria. “This isn’t goodbye.”

Astoria’s lips twitched at the change in his demeanor. “Of course not. I will be back to torment you in a week.”

Silas smiled, the dimple on his left cheek flashing at her for the first time. “I will see you in the foyer.” He patted her head and walked away. And just like every other surreal moment with him, Astoria embedded this in her memory.

Her husband raised an eyebrow at her giddy smile. She tried to get a hold of herself and shrugged.

“Ready to go to my kingdom, then? I dreamed about making you my queen.”

Astoria fought the urge to roll her eyes at his silliness. She turned to the door of the royal suite. “Yes, but there’s someone I need to get first.”

* * *

Skylar sat opposite Astoria and Silas in the open carriage, his eyes narrowed on Silas as they rolled towards the castle gates. The king was insistent on them parading through the streets on their way out of the capital.

Guards flanked them on all sides, and Emmett rode behind the carriage. When they reached the marketplace, the people of the capital crowded on either side of the cobblestone road. They cheered upon seeing Astoria.

Astoria grinned and waved at them. Some threw flowers and petals in their path. Children giggled from adults’ shoulders and called her name. When she turned her attention to them, they all squealed with joy.

Astoria chuckled in delight. She loved this. Surrounded by these people, she always felt so full of energy. She had always looked forward to it in each of her tournaments.

Tournaments.

Oh, she would rather not think about them anymore. Though she and Silas weren’t at each other’s throats right now, she would never get used to this arrangement. She would, in fact, give anything to get back to dueling her suitors until there was no Mage left in the human realm to make a suitable match for her.

You can only wish,Skylar said.

Suddenly, Astoria’s gaze latched onto a particular figure by one of the stalls, partially obscured by the throngs of people. Her demeanor dropped the moment their eyes locked.

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