Page 74 of Dueling the Suitors

When she couldn’t stay underwater any longer, Astoria pushed herself up to the surface, gasping for air. Cyrus’ voice reached her ears immediately, as though he had been shouting at her the entire time.

“… mad, woman?”

Astoria ran her hands over her face and her hair before turning towards his voice. She was startled to see him crouched by the pool, his eyes narrowed but filled with alarm.

“Get your signet and get out!” She narrowed her eyes right back, turning her back to him. Her face burned.

“Did you really have to drown yourself—”

“I wasn’t drowning myself, alright?” she snapped. “It’s called privacy.”

“I’m your husband, for goodness’ sake,” he said, his voice tinted with frustration.

“So what? That title doesn’t permit you to look at me when I don’t want you to.”

Cyrus mumbled something like she was the most impossible woman he had known. He got to his feet and stormed out of the room. At the sound of the door slamming shut, Astoria turned and released the breath she had been holding.

She covered her face and groaned into her hands. Why? Why did she have to have so many embarrassing moments around him? Ever since the moment he stepped into her life, she had been nothing but embarrassed. And she was tired of it.

Not waiting for Emily to return, she cast an ice wall around the pool and climbed out of the water. She reached for the bathrobe and tied it around her. Drying her hair furiously, she stormed into her room and told a surprised-looking Emily to help her dress.

When she was ready, she sat at her desk and wrote a furious letter to Emmett. Halfway through it, she calmed down and listened to the rhythm of the rain, her handwriting now smoother than before. This was what she had been doing lately—writing to Emmett, but never sending any letters to him. It helped her stay sane. But today, she felt the need to update him about what had been going on with her.

That was how she ended up in the palace courtyard late that evening, marching towards the gates in the rain, a shield cast above her. She wasn’t going to depend on Cyrus this time.

The guards in the gatehouse saw her and began murmuring to each other, their bafflement obvious. She approached them with the authority of the Empress.

“Open the gates, please!”

The men exchanged glances, and one of them called back, “I’m afraid we cannot, Your Majesty!”

“Oh, is it because I saidplease?” She gave them a stern look. “If so, for future reference, don’t take my politeness as a mere request. Thatwasn’ta request.”

“But, Your Majesty, we are under strict orders from His Majesty to not open the gates—for you.”

She knew that. But it was worth a try. She wasn’t trying to run away, after all. Astoria didn’t know how long she stood there, arguing with the helpless guard, until Cyrus’ firm voice cut through the rain’s clatter.

“Astoria!”

She turned to him, heart beating fast, but not with fear. He looked extremely annoyed. She put on a nonchalant expression and clasped her hands in front of her, lifting her chin slightly.

At first, she didn’t notice it. Then she saw the way the front locks of his hair slicked to his forehead.

“Are you out of your mind?” he called out to her.

Oh, that question should have been reserved for him rather than her!

“Areyouout of your mind, coming after me and getting drenched in the rain when you could cast a shield over your stupid head with a flick of your wrist?”

“Forgive me for my frenzy when I was informed my wife is out in the rain, at the gates, asking to be let out!” Cyrus glared as he approached her. The man had no care in the world. Hewas drenched to the bone in the downpour. “You’re not going anywhere!”

“I am, and you are going to let me!”

“Astoria…” he called her in a warning tone.

“What? Are you going to threaten me again about sending your troops to my kingdom?”

“First,thisis your kingdom—your empire.” Annoyance flashed in his eyes. “And second, why are you so stubborn?”

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