Page 99 of Alien Prince

She nods. “Do you mean the prince’s?” she asks carefully.

I wince. She knows where I’ve been spending my days… and nights.

“My room.”

Karlia and the guard accompany me to my room. My decision solidifies as I ask them to stay outside. I’ll leave Erythos. I’ll find a way back to Earth, to the life I left behind. Maybe Karlia will be able to assist with that. Leaving might not be easy, but it’s better than staying here, surrounded by people who see me as a threat, a burden.

Better than staying where my heart can be broken again.

I grab a bag and start packing, my movements sharp and deliberate. The room feels colder and emptier than it ever has, but I don’t let myself linger.

I can’t.

I’m leaving, and this time, I won’t come back.

Chapter Twenty

Kael

The air in the palace feels wrong. Too quiet. Too empty.

I stride through the halls, searching for Emily as I have for the past two hours. The meeting with the council had run longer than expected, the endless debates over security and stability grinding my patience to dust, but through it all, the thought of seeing her, of sharing even a quiet moment, kept me steady.

Yet now, she’s nowhere to be found.

I seek out Karlia. “Where is Emily?” I ask, my tone sharp.

The maid looks startled. “She was in her room earlier, Your Highthos. I haven’t seen her since.”

A knot forms in my chest. I already checked my chamber and Emily’s previous room, but she had not been there. Perhaps she returned, though.

I quicken my pace, heading straight for her chamber. The door is slightly ajar when I reach it, her faint scent lingering in the air.

“Emily?” I call, stepping inside.

The room is empty as it was before.

My eyes scan the space. Had the wardrobe been open before? I can’t recall that. Not all of her dresses had been moved to my room, but the wardrobe is now empty.

Something feels wrong. Final.

My pulse quickens as I rush to my chamber. Between the two rooms, her belongings are missing, including her bag.

The realization hits like a blow, and for a moment, I can’t move or think. My mind races, trying to piece together how this could have happened and why she would leave.

“Fetch Karlia now!” I bellow to the guards posted outside my chamber.

I hear their footsteps, but it’s not until my ears discern the maid’s approach that I leave my chamber for the hallway.

The maid looks fearful, but she lifts her chin to meet my gaze.

“Why did she leave?” I ask in a low, controlled whisper.

“Why didn’t you speak up in her defense?” the maid dares to ask.

The council.

The accusations.

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