Page 163 of The Princess In A 'Prince' Disguise

It was true. Finally, Vladya managed to overcome his shock, forcing his stiff limbs to move. But came to a stop after a single stride.

He watched, transfixed, as Daemonikai's beast withdrew its fang from the boy's neck,all on its own, sealing the wound with a gentle swipe of its tongue.

"They will kill you," the boy's voice was a fragile whisper against the beast's fur, barely audible even to Vladya's heightened senses. "I don't want you to die."

But Vladya had heard it. Every word, every tremor of despair.

He had heard Emeriel's plea for help, the beast's answering roar, the raw exchange of trust and need, and now,this.

"I wish for you to get better,” Emeriel's words were starting to slur now, “Oh... I feel drowsy."

The boy was high as the heavens. Blood-drunk, just like his sister.

The scent of Aekeira still clung to him, the warmth of her moisture on his inner robe.

Vladya needed to leave before the beast sensed his presence and considered him a threat. He retreated, his steps quick and silent. Yaz following behind him.

His head spun with thoughts, his mind racing to make sense of it all.

There were missing pieces, gaps that needed to be filled.

Vladya needed time to think and connect the dots.He was overlooking something.That tiny, elusive detail that would finally make everything come together and make sense.

What in the world just happened back there? What had he just witnessed?

He would find out.

That night, Aekeira sat beside Emeriel's bed. Her fingers gently combing through her sleeping sister's jet-black hair, her gaze fixed on the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest.

"My brave, brave little sister," she whispered.

To think she'd been blissfully unaware while Em had fought for her life today, not once, but twice, filled her with a shame she couldn't shake.

Guilt gnawed at her. Aekeira should protect her little sister, not the other way around. She was the elder, after all.

Aekeira was the weak one, always hiding behind Em’s courage. Em was the one who worked extra hard, not only to keep up with the boys but to shield her sister in the process.

Their lives had always been harsh, yet they had found happiness in each other. Even amidst sorrow, they had shared smiles.

"Once we lose our smiles, we have nothing else,"Em used to say.

Once so unflappable, her poor sister had become withdrawn and easily frightened. Em had lost her smile, now she cried almost every day. Even tonight.

Consumed with the pain of the beast’s death on the morrow, she had cried herself to sleep.

"Keira?" Em stirred, her voice groggy, eyes puffy. "Are you crying?"

"No, I'm not," Aekeira smiled, tucking a strand of hair back. "Go back to sleep, Em."

Em's breathing steadied again, her features relaxing.

"Sleep, Em. If they kill the beast tomorrow, I will be here for you. We will get through the pain together. You have been strong for so long. From now on, I will be strong for both of us." Aekeira kissed her forehead, a tear rolling down her eyes.

Chapter fifty-three

THE GRAND KING

A raw, suffocating grief consumed Emeriel as he gazed down upon the crowd of Urekai, from his shadowed perch on the balcony of the southern wing. Heart heavy with sorrow.

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