Page 22 of The Princess In A 'Prince' Disguise

At last, her eyes softened. "How have you stayed hidden? How have you managed to hide your secret for this long?"

Emeriel looked away, unsure how to answer. "It has not been easy," he answered truthfully.

He had been male all his life, but all he wanted was to be who he truly was—a female.

Emeriel wanted to wear gowns and petticoats instead of surcoats and tunics. He longed to let his hair down and wear jewelry. It was his greatest wish. All kept buried deep inside.

But it was impossible.

His parents had risked everything to make him male. To protect him. They suffered a lot to make sure he lived like that. Emeriel would not let all they worked for be wasted.

If the heavens answered wishes and prayers, his sister would find a good match one day. A man who would protect her with his life and keep her safe from the dangers of being female.

And Emeriel would live as a male for the rest of his life. No hope for a match, no hope for love, no hope for children.

Alone.

He had known this since he was old enough to understand that his life was not his own. But he had accepted it long ago.

"If it was bad before, it will be worse in the future," Livia said, breaking his thoughts. "You are a Syren."

Emeriel frowned as Madam Livia added, "At least, I think that's what the Urekai call people like you."

A Syren?

Emeriel shifted uneasily, feeling confused. "What does that mean?"

"It is what the Urekai call non-Urekai who can go into heat. It means you are able to bond with a Urekai. Your body is changed enough to mate with them, with new glands and all. Hades, you might even be aSoulbond."

Now, he felt even more confused. His face must have shown it because Madam Livia took a deep breath and nodded. "Very well, let us start again. What do you know about Urekai bonds and bondmates?"

"I know that what humans call marriage, Urekai call bonding," Emeriel began. "It is rare for a Urekai to find theirSoulbond: the one person meant to be their true partner. Their soulmate. Most Urekai pair up through contracted bonding—they choose their own partners. Not because they do not want the mate nature made for them, but because finding aSoulbondis extremely rare."

"Good, good. You are right so far," Madam Livia said with a smile. "This will make it easier. Go on."

"Um," Emeriel thought hard, searching his memory. "I know contracted bonds are very hard to create. There are rituals and steps to follow, and even then, the bond might not form if their souls do not connect. But forSoulbonds, the souls connect naturally, and the bond is said to be ten times stronger.”

"Excellent." Livia nodded. "I will take it from here. Do you remember what happened last night? Have you ever felt anything like it before?"

Emeriel shook his head.

"You went into heat," Madam Livia stated. "It is like menstruation for human females, but more complicated. Also, while menstruation happens monthly, heat does not follow a set cycle. It might happen once every three months or twice in one month—it is different for every Urekai female and syren. What this means is, you are a syren now, so you can marry a Urekai."

Grand Lord Vladya walked with regal grace as he approached the forbidden chambers.

With his hands behind his back, he moved with poise, dressed in a long, flowing white robe decorated with detailed golden patterns. The fabric trailed behind him like a river of silk as he walked.

People quickly stepped aside, bowing deeply until their heads nearly touched the ground. Turning toward the southern wing, he followed the corridor leading to the forbidden chambers.

The soldiers bowed as he approached.

He dismissed them with a wave.

Vladya waited until the hallway was empty before stepping toward the massive metal gates, made of iron rods strong enough to resist the Urekai’s immense power.

These gates fortified all the dungeons in Ravenshadow Fortress and had held Urekai prisoners for over a thousand years. They were the strongest of their kind.

But Daemonikai had broken through these gates four times. Four separate times.Effortlessly.

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