Page 110 of The Princess and Her Grand King

Would their eyes have been a piercing green like their father’s, or the deep blue of her own?

Emeriel stared ahead blankly, quake after quake, raking her body.

Chapter twenty-five

MY HEAVY HEART.

GrandLordOttaienteredhis study, utterly exhausted. All Ottai wanted was to collapse onto his bed and sleep for a week.

The rain ritual was always long, intricate, and draining. But if it yielded results, as it had the last time, then it was worth every ounce of effort.

He turned—

"Balls of the gods!" Ottai cursed, jumping in surprise. "Emeriel, is that you? You startled me.”

The princess stood leaning against the wall, shrouded in shadows, eyes closed.

Ottai exhaled heavily. He was so fatigued that his usually sharp senses had dulled. “How did you get in here?”

“Your bondmate said I could wait here for you,” she replied, eyes still closed.

He nodded, studying her more closely. “How is your body holding up? Are you well?” When she didn’t answer, he sighed. “What do you need, then? If you’re looking for the grand king, he returned with me. He should be in Frostfall now—”

“You gave me your word.” Her voice was quiet. “You said, 'Whether you could help him or not, if it ever became too much, you only need to ask, and I would take away from Urai.'” Her eyes opened, meeting his. “Those were your words to me, remember?”

“Of course. A true Urekai never forgets a promise,” he stated solemnly.

“Good,” she murmured, her voice barely heard. “It has become too much for me.”

"Wait a minute." Ottai’s mind caught up. "Do you mean…?"

“Yes.” She finally straightened, stepping out of the shadows to stand in the dim light of the study. “Take me away from here, Lord Ottai. Tomorrow morning, at first light. Take me home.”

Shock washed over Ottai, leaving him dumbstruck.

“You can't be serious. I thought…” He shook his head, struggling to find the right words. “You two were making progress.”

“I don’t want to make progress, I just want to go back to Navia,” she said coolly. “I want to be as far from here as possible. You will keep your word, won’t you?”

Ottai had a thousand questions. A thousand arguments against her decision.

But in the end, he simply nodded. “Yes,” he said in a heavy tone. “We leave at dawn.”

“Swear to me you will not tell the grand king about this.”

He’d expected as much. For one so young, Emeriel was incredibly perceptive and intelligent. “I swear it.”

***

Nothing could transform a tremendously exhausting day into something breathtakingly beautiful quite like good news. Emeriel was awake—hale and hearty.

Grand King Daemnonikai stood before her chamber doors.

When the servants moved to announce his presence, a subtle shake of his head dismissed them without a word.

This was a moment he wanted to enjoy alone.

Quietly, he pushed the door open and slipped inside. The soft lamplight bathed the room in a glow, gilding the edges of everything it touched.

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