Page 169 of Cruel Devotion

Does she think it’s too much?

I swallowed down some of my fear.

This is hard. I hate being nervous.

I wanted to impress Monique, to show her a side of me that few had seen, but at the same time, I was acutely aware of not wanting to overwhelm her with the Palace’s intensity.

She turned to me. “Wow. That’s. . .all I can say.”

“Good wow or bad wow?”

“Good mind-blowingly, breathtaking, and mesmerizing wow.”

Oh. She really likes it.

A sense of peace washed over me. “Then, let me take you on a special tour.”

Our footsteps echoed in the hall.

A smile played on her lips. “And how many people usually get a palace tour from the Mountain Master?”

“You happen to be the first person ever.”

“Then, this truly is special.”

I led us forward. “You have no idea. Usually this hallway is packed with at least fifty people at a time, coming and going, constantly. But today I had it closed so you wouldn’t be overwhelmed right in the beginning.”

“Thank you.” She gazed around. “Because. . .no lie, but. . .I’m pretty overwhelmed already. I think if it were tons of people all around, possibly looking at me, it would have been a lot.”

“Then, I’m glad I did it. However, we won’t be able to avoid everyone in the palace most of the date, but I did buy us a lot of time.”

“Aww. That’s sweet. I really appreciate it.” She gestured at the vases. “By the way, these flowers are so freaking beautiful.”

“We have staff members whose only job is to make sure the entire palace has fresh flowers every day.”

Monique looked at the paintings. “These are amazing too.”

I stopped her at one. “This was my mother’s favorite.”

The image was a captivating spectacle of two dueling dragons.

On one side, a magnificent sky-blue dragon soared gracefully through billowing clouds. Its scales shimmered with every shade of blue imaginable—from the palest azure to the deepest sapphire.

The creature’s wings were spread wide, catching the sunlight and making it appear as though it was gliding through a sea of clouds.

Its eyes were a piercing ice blue.

On the opposite side of the canvas, was a fiery red beast. This dragon embodied the very essence of fury and power. Its scales were a vivid crimson, like smoldering coals, with streaks of bright scarlet that glowed as if lit from within.

The red dragon’s body was coiled in an aggressive stance. Blood dripped from all the wounds on its muscular body.

Still, those eyes burned with rage.

I looked at Monique. “Remember that I told you that my father loves symbolism?”

“Yes.”

“Every painting will give you the history of the Four Aces.”

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