Our king had been in a dark place for many years, so seeing him look so carefree was… wonderful, not only personally for him, but also for our territory.
Since Tanyl Helegolor came on the scene, the kingdom had flourished. In more ways than one. The fae were free again—thank the Ice Goddess—and now, even our economy was growing. And the people, holy moly, the people were so much happier in general.
There was a sense of peace in our territory that I hadn’t felt in over two decades.
As soon as the king and agusha were noticed, everyone on the first floor stopped what they were doing to bow to the majesties.
I scrambled to my feet to bow as well, even though it made me feel like I might puke from nerves. I’d never seen the two of them up so close, and they were coming closer and closer as I held my breath and prayed I didn’t spew on their shoes.
A few moments later, four sets of feet approached me. I glanced up to see the king, king consort, and two guards standing behind them.
“Please rise,” the king said.
I gulped before straightening to my tall height—I was taller than the average person at six and a half feet. Not quite as tall as my yeti form, but still taller than even a dragon shifter.
“It’s w-wonderful to meet you, Your Majesties,” I said, barely stuttering over my words. “Thank you so much for this opportunity.”
Both of them smiled, and the king consort said, “We should be the ones thanking you. I’ve been a big fan of your work for a long time, so I can’t wait to see what you came up with.”
My eyes widened, my nerves and anxiety squeezing in my chest. Did he just say what I think he said? “You… you…”
The king put a hand on his mate’s back, smiling at me. “We have one of your pieces hanging in our living room. A painting of the snow-covered city. It’s very beautiful.”
My eyes widened further, and my head went lightheaded for a moment.
Holy shit.
Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit.
The king and king consort bought one of my pieces? That was… that was… amazing. Phenomenal. Unreal. So fucking unreal.
The king consort grinned and stepped forward, taking my hand—ugh, he could probably feel how wet it was. Ew. “It’s wonderful to meet you. I’m Tan.”
My eyes widened. He was giving me his first name? Should I really call him that? I licked my lips. “I-it’s nice to meet you too, Your Majesty. I… I’m Lanche.”
“Lanche. Nice. You can call me Tan. You don’t have to do the whole Your Majesty thing.”
I… wasn’t sure I could do that.
“Why don’t we go take a look at your sculpture?”
I nodded mutely, and to my surprise, the king consort led me to the courtyard, holding my arm and keeping me steady the entire time. Luckily, it wasn’t far, but still. That was pretty amazing and kind of him. Who knew he’d be so aware of my emotions and eager to make me feel better?
When we reached the sculpture, he stepped closer to it, and I released him, surer on my feet now that I wasn’t moving. He looked at me in question—was I really okay to stand on my own? I could pretend to be—and I sent him a nod and a smile, so he turned back around.
“Holy shit!” the king consort exclaimed before he winced and glanced around, looking guilty. “Oh, thank the Mother, there aren’t any kids out here.”
The king chuckled and stepped forward, staring at the ice sculpture. “This is the best ice sculpture I’ve ever seen. It’s beautiful.”
I felt my face go red. “Th-thank you, Your Majesties.”
They both smiled at me before the king wrapped an arm around his mate’s shoulders, pulling him into his side. Tan—holy crap, I could barely think his name in my head, let alone say it out loud—rested his head on his mate’s shoulder, and I sighed, looking at the love written plain as day on their faces.
I wanted that. I longed for that kind of love. The kind that went soul deep. The kind that was unbreakable. The kind that beat the passing of time.
The kind I hoped to have with a certain werewolf.
The royals of our territory stood in front of my ice sculpture, praising it for a long time. I was really surprised at how much time they devoted to me and how genuine they seemed.
