Karrick’s expression turned serious. “That’s exactly what it was like with Phoenix. Every time we touched, there was this... connection. Like our magic recognized each other. His power got stronger and mine blossomed without effort.”
“But I’m going home after graduation,” I said firmly, trying to convince myself as much as him. “I have responsibilities. An entire realm depending on me. I can’t just throw that away for some guy I barely know.”
“You could at least talk to him,” Karrick suggested. “Explain the situation. Maybe he’d understand.”
I laughed bitterly. “What am I supposed to say? ‘Hey Ash, sorry I didn’t mention this before, but I’m actually a princewho’s going to be forced into an arranged marriage after graduation’? That’ll go over well.”
“It’s better than leaving him wondering what the hell happened,” Karrick pointed out. “Trust me, I know what it’s like to think someone’s avoiding you because they don’t want you. It sucks. So even if you two realize you can’t be together, don’t lie to him. He doesn’t deserve that.”
“No… he doesn’t.” I let out a long, exasperated sigh. “But I don’t want to believe you’re right about the mate thing. That would…reallycomplicate things.”
“Life is complicated,” he replied. “That’s what makes it beautiful.”
“Fuck off, Karrick.”
He flipped me off with a grin. “Just saying, dude. You might want to consider the possibility.”
“Let’s say you’re right,” I conceded, though it physically pained me to do so. “What then? I still have to go home. I still have to marry whoever my parents pick out.”
“Says who?”
“Says the entire history of the Twilight Realm! Says my father, the king! Says the law!” I threw my hands up in frustration. “It’s not like I can just abdicate.”
“Why not?” Karrick asked, his expression completely serious. “People have done crazier things for love.”
“There it is again with the love thing,” I groaned. “I barely know him.”
“But you want to know him better,” Karrick said, nudging me with his elbow. “Admit it.”
I stood up, too restless to stay seated. “Fine. Yes. I want to know him better. But it doesn’t matter what I want. It never has.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Karrick replied, standing to face me. His massive frame towered over me, but there wasnothing threatening in his stance. “You’ve spent four years doing exactly what you want. Being who you want to be. Why stop now?”
“Because playtime is over,” I snapped. “I made a deal with my father. Four years of freedom, then I come home and do my duty. I gave my word, Karrick.”
“To a father who’s forcing you to marry someone you don’t even know? Who’s making you give up any chance at happiness?” Karrick shook his head in disbelief. “That’s not a promise worth keeping, Silver.”
His words stung because part of me knew he was right. But he didn’t understand the weight of royal obligation, the centuries of tradition I’d be breaking, the political alliances that depended on my marriage.
“It’s not that simple,” I said, my voice softer now. “If I don’t go back, if I don’t fulfill my duties... there would be consequences. Not just for me, but for my people.”
“What kind of consequences?”
I sighed, trying to find the words to explain centuries of dark elf politics to someone who’d never experienced it. “The royal line has to continue. There has to be an heir. Without that stability, factions would start fighting for power. There could be civil war. People would die, Karrick.”
“So have kids with whoever they pick for you, then divorce her and be with who you want,” he suggested, as if it were the most obvious solution in the world.
“Dark elves don’t divorce,” I explained, feeling the weight of my heritage pressing down on me. “Marriage is for life. And the queen has to rule alongside the king. It’s part of the balance of power.”
Karrick fell silent for a moment, his yellow eyes studying me intently. “You can’t have a mistress or something?”
“Not a human one. And definitely not a shadow witch.” I kicked at a rock, sending it flying into the pond. “Shadow witches can walk between realms, punch holes in reality. The Twilight Realm is cut off from the rest to keep it pure, to keep it safe. My father and my people would never allow him in.”
“So, what can you do?” Karrick asked.
“Nothing,” I sighed. “And that’s the problem.”
Chapter 10
