“It suits you, T.”
“What?”
“It suits you more than me.”
“Evi—”
“At least at this juncture.”
He wasn’t taking anything from me. That wasn’t how he was, how he operated. Nor would he ever be that way with me. And I knew my family didn’t actually mean it that way either.
They were trying to free me.
In the best way they could right now.
I grasped his hands. “Thank you for doing this for me. It’s a burden, not all sunshine and rainbows. You’re gonna be thrown into the thick of it, the actionable parts, not allotted a four-yearbreaklike me by going to Loxley, instead of beginning my official Crown Heir duties.”
He stroked my fingers. “I wouldn’t have taken it on if I didn’t think I could deal with it. Don’t worry. It’s all well on my end.” Concern flared in his eyes. “What about on your end?”
“Like I said, right now it’s what’s best. For everyone involved.”
As much as it was obviously cutting that it had come to this, that it had to happen at all, there was nobody better than Torvek to take it on.
I would be away at Loxley Academy anyway. I had one foot in the Dracoryn Realm and one foot outside it.
He didn’t. Even with his older brother living on the outside, Torvek wasn’t torn by that, not split down the middle. He belonged here. He’d cemented that for many years. It was why he was so afraid of his Celestial abilities becoming known to anyone here outside of my family. He feared it would cast him ina whole different light and take away this life that he fit with so well.
For me, it was another story. I’d always wanted to venture beyond the Realm, to explore and experience things that weren’t draconic. I had an adventurous heart, I supposed. I’d been restless here. Of course, I hadn’t imagined that would mean giving up my title. I’d thought it would be waiting for me. But… here we were.
“You accept, then?” my dad asked me.
“Yes. It needs to be done. Do it.”
“I’ll see to it.” He embraced me. “I love you, baby girl,” he breathed into my hair. As I went to hug him back, my grandma was there throwing her arms around me too. I heard Torvek chuckling as he looked on.
“Love you all too,” I said as they damn near smothered me.
When we pulled apart, Dad told me, “I need to put things in motion immediately. And you need to return to classes.”
“I do, yeah.”
“I’ll keep you updated.”
“Don’t you need me to be present to relinquish my title?”
“Things need to be put in motion first. Your abdication will be communicated to the populace. Torvek needs to be put forward to take the role in your stead and for that to be officially accepted. At that point, it’ll be stripped from you and transferred to him. All I need is a vial of your blood, which I already have in the Vortimer Vault. If you wish to be present, you most certainly can be. I just thought it would be unnecessarily painful… emotionally. And another interruption to the life you are building for yourself at Loxley Academy. I made you a promise that Dracoryn Realm politics wouldn’t impact you while you were away.”
I studied him and my grandma.
Ah.It would be painful for them to see it happen in a ceremonial fashion, me on display like that being stripped of my title. They didn’t want to endure that either. This way, doing it via a blood vial, I’d feel a slight tinge and that would be it. Well, I’d lose one of my dragon markings as well—the one on my left shoulder that designated me as Crown Heir.
Temporarily.
“I don’t need to be present,” I told them. “It’s better if I’m not. No need to make a spectacle, right?”
“Evira,” my dad uttered.
I held up my hand, swallowing it all down. “Dad, I knew there would be fallout and this is it. It’s okay. My life isn’t here at the moment, anyway. I’m good. I’ve got this.”
