It was undeniably beautiful, but even the beauty of the Northern Kingdom couldn’t sate his need to explore the world.
He turned just in time to see her bottom lip wobble. “I… I don’t understand. You don’t like living with me?”
He shook his head, wishing there was an easier way to have this conversation. “That’s not true, Lulu. I love living with you.”
She was his family.
Crimson lined the bottom of her eyes, and it made him feel like he was the worst brother in the world.
“Then what is it?”
Oh, gods. This hurt so much more than he thought it would.
“Castle Sanguis is your home… but it isn’t mine.” His mouth dried, but he couldn’t stop now. “I need to experience the world, Luna. I don’t just want to hear about Phyrra’s adventures—I want to live them.”
Marius placed a palm on the glass, the frigid air seeping into his skin as he stared outside. “I want to meet a fae, see a Nightwing up close, visit a Sunfire Owl, and go to Sandhaven.” His voice turned wistful. “I want to do it all.”
He had so many dreams that sometimes he couldn’t even sort through them.
She whispered hoarsely, “You want to leave me.”
Each word was a dagger knifing him in the heart. This was why he hadn’t wanted to have this conversation in the first place. He thought he could prove that he was capable and bypass it altogether.
Obviously, that hadn’t turned out well.
“No.” He turned around again, horrified to find a tear trailing down her cheek. “Not permanently.”
Couldn’t she see? Didn’t she understand that he felt like a prisoner here?
“But you do want to leave.” Her voice cracked on the last word. She drew up the sleeve of her crimson gown and traced the black band wrapped around her wrist. The red line of the Tether was visible from Marius stood. Luna lifted her gaze to the door where the king had gone. “You know what ties us together.”
How could he forget? When he’d learned of the magic Tethering his sister to her husband, he’d been shocked. He understood it better now, but nothing would ease the fact that it could never be undone.
“I do.” Marius’s eyes burned.
“I can’t go with you,” she whispered. “I’m the queen.”
His cheeks dampened, and it felt like he was ripping his heart to shreds, one word at a time.
“I know.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Castle Sanguis will always be my home, Luna.Youwill always be my home. My family. I just… I need more.”
More tears slipped down his sister’s cheeks. Gods. Marius hated himself for this. He didn’t think he would, but he did. He couldn’t stop now, though. He was in too deep.
Returning to the bed, he sat beside Luna and took her hands in his. “I will always love you, Lulu. Never doubt that.”
Long seconds passed. Marius’s heart was a booming drum, and each moment felt worse than the last as he waited for her to answer.
Scarlet stained her cheeks as she looked up at him. “Is this what you really want?”
“More than anything,” he replied earnestly.
Her gaze, as dark as the night itself, swept over him for endless minutes. He didn’t move or speak. He’d had so much time to think this over and work through his feelings, but this was new for Luna.
Eventually, she sniffled, dabbing at her tear-stained cheeks with a handkerchief. “I suppose I’ve always known this day would come. When you first woke up after the Wasting Illness, you were far more interested in Phyrra than Sebastian.”
They shared watery smiles, and Marius chuckled. “Can you believe how far we’ve come? Back then, when the old queen was still alive, every day was coated in fear.”
“We survived,” Luna said.
