“Don’t wait until it’s too late.”
I swallowed hard, glancing into my vanity mirror. I looked a mess—hair poking in all directions and darkness bagging beneath my eyes.
“You could never say it back, could you?”
Those three simple unsaid words haunted me.
With bated breath, I dressed.
After slinking into Luz Palace undetected, I entered Emmerick’s bedchamber.
I wore no rogue or eye coal. Suddenly, I felt self-conscious about my appearance—surely, one should look presentable when admitting to a man that their feelings may evolve into somethingmore.
I’d pulled on a pair of breeches that were ripped in the knees. Hugging a tattered robe I’d thrown on for warmth, I grimaced.
I hadn’t even bathed. Not that he could smell me. I hoped.
Three words.Or maybe—seven.
“I could fall in love with you,” I whispered aloud. “I might be—”
I groaned, cutting off my words. It shouldn’t be so hard. I’d known him for over a decade.
Knots formed in my stomach when I picked up the mirror. “Puuuppy, are you in there?” I rasped out a rough whisper.
Gray smoke swirled behind the pane, and a few moments later, his face materialized; his lips pulled down into a frown as he strained to find me.
Despite his eyes being bloodshot, they lit from within when they landed on me. Only then did he break into a grin. “Else, I didn’t expect you for a couple of days.”
My mouth hung open—usually I did not visit him ontheday.
“Is everything alright?” he asked, brow wrinkling.
“Yes, it is now,” I admitted.
I tried to work up the courage to begin.
He tilted his head.Damn me, when he did that, it was adorable.
When I didn’t speak, he said, “I didn’t know my mother checks in on you. She told me she visits Lamoreaux every year today.”
Smiling and appreciating the detour in conversation, I answered, “She does.”
Silence stretched between us, and he scratched the back of his neck. Why did all of his actions have to be so endearing?
On the bed, a few feet from me, the King let out a faint sigh. I stared at him lying there, and the injustice of it all weighed on me. He deserved so much better than all of this.
“Have I upset you?” he guessed, and my chest felt heavier.
“No, no. I wanted to tell you something.” My hands shook, so I sat on them.
His brows rose. “Oh. Has there been a development on the relic-finding front?”
I shook my head, disappointed that I’d given him false hope. “No, sorry. I just…”
He chuckled. “El, you are red as a beet, and you don’t embarrass easily. What is the matter?” The way his laughter coated me almost settled my anxiety. “Oh Sources. You didn’tactuallytry to seduce my parents, did you?”
I scoffed and shook my head again. His mock outrage gave me an easy distraction. I was there to profess my feelings, not to get wrapped up in playful banter. The latter sounded easier.
