Chapter 202
Chapter 202
Augustus's POV
The autumn afternoon sunlight filtered through Lina's chamber windows as I entered to find her reclining beside the fireplace, one hand protectively over her belly. Aeron slept in his bassinet nearby, golden scales glinting at his temples.
The sight of my mate and son sent possessive tenderness surging through me, even half a month after Aeron's birth. Lina's forest-green eyes, still wary but softened since our child's arrival, met mine as I approached.
I approached slowly and dropped to one knee beside her chair. Taking her slender hand in mine, I pressed my lips to her knuckles, breathing in the faint scent of lavender that always clung to her skin.
"The court astronomers have chosen an auspicious date," I began, my voice carefully measured. "Three weeks hence, on the night of the full moon, we shall hold the coronation ceremony at the Star Crown Platform."
"This will be our true union," I continued, fervor creeping into my voice. "I will prepare a spectacle that will shake the very foundations of this continent—dragon fire illuminating every stone of the citadel, lords from across the realm bearing tribute."
The silence stretched between us, filled only by the soft crackling of burning logs and Aeron's gentle breathing. When Lina finally spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper.
"Very well."
Those two words sent a rush of triumph through me, though I detected something unreadable in her tone. I squeezed her hand gently, then rose to settle into the chair across from her, close enough that I could reach out to rock Aeron's cradle with one hand while keeping the other near enough to touch her.
"When you stand upon the Star Crown Platform," I said, gesturing expansively, "the entire continent will witness the dawn of a new age."
She leaned back against my shoulder as I spoke, her body warm and pliant against mine. "How high is the Star Crown Platform?"
The question caught me off guard. I paused in my gentle rocking of Aeron's cradle, studying her profile in the firelight. "It rises nearly fifty meters above the main courtyard. Why do you ask?"
Her expression remained carefully neutral as she turned to meet my gaze. "I've never been there. I was curious what it would feel like to stand so high above everything."
"I could take you there now," I suggested, watching her reaction carefully. "Show you the view, let you become familiar with the space."
But she shook her head, offering me a smile. "I'd rather wait until the ceremony itself. I want to see it at its most magnificent, when the full impact will be most... profound."
"As you wish," I conceded.
Later that night, when the castle had settled into its familiar rhythm of whispered conversations and distant footsteps, I sat beside her bed in the flickering candlelight. Aeron had been fed and settled for the night, his small body rising and falling with the peaceful breath of innocent sleep.
I reached out to trace the line of Lina's jaw with one finger, marveling at how the harsh angles of her face had softened since our son's birth, though the old wariness still flickered behind her eyes like dying embers.
"Lina," I said, my voice rougher than I intended. "From now on, we'll all be well together. Won't we? The three of us, together."
She stilled beneath my touch, those green eyes searching my face with an intensity that made my chest tighten. For a moment, something vulnerable flickered across her features—surprise, perhaps, or something deeper that I couldn't name. Then she nodded slowly.
"Yes," she whispered.
The smile that curved her lips was gentle, almost tender. It was beautiful and haunting.
"You mean that, don't you?" I asked, the words escaping before I could stop them. "You're not simply telling me what you think I want to hear?"
Her head tilted slightly, and when she spoke, there was genuine curiosity in her voice. "Don't you trust me?"
"I trust you," I said without hesitation. "Whatever you tell me, I believe."