Chapter 36 Chapter 36

Chapter 36 Chapter 36
Liora's POV

By the time I returned to the palace, the sun was already high enough to begin to warm the upper towers.

Training had run longer than usual. With no classes scheduled afterward, the drills stretched past their normal end, and my wings were paying for it, the faint sting of cold air still clinging to their edges despite the climb in temperature.
The muscles along my back throbbed in a slow, steady rhythm beneath my tunic. My palms were still faintly rough from gripping the practice spear.

The palace corridors were warmer than the courtyard, but the stone still held the morning chill. Servants moved quietly along the walls, their voices low, respectful. A few guards straightened when they saw me, but none stopped me.

And my mind wasn’t where it should have been.

It kept replaying the events of the cave.

The way his hand had cupped my face.
The way he had hesitated.
The way he hadn’t…
I could still feel the warmth of his mouth against mine if I let myself focus on it long enough.

I shouldn’t have been smiling walking into the palace.
I definitely shouldn’t have been smiling when I knew she was around.

“Liora.”
Her voice carried from the west receiving chamber before I even reached the stairs.

I stopped immediately.
The faint smile on my face had since disappeared.

The doors stood open. Firelight flickered inside, the hearth still lit to push back the lingering chill from the morning air.

I turned and walked in, my hands already balled in defensive fists.

My mother stood near the fireplace, posture straight, crown in place, and her expression unreadable as usual.
My eyes glanced at her crown again, and her attire.
She definitely wasn’t dressed for private conversation, she was dressed for authority.

“You’re late,” she stated, her voice cold.

“Training ran long.” I responded, managing to keep my cool.
What exactly was going on?

Her gaze moved over me briefly.
And I suddenly became too aware of how I looked.
There was dust along my boots, my hair was messy, but I could easily blame that on the wind, and there was a faint crease at my collar where his fingers had tugged me closer earlier.
I fought the instinct to smooth it out, my eyes darting distractedly around the room.

That was when I saw the letter.
Heavy parchment, broken wax seal, and the all too familiar Dravon crest.

The warmth in my chest cooled instantly, my heart skipping a beat.

“They contacted us,” she said, as her eyes followed mine.

Dear Green, what was going on?

I stepped closer and picked up the letter. My fingers were steadier than I felt.

“Clarification of intentions,” she continued.

Intentions.
My jaw tightened.

An hour ago, my intentions had been simple.

Kiss him.

Now they were apparently a matter for royal discussion.

“It arrived this morning.” my mother added.

The same morning he’d told me his family didn’t like surprises.
The same morning we kissed each other so much, our lips grew sore.

I stared at the letter. It was carefully worded, respectful, strategic. Very Dravon-like.

Just control disguised as courtesy.

Summary? They just wanted to know why their heir had to be the one to train me, and basically… why I was seducing him?
It was not quite worded that way, but that was obviously what they meant.
Point is, they hinted at something beyond training going on between Kysen and I, and that did not bode well for me.

An hour ago, I’d been wrapped in his arms, believing the hardest part was admitting what we felt.
I’d been wrong.
The hardest part would be holding onto it when it stopped being private.

“They didn’t go through him,” I said, stating the obvious.

“No.” she answered.

Which meant one of two things: they didn’t trust him to handle it, or they wanted to remind him that they still could.

The memory of his hands at my waist flashed uninvited through my mind.

‘I don’t want to hurt you.’
He had meant it.

This… this was exactly how someone could get hurt.
I mean, I was prepared for the consequences… I just did not expect it to come this quick.

“They think this is a political plot,” I said quietly, trying to ignore the part it says we have something else going on, and focusing on the part that made it seem like we were plotting something against them.

“It already is,” my mother replied.

I lowered the letter.

“It isn’t, Mother,” I said. “Not for us. We’re just training”

Her expression did not soften.
“You are the daughter of a reigning Queen,” she said evenly. “He is the heir to one of the most powerful families in the region. Nothing between you is ever just anything”

That settled heavily in my chest.
Of course, she had other intentions by letting me train with him.

I stepped closer to the fire without thinking, letting the warmth brush against my chilled skin. My wings shifted slightly, catching the heat along their edges.
I wondered if his wings were sore too.

Focus, Liora.

“What did you tell them?” I asked.

“That I will meet with them.” she said, meaning she had already responded to their letter.
She was the queen, she could easily ignore them and there would be nothing they can do about it.

I turned sharply. “Why?”

“Because refusing immediately suggests that they are right,” she paused and tilted her head to the side slightly, her eyes trained on me, “Tell me Liora, are they right?”

I swallowed. Hard.
I knew exactly what she was referring to.

I lowered my head, avoiding meeting her eyes, “No, ma’am”

She was quiet, just watching me for a solid minute. When my eye met hers, a part of me knew she was not buying my lies. Like she knew already. I looked away again.

“Well, it seems they have games to play themselves,” she paused, “I want to meet with them, know exactly what they plan on doing”

I almost sighed. It was becoming a family feud again.

“I’m more disappointed in you than anything. The Dravon boy is playing you like a fiddle, planning against us with his family. I’m disappointed you could not report their plans to me first,” she said and I held my breath.
Kysen was in on this?
No way.

“He does not know about this,” I said, my voice coming out louder than I had intended.
I just knew it. Because I’d seen the frustration in his eyes that morning. The weight of family, the look had been too familiar. He definitely hadn’t been orchestrating anything.

My mother raised a solid brow, and I cleared my throat immediately, “Apologies, mother”

She scoffed, “You know, at first, I thought, maybe you were gathering enough intel before telling me, but I am now realizing you did not even see it coming at all.”

I swallowed again.

“How are you supposed to take over the throne with such terrible wits? If it were not for tradition, even your younger brother will make a better ruler than you ever will” she stated, and I felt like my breath was knocked out of me, forcing me to take a visible step back.

My hands fisted at my side again, as I fought back tears that threatened to fall.
“Just because you don't trust people, and suspect them all the time, does not mean I should live a miserable life like you. If that is what being the successor to your throne means, then I don’t want it!”

And for the very first time in forever, I saw a flicker of emotion on my mother's face. I did not wait to see how long it stayed or to listen to what she had to say next.
I just stormed out of the room, and ran straight to my room, as tears ran down my cheeks in free waves.

I barely sighted Caelum on my way, nearly crashing into him.
“Hey, Liora, what’s-”

I ran right past him, entered my room and locked my door right behind me.

I ran to my bed, buried my face into my pillow and screamed my lungs out, as furious tears fell consistently.

“There there, little one. Let it all out,” Vyrmoth said, trying to soothe me. His presence was so reassuring,but my heart still felt so heavy.

Then came the tremble. My sobs caught in my throat, as I realized what was happening.
She was angry, pissed, fuming even.
The entire building rumbled.

Dear Green, this was not going to be an easy one to get out of.