Dawn comes too soon and not soon enough.
I wake in Kael's arms, our bodies tangled together on his massive bed like we belong there. Sunlight streams through the tall windows, painting everything in shades of gold that make last night feel like a dream - except for the lingering heat between us, the way my skin still tingles where his hands mapped every inch of me.
"Good morning," he murmurs against my hair, voice rough with sleep and satisfaction.
"Is it?" I ask, suddenly aware of what daylight means. Reality. Consequences. The world beyond these chambers that will have opinions about what we've become.
"The best I've had in years." His arms tighten around me, as if he can hold back the morning through sheer will. "But you're right to worry. Everything changes now."
A knock at the door interrupts us - sharp, urgent, impossible to ignore. Kael curses under his breath as he disentangles himself from me, grabbing a silk robe from beside the bed.
"What?" he calls through the heavy oak.
"Your Highness, forgive the intrusion, but Queen Elenora requests your immediate presence in the solar. There's been... a development with the eastern territories."
Kael's jaw tightens. Politics wait for no one, not even princes who've just discovered what it means to love someone more than power itself.
"Five minutes," he tells the messenger, then turns back to me. "Get dressed. Stay in the chambers. Don't go anywhere alone."
"Why? What's wrong?"
"Everything. Nothing. I don't know yet." He cups my face in his hands, thumb tracing my lower lip with reverent precision. "But after last night, after what we've become... there will be those who see you as more of a threat than ever."
*****
The solar buzzes with tension when Kael arrives, still adjusting his formal jacket. Queen Elenora stands before a massive map of the realm, her expression grave as she discusses something with Lords Blackthorne and Ravencrest. Lady Seraphina hovers nearby, perfectly composed despite the early hour.
"Ah, Kael. Finally." His mother's tone carries disapproval. "We have a situation."
"The eastern territories are in revolt," Lord Blackthorne explains, pointing to several marked locations on the map. "Three major cities have declared independence. They're refusing to pay taxes, refusing to acknowledge royal authority."
"Why?" Kael moves to study the map, his mind already shifting from personal concerns to matters of state.
"They claim the crown has become... distracted. Weak. Focused on trivial matters instead of the realm's needs." Lord Ravencrest's words carry pointed meaning. "There are rumors about your... personal interests affecting your judgment."
"My personal life has nothing to do with governing," Kael says coldly.
"Doesn't it?" Seraphina interjects smoothly. "When lords whisper that the prince cares more for his pet than his people, it creates... instability."
"Some of the lords have begun speaking of succession," Queen Elenora says flatly, and the words hit Kael like a physical blow. "They wonder if perhaps your brother - scandal or not - might be more focused."
The temperature in the room drops ten degrees. Damon, whose face still bears the marks of their last encounter, whose loyalty Kael shattered over a cup of water, is being discussed as a potential replacement.
"The solution is simple," the Queen continues, moving to stand beside her son. "A royal progress through the eastern territories. Show them strong leadership. Remind them why they swore fealty to House Drakmoor."
"How long?" Kael asks, though he already knows he won't like the answer.
"Three weeks. Minimum." His mother's expression is implacable. "You'll need to visit each rebelling city personally, negotiate new terms, demonstrate royal authority."
"I'll need time to prepare-"
"The delegation leaves tomorrow," Lord Blackthorne interrupts. "The situation is too urgent for delay."
"Tomorrow?" The word comes out sharper than intended.
"Is there a problem, Your Highness?" Seraphina's smile is poison wrapped in silk.
*****
Back in his chambers, Kael paces like a caged predator while I sit on the edge of his bed, watching him fight with demons I can't see.
"I have to leave tomorrow," he says abruptly. "Three weeks in the eastern territories, dealing with rebellions caused by whispers about my... distraction."
"The rebellions are because of me?"
"Because of us. Because I've made it clear that you matter more to me than political appearances." He stops pacing to look at me, his expression raw with conflicted emotions. "They're talking about succession. About replacing me with Damon because he's 'more focused' on duty than desire."
"What will happen to me while you're gone?"
"That's what terrifies me." He moves to pour wine, his hands not quite steady. "Seraphina, my mother, half the court - they all see you as a problem that needs solving. With me gone..."
"They'll try to solve it."
"Permanently."
The word hangs between us, heavy with implication. Without Kael's protection, I'm just a slave girl who's caused too much trouble, attracted too much attention, threatened too many carefully laid plans.
"Then don't go," I say simply.
"If I don't go, I lose my crown. If I do go, I might lose you." He drains his wine glass, setting it down with deliberate precision. "They're not wrong about me being distracted. But if I leave you here, they'll have been right about everything else too."
The weight of impossible choices settles over us like a shroud. His crown or my life. His duty or his heart. The realm's stability or our dangerous, obsessive, impossible love.