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"But you're not going to," she adds.
"No." I lift the bottom of my helm, downing the drink all at once before handing it to a servant passing by who's shaking with nerves.
"Why?"
"She leaves tomorrow. She needs to be able to do that without any regrets," I explain. "Without any reason to stay."
"Mhmm, yes, that makes sense." Her sarcasm does not go unnoticed. "Because Elva is definitely the type to want to leave without soothing any tension. I'm sure she'll return home and never think of it again. I'm certain she won't spend the rest of her days wondering what she did or said wrong to make you say such hurtful things."
"Raya, don't fucking start."
"She deserves better than a lifetime of wondering what she did to deserve that," Raya bites. "I love you, Kai. You're my only family. But that was a shitty thing to do to someone."
"She deserves to go back to her lovely home, her lovely life, and be considered a hero to her people," I argue. "She deserves peace. She'll never find anything remotely close to that here. If she can just get home, she'll be protected there. They'll never let anything happen to the girl who brought peace to their country—not on their own land, anyway."
"And you?" a soft voice on my other side asks. I didn't even fucking notice her arrival. "What do you deserve?"
"A slap across the face for what I said to her."
The women laugh. "That is certainly true," Maren says. "But then what? Should you punish yourself forever for simply caring for the girl?"
"I do not—"
"For fucks sake, Kai, don't waste your breath telling lies," Raya chides, reaching across me to hand Maren the other drink in her hand.
Even without looking, I know Maren is smirking, soaking in all the attention she's receiving from Raya. I'm not going to ask how long it's been going on. I don't need to. It doesn't matter anyway. It can only end disastrously, so I'll let them have this as long as they can without me ruining it.
"If you don't apologize, you will regret it for the rest of your life," Maren tells me. "Even if you live another thousand years, you'll think of it every single day."
From my vantage point, Elva feels a million miles away, wrapped in the embrace of countless admirers. The light above shines on the shiny, glittery makeup dusted across her cheekbones and sprinkled in her hair.
Her eyes find me, only for a second before her plastered-on smile freezes, and her gaze bounces elsewhere. An ache in my chest grows, knowing I'm the reason for her anger, that I've once again become someone she has to put on a mask for.
Tirriel winds his way through the crowd, closer and closer to my Elva, before finding her and placing a hand on her lower back to gain her attention. Only yesterday, she wouldn't have given him the time of day, but today, she's feeling spiteful, only sending a dismissive glance my way before allowing him to embrace her, both of his bare fucking hands on her flawless skin.
He pulls her into a dance, one innocent-looking enough if you don't know Tirriel. But even from here, I can sense exactly the direction his thoughts are and how he's going to make it seem like it's her idea.
To be fair, it might be. She'd be well within her right to sleep with him. And she'd certainly have a good time doing so.
But then I'd have to kill him and undo all this work she's done.
"Ooh." Maren sees the look in his eyes as he works to not stare at Elva's gorgeous breasts, also slathered in glitter as they attempt to escape her dress.
"If nothing else, they make a beautiful pair," Raya adds.
"She'll eat him alive," I tell them.
"Well, he'll probably eat her first, so it's not all bad news." Raya grins into her drink. I whip my head towards her, fury filling my veins.
Maren sips from her own, feigning disinterest. "You had better do something about it, Your Majesty. What's that thing they say about a woman scorned?"
My teeth grind as I argue with myself. He's harmless. He just wants to sleep with her. He'd be better for her than I would by far. And she would have her pleasure, then they'd go their separate ways.
Not earth-shattering, mind-blowing pleasure, but something, at least.
And I'd get to kill him and watch his memories of it.
Before I realize it's happening, my feet are moving. People around me nearly dive out of the way, scattering as I descend to my Elva and the man with hands on her.
