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Maybe… but making her feel better isn’t just some personal mission. The better she feels, the more likely she is to talk. I need to know why she sent that marriage proposal to me. Something tells me that it’s important.
Important to you or to your empire?
It doesn’t matter. There’s no going back now.
“How’s this?”
Sophia’s voice is still shaky and half-awake as she steps out of the closet in a short-cut floral sundress.
It’s a struggle to keep my jaw from hitting the floor.
This is the most normal I’ve seen her since our meeting in the bayou… and she looks absolutely gorgeous.
I can’t tell her that, obviously. But I’m satisfied with her choice.
“It will do,” I nod, forcing myself to turn away from the beautiful girl I’ve been keeping locked away for my own greedy reasons. “Follow me.”
We walk in silence as I lead her down the hall and up through a tight winding staircase. When I step outside, the first thing I notice is how dark it is.
I can’t have that. If my perilous trip back here was for anything, it was to see Sophia in person again. I need her to be lit to perfection.
Switching on the lamp lights, a soft romantic glow takes over the rooftop patio just as my captured princess steps outside.
She looks even better out here. But I give her some space.
She’s been locked up for almost two weeks now and this is the first bit of fresh air I’ve afforded her.
Fuck. I really am a monster.
“Where have you been?” Sophia suddenly asks, as if nothing else really matters.
To my surprise, she isn’t gazing around the luxurious rooftop in awe, or taking deep meaningful breaths of fresh air. Instead, she’s staring straight at me, hardly breathing at all.
“Away.”
“No shit,” she says, her voice cracking just enough to open a fissure in my chest.
Fuck. What is happening to me?
Turning my back on her, I begin to pace. The ache in my leg is growing, but I try my best to fight back the limp.
“My brother and I were attacked… by your men,” I say, stepping behind a tall wicker chair.
Sophia doesn’t answer right away.
I can hardly fucking bear to keep my back to her. So, slowly, I turn around, not knowing what to expect.
She really is beautiful…
But the warrior princess isn’t giving anything away. Her soft face is fixed in stone, shaded by the soft lighting slowly pulsing around her.
“… Is Roman alright?” she finally speaks.
“Yes.”
Just like that, her stony façade drops, and I can immediately tell that she was holding back the weight of the world.
… Is that relief I now see on her pretty face?
