Page 72 of A Touch of Royalty

“I know,” she said in a shaking voice. “That’s how I knew it wasn’t Asan.”

“Are you alright?” he asked her. “I know you’re still in shock, but is there anything I can do?”

“Cas, I-‘ she looked up at him with eyes full of tears. “I don’t want you to say it back if you don’t mean it. And I know you can’t mean it, because my own mother didn’t even mean it, even if she told me everyday. In the end I was just an abomination that they wanted to die at the base of the temple stairs.”

“Emryn, slow down,” he kissed her forehead. “I would never tell you something I didn’t mean. What are you talking about?”

“I heard them,” she was actively crying now. “The night they tied me to the temple stairs. Mother said I was an abomination and she wished I was never born.”

“I’m quite happy you were born, Emryn.” Cas was still confused as to what she was getting at. “I’m happy with you, darling.”

“But if my own mother didn’t love me, how can anyone?” She looked up at him with tear-sparkled eyes, begging him for comfort.

“Darling,” he held her closer. “Your mother might not have, but that means nothing. The people love you, Emryn, the city celebrates you, and my village thanks the Mother for your intervention.”

“I don’t care about that,” Emryn said, burying her face in his shirt. “I just want-”

“Tell me, Emryn.”

“I wantyouto love me,” she whispered in a broken voice. “But I can’t ask it of you when my own mother didn’t.”

“Darling Emryn.” It was all clear now the little glances at him when she thought he wasn’t looking, the hopeless little sighs and the increased nightmares. “Is that truly what you want?”

“I know it’s hopeless,” she said, voice cracked and full of sorrow.

“What if it’s not,” he asked gently. “What if I’ve loved you for weeks and just haven’t known how to say it?”

Her head shot up, looking at him with watery, incredulous eyes.

He put a finger on her lips. “I said it first, Emryn, not you.”

She nodded, tears running over her cheeks. “I love you, Cas.”

47

AFTER

“Ilove you too, Emryn,” Cas said, a smile bright in his eyes. “I didn’t know how to stay it before. I was overthinking it.”

“Me too.” She smiled back, a weight lifting from her chest. “I didn’t want to say it and make you feel pressured to say it back.”

“It’s not pressure, Emryn.” He kissed her softly. “I want to love you.”

“What do we do now?” she asked. “Now that we’ve said it?”

“Why do we need to do anything?” Cas kissed her again. “We can just love each other. I would like to wed you again at some point, but that can wait.”

“Again?” She smiled at him. “That seems excessive, to wed twice.”

“We wed for the council,” he replied. “I would like to wed you for the Mother and for the people. And because I would wed you every day for the rest of my life if I could.”

“Cas-” She wiped the tears away. “I’m happy with you. I don’t need anything else.”

“We never did have a wedding trip.” Cas sad. “Would you like one? Perhaps after the Season and the hunts?”

“Would we go back to the manor?”

“I thought we could go to the sea, to the summer palace.”

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