Page 19 of Seas and Scepters

The words slipped out before I could stop them, and I watched my father's expression shift from irritation to sudden, sharp interest.

"Explain yourself," he demanded.

I remained silent, cursing my loose tongue.The last thing I needed was for my father to discover Selene's existence.He would see her as a threat to his carefully arranged plans—a complication to be eliminated rather than a woman to be respected.

"Nothing," I muttered."Merely frustration speaking."

He studied me for a long moment, his eyes narrowing with suspicion."Your marriage to Princess Astrid is not optional, Eirik.It is essential to the security and prosperity of this kingdom—the kingdom you will one day rule.Whatever frivolous attachments or romantic notions you've developed must be set aside for the greater good."

"The greater good," I echoed hollowly."Always the greater good."

"Yes," he said firmly."Always.That is what it means to wear the crown, my son.Personal desires become secondary to the needs of the people we serve."His voice softened slightly."Your mother understood this.She married me knowing it was so, and in time, we found contentment, even happiness."

"Mother loved you," I said quietly."I remember how she looked at you.There was nothing dutiful about it."

A shadow passed over his face—a fleeting glimpse of the grief he kept carefully hidden beneath his royal persona."Love came later," he admitted."After we learned to see each other beyond the titles and obligations.After we shared the burden of rule and discovered we were stronger together than apart."

For a moment, I saw him not as the cold, calculating king but as a man who had lost the love of his life and hardened himself against further pain.It didn't excuse his actions, but perhaps it explained them.

"And if I've found that already?"I asked, my voice barely above a whisper."If I've discovered someone who sees beyond the scars and titles to the man beneath?"

His expression closed like a door slammed shut."Then you will do what every king before you has done.You will set aside personal desire for the good of the many.You will honor your commitments and fulfill your responsibility."He turned back to his maps, a clear dismissal."The wedding proceeds as planned tomorrow.I suggest you use the remaining hours to put your affairs in order and prepare yourself for the role you were born to play."

I left his study with leaden steps, knowing that nothing I could say would change his mind.The walls of the palace seemed to close in around me, suffocating in their opulence and tradition.I needed to escape—needed air that wasn't heavy with orders and expectations.

Within the hour, I was on horseback, riding through the city's narrow streets toward the only place where I felt truly seen.

Madam Lydia's expression betrayed no surprise when I arrived at her establishment in the middle of the afternoon, disheveled and desperate.She merely nodded to the doorman and led me to the private parlor where we had first spoken of Selene.

"She's resting," Lydia said, her dark eyes assessing my agitated state."But I'll have her brought down immediately."

"Thank you," I managed, pacing the confines of the elegant room like a caged animal.Every moment away from Selene felt like an eternity, every hour closer to my wedding like another nail in the coffin of my happiness.

When the door opened and she appeared, the sight of her struck me with physical force.She wore a simple dress of pale blue silk, her silver-white hair loose around her shoulders.There were shadows beneath her eyes, suggesting she had slept as poorly as I had, but she was still the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

"Eirik," she breathed, and the sound of my name on her lips—not "Your Highness" or "my lord," but simply Eirik—broke something open inside me.

I crossed the room in three strides and gathered her into my arms, burying my face in her hair, breathing in the scent of her—that mysterious blend of jasmine and sea salt that seemed to follow her everywhere.

"I needed to see you," I murmured against her skin."I couldn't bear another moment in that palace, surrounded by people planning a future I abhor."

Her arms tightened around me, and I felt the slight tremor that ran through her body."I've been thinking of you too," she whispered."Every moment."

We moved to a small settee by the window, still holding onto each other as if afraid the other might disappear.Outside, the afternoon sun gilded the city's rooftops, casting long shadows across cobblestone streets.The world felt both impossibly vast and achingly intimate, as if we existed in a pocket of time separate from the harsh realities waiting to reclaim us.

"The wedding preparations?"she asked, her voice carefully neutral.

"Proceeding," I said grimly."All will be ready in time for tomorrow’s ceremony."

Her fingers tightened around mine."So soon."

"Too soon."I brought her hand to my lips, pressing kisses against her palm."I don't want this marriage, Selene.I've never wanted anything less in my life."

"Your legacy—"

"Damn my legacy," I interrupted with unexpected vehemence."Damn treaties and alliances and the 'greater good.'What of my happiness?What of love and all the things poets celebrate but princes are forbidden to have?"

She watched me with those extraordinary eyes, a storm of emotions playing across her features."You speak of love," she said softly, almost questioningly.

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