Page 147 of Tall, Royal and Grumpy

My sarcasm made him smile. “And now? Do you still feel nervous?”

I raised my brows. “Are you asking me to dance, Mr Perfect Prince?”

“I am.”

“I would love to.”

For a man who didn’t like being the centre of attention, Kai didn’t hesitate to take me by the hand into the middle of the ballroom floor.

It didn’t matter that everyone was watching us.

His eyes never left mine and mine never left his as he led me through a dance.

Our first dance of many, many, many more to come.

* * *

Mariyah

DUUUUDDDDDEEEE!!!!!

Mariyah

I woke up to pictures of u and TRG EVERYWHEREEE

Mariyah

a dance and him driving u to the airport ahughdjdkhfdg

Mariyah

Y didnt u tell me??!?!

Mariyah

U guys have fucking broken the internet

Mariyah

AND PRINCE ARSH AND SHEHRYAR’S MUM?!!!!!!!!

Mariyah

GIRL FUCKING EXPLAIN BEFORE I EXPLODE

Epilogue

ESMERALDA

9 months later

Long-distance relationships were hard.

Kai and I discovered that the first week we spent apart.

With me taking lead on the setting up of the Amara-Ayla Foundation and Kai attending more events and an official ceremony for his appointment as Crown Prince, we just about made time to talk between endless hours of work. Figuring out when either of us could visit had been impossible.

Within the first month, tears were shed multiple times. On phone calls and videocalls, and alone on those sleepless nights when I missed his warmth and smell and tight hugs. It was only towards the beginning of May—just over two months after the Peace Celebrations—when things calmed down a bit for both of us, allowing Kai to come visit me for four days in Jahandar.

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