Zora stiffened, staring at Prince Kael in disbelief. For a mont, she was genuinely at a loss for words. This man’s shalessness truly knew no bounds. Just when she thought she had seen the limit, he calmly pushed past it again.
"Who would ever have a child with you!" she snapped, her tone sharp and flustered despite herself.
They were clearly only cooperating, bound together by circumstance and benefit. How had the conversation twisted into sothing so utterly indecent?
The smile at the corner of Prince Kael’s lips slowly faded. The playful light in his eyes dimd, replaced by sothing quieter and far more dangerous now. When he spoke again, his voice was low, almost subdued.
"Darling... do you hate ?"
That single question made Zora pause.
Hate?
She looked at him carefully, suddenly feeling as though sothing heavy had pressed against her chest. She was used to his teasing, his rogue-like smiles, his effortless confidence.
Seeing him like this, stripped of mockery and arrogance, unsettled her more than his flirtation ever had.
She searched her own heart and found the answer without hesitation.
"No..."
The word slipped out softly. She did not hate him. On the contrary, she had long grown accustod to his presence, even sotis missed his teasing despite the fact that she hates it. She did not want to see that look on his face.
Before she could say anything else, a blur of white filled her vision. In the next instant, her back t soft bedding, and she realized she had been laid flat on the bed.
Prince Kael hovered above her, their bodies separated by no more than a thin layer of fabric.
That flawless face, curved once more into a wicked, triumphant smile. "I knew it," he said lightly. "I knew my wifey had in her heart."
Zora nearly choked.
This shaless man was beyond saving.
She should have learned by now not to be led by his expressions, yet she had still fallen straight into his trap again.
His warmth pressed down on her, his breath close enough to feel, and the heat in his eyes was impossible to ignore. The atmosphere thickened instantly, the distance between them shrinking to sothing dangerously intimate. Even her own heartbeat beca irregular.
"Darling..." he murmured, his voice low and husky, carrying a heat that made her instincts scream to get away.
Her eyes widened in alarm.
She reacted at once. "Kael! You—get out. Right now!"
For the first ti, her composure cracked. A deep flush climbed up her cheeks, and the calm in her dark eyes was replaced by genuine panic. In both her past and present lives, she had never been this close to a man.
No matter how steady she was in battle or scheming, this was unfamiliar territory.
Prince Kael imdiately stopped at her scream.
The teasing heat in his eyes softened, giving way to sothing unexpectedly gentle. Instead of pressing closer, he leaned down and placed a light, feather-soft kiss on her forehead.
"Zora," he said quietly in a whisper. "I’m glad you’re safe."
Those simple words carried a weight that stunned her into silence. The tension that had filled the room dissipated, replaced by sothing like a relief long held back.
"Take good care of yourself," he continued, straightening his posture again. "I’ll co see you again soon."
And before Zora replied anything else, a flicker of white flash blurred her vision, and he was gone.
Outside the room, Prince Kael finally let out a breath, the corners of his lips lifting into a helpless smile. His woman was shy. If he stayed any longer, he wasn’t sure he could maintain control. Leaving was the wiser choice.
Inside, Zora sat up slowly. The anger she had felt monts earlier had already faded, replaced by a quiet turmoil in her chest.
He had co all the way here because he thought she had died in the beast tide.
In his current situation, he should have been occupied with matters of the guild, burdened by struggles far greater than hers. Yet he had abandoned everything, rushing to the academy for her sake alone.
She had seen it clearly. The relief and joy in his eyes had not been feigned.
And her blush only deepened further. She hurriedly shook her thoughts away, "You are not truly so 16-year-old to be influenced. Get a grip, girl..."
Adjusting her robe, she forced her expression back into her usual calm indifference, though her heart stubbornly refused to settle and beat rapidly.
Nearby, Black and White peeked at each other, their fluffy faces flushed red. Black was white, so the blush was obvious. White, being black, could only sulk in silence, his embarrassnt rcifully hidden by fur.
But then—
White completely ruined the atmosphere, blurting out in panic. "We didn’t see anything! Really, we didn’t!"
"Seen what...?" Zora’s voice turned dangerously calm.
Sha. Utter, irreversible sha.
Black imdiately exploded into motion, dashing back and forth across the table with frantic little steps, waving its paws wildly. "I don’t know! I didn’t see anything! Absolutely nothing!"
Believe that?
Zora pressed her temples, utterly helpless. Black and White were still burning with embarrassnt, yet her little shihtzu had already curled up and fallen asleep. Though if one looked closely, its eyelids were twitching faintly, betraying far too much awareness.
She sighed deeply.
It seed that bathing casually in her room was no longer an option.
Just as that thought settled, a sharp knock sounded at the door.
Zora’s brows drew together. Had that man really not left yet?
She opened the door, only to find Reesa standing outside instead of Prince Kael.
"Zora! It’s great that you’re really fine!"
Reesa’s face was full of excitent and relief. Before Zora could react, she was pulled into a tight hug. "When I heard about the monster beast, I was terrified. I couldn’t sleep at all."
Looking into Reesa’s eyes, still filled with lingering worry, Zora felt a rare warmth spread through her chest. The journey through the White Mountains had been filled with danger and tension, but being welcod back by soone who genuinely cared made it all feel worthwhile.
"My luck is too good to die that easily," she replied with a broad smile. "I knew you’d co the mont you heard I was back. Seeing fine should put your heart at ease. Aren’t you tired?"
Reesa blinked. "You’re not resting?"
"I already have," Zora replied calmly. After that dicinal soak, every cell in her body had been soothed and strengthened. She felt lighter than she had in days.
Seeing her relaxed expression, Reesa finally smiled. "Then tell everything. What was that beast tide like?"
The two sat down on the edge of the bed, and Zora recounted what had happened in the White Mountains. As the story unfolded, Reesa grew increasingly pale, especially when she heard about the sheer scale of the frenzy and the countless beasts flooding the land. By the end, she was deeply shaken.
"Good thing I didn’t go," Reesa muttered, pressing a hand to her chest. "Otherwise, I’d probably be dead already."
After a brief pause, her expression darkened. "Baldwin still hasn’t co back."
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