"I spoke to Alie earlier," Zilia said as she brushed her hair slowly.
Casaio was sitting on the bed with his legs stretched out, a book in his hands. He glanced up briefly. "And?"
"She confided in about how she feels toward your mother," Zilia continued, setting the brush down on the dressing table. "Ever since the truth ca out, Gabriel has been keeping more and more distance from the Queen. Alie feels guilty... like she’s the reason their bond has fractured even further. I told her not to bla herself, but I could sense she truly believes she’s added to the rift." She walked toward the bed.
Casaio closed the book, placing it beside him with a quiet sigh. "Mom knew this day would arrive. She was well aware of the consequences of her choices. And yet..." He paused, searching for the right words. "If you weigh both sides, neither of them is entirely wrong. Mother acted out of desperation to save Gabriel. Harsh as her thods were, she was still a mother, and her first instinct was to protect him at any cost. But Gabriel... he’s justified too. He’s carried the scars of her coldness for years. He grew up with that lingering reminder that he was never truly wanted, and now the truth has only deepened that wound."
He reached over and switched off the lights, leaving only the soft glow of the lamp by the bed.
As Casaio turned his head, his eyes fell on Zilia, who was gently pulling the duvet over them. Before she could settle in, his hand closed around her wrist, halting her movent.
Zilia’s gaze lifted, locking with his.
"In a few days, Dominick and Juniper will be lawfully wed," Casaio said. "Should we... do the sa?"
Her lips curved into the faintest smile. "If you trust , then yes," Zilia replied softly. "If you trust the bond between us, then you shouldn’t hesitate to marry ."
A shadow flickered in Casaio’s eyes. "Why didn’t you ever answer like this before?" he asked, searching her expression as though trying to read every unspoken word. "I’ve always wanted to hear such a response from you."
Zilia lowered her gaze for a mont, her voice gentle but threaded with regret. "Because it would have been easier for Luke to use against you. To force into harming you. I wanted to delay it for as long as I could. Truthfully, I even hoped you’d reject ." She let out a faint sigh. "But you... You stubbornly loved all this ti."
She had never been one to explain her motives, never one to peel back the layers of her guarded heart. Yet, staying with Alie for these few days had changed her. She had seen the way Alie spoke with Gabriel, how honest she was with him, and he was the sa. Alie never hid her fears, her motives, her truths.
And for the first ti, Zilia wanted to give Casaio the sa, her honesty.
"If there was ever soone who loved beyond anything I could imagine, it was you," Zilia whispered with sincerity. "How could I ever bear to see you hard? Do you rember when I used to vanish for days? Yes, it was for the tasks Luke set for ... and the punishnts I endured for defying him. Casaio, I wasn’t only protecting my brother. I was protecting you too. I had to. I’m sorry for everything I—"
Her words broke off, stolen by the warm press of his lips against hers.
Casaio kissed her with an urgency, silencing the apologies she thought she owed him. His arm slid firmly around her waist, pulling her against him, until she was seated across his lap. His other hand rose to cradle the curve of her neck, steadying her, holding her as though she might slip away if he let go.
The ache in her confession lted into the warmth of his embrace, the kiss deepening with every heartbeat.
Their lips parted only to return with greater hunger, tongues intertwining in a rhythm that made the quiet room echo with the faint, wet sounds of their kiss.
Zilia tried to pull back for breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly, but Casaio wasn’t ready to let her go. His hand at her nape held her close, deepening the kiss until her lungs burned with the need for air.
At last, he pulled away, though not to relent. His lips grazed her jawline, trailing down with slow presses of the kisses until they found the delicate curve of her neck.
A soft moan slipped past Zilia’s lips. Her fingers clenched tighter around his shoulders, holding on as though she could anchor herself against the storm of sensation he drew from her. Every ti his mouth lingered against her skin, every ti his teeth grazed before sucking gently, her pulse leapt and her breath hitched.
Marks blood beneath his lips. Each one whispered the sa truth: she was his.
The mark of her alpha was engraved right beneath her collarbone, which shone when Casaio kissed it. His hand slowly did its work by slipping off the strap of her nightdress from one side.
"Zilia, I never wanted to punish you. I’m so sorry," Casaio finally said, he lifted his eyes, eting hers. "I hurt you," he murmured, his eyes brimming with tears.
"I worked as a spy. You fulfilled your duty as a prince," Zilia said. Her lips quivered at the end. "I hoped I could have given you a better life as your mate, but I failed in that. You were no longer yourself because of ."
A tear slipped down her left eye before more escaped. Casaio’s thumbs pressed against her cheeks as he began wiping them.
"Don’t cry, Zilia. It bleeds my heart when you do," Casaio said and kissed her on the cheek. Then, he nipped her cheek playfully, making her laugh lightly. "I still love you a lot. I can’t ever lose you or be away from you. I only want you," he confessed.
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