Karn and Aisha returned to her apartnt. Aisha watched Karn, noting the deep lines of exhaustion on his face. "Prince Gabriel punished Eryx in a way I never imagined he would be. I saw the disappointnt in the eyes of his father."
"Lazarus is a respected mber of the court council," Karn asserted. "Seeing what his son did must have broken his heart. But at the sa ti, he has always shielded Eryx behind the weight of his title. This ti, even his position couldn’t save him. He realized that to fight Prince Gabriel was to lose everything, so he chose to let his son fall rather than stain his own reputation."
A sharp throb pulsed through Karn’s temples, leaving behind a persistent ache. He leaned his head back against the sofa rest, closing his eyes to block out the light of the apartnt.
"You’re exhausted," Aisha said softly, shifting closer to him. "Everything that happened today... It was too much."
Karn didn’t open his eyes, but he felt the warmth of her presence beside him. Her hand moved to his forehead. "Your forehead is a little warm. Why don’t you take a nap?" she suggested softly.
Karn opened his eyes briefly, searching hers, before slowly lowering his head until it rested in her lap. Aisha tensed, a faint blush creeping up her neck at the sudden intimacy, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she began to comb her fingers tentatively through his hair.
"Did you tell your parents about any of this?" she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper. "What if the news reaches them through the palace gossip or the papers?"
"No one will tell them. It’s not a national news that it will print in the paper," Karn murmured. "And I’d prefer to keep it that way. My mother would be inconsolable if she saw in this state. It’s the first ti I’ve been injured to this extent." He paused, forcing his eyes open once more to look up at her. "But don’t misunderstand. It’s not because of you."
Aisha’s hand stilled. "How can you say that? You fought Eryx because of . You’re in this pain because you stepped in."
"I did it wrong," Karn affird. "I’ve never been a man who acts on impulse, yet that day, I lost my composure. I didn’t anticipate his move, and that miscalculation is on , not you."
As he spoke, his hand found hers. He didn’t just hold it; he began to caress her palm with his thumb. "So, don’t bla yourself," he murmured, his voice a low rumble.
He slowly brought her hand to his mouth, pressing a lingering kiss against her knuckles while his eyes remained locked on hers, gauging every flicker of her reaction.
Then, suddenly, he sat up. He turned to her fully, a playful glint in his gaze. "Did you really address as your ’boyfriend’ in front of the restaurant staff?"
"Uh? How did you..." She trailed off, her heart skipping a beat. She nervously licked her lips, looking for a way to explain herself but finding no words.
"There’s sothing I have to tell you," Karn said, deciding to let her off the hook for a mont. He reached into his inner pocket of the jacket and pulled out the cream-colored envelope, holding it out to her.
"What’s this?" Aisha asked, her confusion montarily overriding her embarrassnt as she gazed at the paper.
"Check for yourself," he pointed, a small, expectant smile forming on his lips.
Aisha carefully tore the envelope open and slid out the two embossed tickets. "A Christmas party on a cruise ship," she whispered, her eyes scanning the elegant gold lettering.
"We should spend our holiday there. What do you say?" Karn inquired, watching her closely. "I’ve never actually been on a cruise before. Have you?"
Aisha shook her head, her finger tracing the itinerary. "Three nights and four days," she added, her voice filled with wonder as she read the nas of the coastal towns where the ship would dock.
"You don’t have to say yes if you don’t feel—"
"Let’s go," Aisha interrupted, looking up from the tickets. "I’ve never been on a ship like this either. I think it’s going to be fun," she answered, her face lighting up with a bright, genuine smile that made Karn’s own weariness vanish.
"But are you even fit to travel? I an... you’re still recovering," Aisha said, her gaze dropping to the bandages hidden beneath his sleeve.
"I only have two or three wounds left to heal, and in a few days, they’ll be gone completely," Karn answered, his voice steady and reassuring. "Besides, we don’t depart until the day after tomorrow. I still have a full day to rest before we board," he affird.
"Hmm. Then let’s do it. We should experience sothing new together," Aisha stated, a bit of excitent finally coloring her tone. "It’s almost lunchti. I’ll go cook sothing, but you need to stay right there and rest until it’s ready."
As Aisha started to stand up, Karn’s hand shot out, his fingers encircling her wrist. The sudden contact stopped her in her tracks. She turned her head, her gaze locking with his in the quiet of the apartnt.
"Do you have sothing else to say?" she asked softly.
"Thank you," Karn said, his voice dropping an octave. "For everything."
"I did nothing," she murmured, her heart fluttering as she gently pulled her hand back. She turned toward the kitchen, leaving him on the sofa with a soft smile and the tickets still clutched in her hand.
Setting the tickets on the counter, she brought her hand to her chest which fluttered a while ago. "Am I truly allowed to fall in love again?" The doubts and the fears began to linger in her mind. Her forr mate died in an accident because he was coming to see her. And Karn got injured because of her. No matter how much she told herself not to think like that, her mind wouldn’t stop.
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