Chapter 5: Chapter 6: Seduce the princess
Kaelen’s POV
I stood in the line with the other n, the sun beating down on my neck. My leather vest was hot, but I kept my face blank. Bored, even. Like this whole thing was beneath .
I was only half-listening when Captain Varrus called my na. I’d co to this tryout because I needed work. The royal guard paid better than anything else in the city, and I was running low on coin. Simple as that.
"Kaelen! A skilled fighter!"
I stepped forward, already thinking about how much gold they’d pay
per month, when—
She looked up.
And I froze.
No.
No way.
That wasn’t possible.
But it was. Standing on that balcony, wearing a crown that probably cost more than my entire life, was Lara.
Lara. The shy, blushing girl from the Wandering Gardens. The "tourist" who’d stamred and giggled and ca apart in my arms three nights ago.
Except... she wasn’t Lara at all.
She was Queen Elara of Dravara.
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing out loud.
This was insane. This was perfect. This was the universe playing the cruelest, funniest joke in history.
She’d lied to . The whole ti. While I was being honest about who I was, she was pretending to be so innocent girl seeing the kingdom for the first ti. "I’m a tourist," she’d said with those big, innocent blue eyes.
A tourist. Right. A tourist with a palace and a crown.
Part of
wanted to be angry. But mostly? I was impressed. And very, very amused.
I watched her face as she recognized . Watched the color drain from her cheeks. Watched her eyes go wide with pure panic.
Oh, this was going to be fun.
I kept my expression neutral. Professional. Like I had no idea who she was. I gave her a small bow, playing the perfect soldier.
She looked terrified. Like she thought I’d planned the whole thing. Like I’d sohow known she was the princess and seduced her on purpose.
The thought almost made
smirk. If only she knew. If only she knew that I’d been just as drunk as her. That I’d woken up alone and confused, wondering why the pretty girl had run away before sunrise. That I’d spent the last three days thinking about the way she’d whispered my na in the dark.
And now here she was. The queen.
My one-night stand was the queen.
Then she pointed right at .
"Him," she said. Her voice was strong, but I could hear the slight shake underneath. "I choose him. Sir Kaelen."
I raised an eyebrow. Interesting choice, Your Majesty.
The advisors behind her started protesting. So old man was shaking his head, saying sothing about loyalty and trust. But she didn’t back down. She kept her eyes on , her jaw tight.
She was choosing
to control . To keep
close. Make sure I never talked about our night together.
Smart girl.
Captain Varrus grabbed my arm and pulled
out of line. "Lucky bastard," he muttered.
Yeah. Lucky. That was one word for it.
They led
through the palace. Gave
a uniform, dark blue with silver buttons. Told
to report to the queen’s sitting room in an hour.
An hour to prepare myself. An hour to figure out how to handle this.
Because this was... complicated. The girl I’d spent one perfect night with was now my queen. My employer. The woman I was sworn to protect.
And she clearly thought I was so kind of threat.
When a severe-looking old woman ca to collect , she walked
through endless hallways. Finally, she stopped at a large wooden door and knocked three tis.
"Enter," ca the voice from inside.
I walked in. The room was smaller than I expected. Cozy, almost. A fireplace, soft chairs, a desk by the window. And there, standing by that window with her back to , was Elara.
She’d changed out of that heavy coronation gown. This dress was simpler, though still obviously expensive. Deep green silk that made her hair look like spun gold. Her hair was still pinned up, but loose pieces were falling around her neck.
That neck. I rembered kissing it. Rembered the little sound she’d made when I’d bitten down gently on that soft skin.
Focus, Kaelen.
"Your Majesty," I said, my voice smooth. "I’m here as you commanded."
She didn’t turn around. Just stood there, staring out the window like she could pretend I wasn’t in the room.
The silence stretched. I could see her shoulders tense.
Finally, she spoke. "Leave us."
The old woman behind
made a strangled sound. "Your Majesty, I don’t think—"
"He is my personal guard," Elara cut her off, her voice sharp. "His entire job is to stay by my side. Now leave. Close the door behind you."
The old woman looked like she wanted to argue, but one look at Elara’s face and she bowed stiffly. The door clicked shut.
And then it was just us.
I waited. Counted to ten in my head. Patient.
Slowly, Elara turned around. Her face was pale, her blue eyes hard as ice. But I could see the fear underneath. The uncertainty.
"So," she said, her voice tight. "Kaelen."
I gave her a slow smile. "Your Majesty. Or should I call you Lara?"
Her eyes flashed with anger. "You will not call
that. Ever."
"Touchy," I murmured, taking a step closer. She went rigid but didn’t back away. "Though I have to say, I prefer you when you’re not wearing a crown. You were much more... relaxed three nights ago."
"Stop," she hissed.
"Stop what?" I asked innocently. "Stop rembering? Stop thinking about how you tasted? Stop hearing the way you moaned my na when I—"
"Enough!" Her face flushed bright red. She glanced nervously at the door. "Soone could hear you!"
"The door is closed," I pointed out. "And I’m your guard. We’re allowed to be alone together. In fact, it’s expected."
She wrapped her arms around herself, like she was trying to hold herself together. "You planned this. You knew who I was that night. You seduced
on purpose."
There it was. The accusation I’d been waiting for.
I laughed. Couldn’t help it.
"You think this is funny?" she demanded.
"A little, yeah." I crossed my arms, leaning against the wall. "You’re standing here accusing
of lying when you’re the one who lied about everything."
"I had to!"
"Had to?" I raised an eyebrow. "Had to pretend to be soone else? Had to give
a fake na? Had to let
think you were just a normal girl when you’re actually the queen?"
Her mouth opened. Closed. "I... it wasn’t like that."
"Then what was it like?" I pushed off the wall, closing the distance between us. Not too close. Just close enough to make her nervous. "Because from where I’m standing, you wanted one night where you didn’t have to be the princess. One night to be normal. And I gave you that. I was honest about who I was. Can you say the sa?"
She bit her lip, and damn if that didn’t send heat straight through . Sa lip I’d bitten. Sa lip that had been against my skin.
"I don’t believe you," she said finally. "How do I know you weren’t hired to ruin ? To... to seduce the princess before her coronation and destroy her reputation?"
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