“That was quite…overwhelming.” My mate sighed the moment the doors to my chambers closed. Liira, the last of the ladies to have insisted on accompanying us had finally left, letting me relax a fraction. The trio that included Sarabeth and Florithe had insisted on being our escorts, both as extra protection and as a distraction for the crowd who would figure out that something was wrong when their king exited the hall earlier than expected. And while the ladies' efforts were appreciated, their fussing over my mate was not. It was understandable, especially for Florithe, but that did not make it any easier to watch the discomfort it brought Shyla and her attempts to conceal it.
“I should probably feel guilty for being happy to leave all of it behind, but I don’t.”
At her confession, I mus
