Chapter 196
“Perhaps I was already being ‘kept’ in Uzephia?”
The realization struck like a blade.
Isolating her from others. Cutting off information. Restricting her to the palace. Begging her to stay by his side—
Every action wove together into something unsettling.
Had she been raised in gilded captivity all along?
“Your Majesty?”
Thud!
Ysaris slapped away Trienne’s hand from her shoulder, stepping back to steady her thoughts.
“I… understand your words. You’re right. You could’ve done worse. I should be… grateful.”
The admission tasted bitter. That she could thank her kidnapper so easily proved how rattled she was.
‘Why did he have to bring up love? Why did I think of Kazhan?’
Her pulse hammered.
Actions alone couldn’t define emotions—but when two opposing intentions led to the same outcome, how could she tell them apart?
She bit her cheek, forcing her focus back.
“You want me to stay willingly. Hence the… kindness.”
“Now we’re speaking the same language!”
Trienne beamed.
“You live comfortably. I get what I need. A mutually beneficial arrangement!”
She shut her eyes, unwilling to see his grin. Logically, playing along was her best option—but the thought clawed at her.
Even if rescued… would my life really change?
A slow exhale. She steeled herself.
“A few questions.”
“Ask away!”
She studied him coldly.
“You value my blood more than the Tennilath line. Correct?”
“Oh-ho! Sharp deduction.”
“The ancestors you ‘missed’ weren’t me—just this bloodline. You lost them once. You’re… far older than you appear.”
“Bravo!” He clapped, amused.
“…And you’ll never risk losing it again.”
Trienne’s hands stilled. His smile vanished.
“What.”
He murmured, head tilting,
“Are you suggesting?”
Ysaris swallowed.
“A deal. One that benefits us both.”
* * *
“Your Majesty, the wyvern will die at this rate.”
“We rest past that ridge.”
Temisian grimaced. The emperor had forced the beast onward for a week—feeding it his own blood when exhaustion struck. Even a monster’s stamina had limits.
And the man himself?
Kazhan hadn’t slept since crossing the border. His crimson eyes, now fully bloodred, burned with manic intensity.
Temisian understood—no sane man would rest while his beloved was captive.
But this was suicide. They’d long left Uzephia’s reach, entering lands where imperial power meant nothing. And if their targets were imperial hunters…
“Found her.”
A guttural growl.
The wedding ring’s light had reversed direction.
Kazhan’s cracked lips peeled back.
“Ysaa.”
‘Wait for me. I’m coming.’
The dying wyvern shuddered as his claws dug into its scales. Ahead loomed a mountain—dense, wild, unconquered.
The time to reclaim his world had come.
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