Chapter 147

MILA

I woke up the next morning feeling utterly refreshed.

The sea breeze drifted in from the open window, bringing the slight smell of salt and a patch of warm sunshine with it. From outside my window, seagulls cawed, and I heard the distant bells of fishing boats bringing in their early-morning hauls.

My mother had prepared an elaborate, home-cooked meal the night before, and it made me realize that some amount of my cooking skills had to be genetic and come from her. We had talked and laughed until late into the night, when my heart felt so full it could burst.

Then I slept better than I had in a long time, possibly ever. Their guest room was small but comfortable, and I wondered if they ever dreamed about it being used by me.

My parents were wonderful people–truly kind and thoughtful individuals who had been put into a tough spot when it came to giving me up. But I could see clearly how much they loved each other, and how hard they had worked to now have such fortune.

It had been a delightful evening with them. I knew I could talk to them for days on end more, but our conversation had forced me to face the inconvenient truth: I needed to find Felix.

I could mull over my future as much as I wanted to on my own, but there would never be any solution if I did not speak to my husband first. I knew I had been avoiding the difficult situation for my own feelings of safety and security, but I had hid from my problems for long enough.

It was high time I faced them.

I made my way downstairs, only to find my mother taking a fresh tray of scones out of the oven and my father eagerly pouring cups of coffee. Both of them looked thrilled to see me.

“I just made a batch of lemon scones, Mila,” my mother chirped cheerfully. “It was my mother’s recipe. I want you to have it.”

“And how do you take your coffee, Mila?” My father asked. “We don’t have a lot of sweet creamers to put in the coffee, but I can easily run out and get some today.”

The scene was so domestic and loving that it felt almost foreign. I greeted them each with a kiss on the cheek and grabbed a scone from my mother.

“I like vanilla lattes,” I said to my father. “But anything sweet will do.”

My father tapped his forehead, as if making a mental note.

“How did you sleep, dear?” My mother asked anxiously. “We’ve been saving up that guest room for a while now, in case we ever had company. I think you might just be the first person to use it!”

“It was great,” I told her. “Thank you, again, for letting me stay the night.”

“Of course, Mila,” my mother said earnestly. “You’re our daughter. We love you.”

I looked at them–at their kind and open faces. I knew that if I asked, they would take off work for the rest of the month to spend time with me. They loved me unconditionally, in that special way that only parents could.

And yet, I had to leave them once again. Going back to my responsibilities was the only way that I could save not only them, but all of the magical kingdoms.

I was their only hope.

As much as it broke my heart to say it, I said softly, “I need to be heading out today.”

My mother bit her lip, but nodded. “We assumed that you might.”

“Are you going to talk to the King?” My father asked gruffly. I had a feeling that he was putting on a tough front to disguise the pain lurking underneath.

“If he’ll have me,” I replied honestly. “The magic can only be healed if we work together. Not to mention, he’s my husband. I have to at least try to make things up with him.”

“Just take care of yourself, sweetheart,” my mother said. I could hear the tremble in her voice, but her eyes were brightly shining with pride. “You can fix all this mess. I believe in you.”

“We’re very proud of you,” my father chimed in.

I really, really did not want to go. Leaving them was a fresh pain, unlike one I had ever experienced before. Walking away from them, willingly, would be one of the hardest things I would ever do in my life.

But I also knew it was what I had to do, and that both my parents understood that. As much as it might pain all of us, this was the only path forward.

Even if it did hurt like hell.

I gave them both hugs, fighting the emotion that was tightening my throat. “I’ll be back as soon as all of this is over. I promise. This is only good-bye for now.”

They held on to me tightly, murmuring words of encouragement into my hair. My heart was breaking and mending all at once.

My mother pressed a scone into my hand. “For the road.”

I did not quite know what to say to them. I wanted to tell them how much being here had changed me, even if it was only for a short time. Meeting them had mended my broken heart and fixed that hole inside me I liked to pretend didn’t exist. I could tell from the looks on their faces that they had many things to say to me, as well.

But none of us said anything of the sort. I merely gave them one more hug and hit the road.

There would be time for more tearful family reunions in the future. Maybe I could hire my father as the official fish provider for the castle. My relationship with my parents was now something tangible and within reach, something I could finally grab onto and believe in.

I had spent so many years suffering abuse at the hands of the Bensons that I had never allowed myself to believe that I could be loved like that by a parental figure. But I could, and my heart now felt a bit freer than it had merely twenty-four hours before.

I did not want to leave Beauveis, but I did. I trudged a little farther into the countryside before magically transporting myself onto one of the main roads that led to the castle.

What I found there was pure chaos.

To say the road was crowded was putting it mildly.

It was wall-to-wall with angry Fresonain civilians, some even going so far as to hold signs and pitchforks. They were all chanting in a mixture of English and Fresonian, looking angry and shoving each other.

The spires of the capital and the castle rose in the distance, and I dreaded the idea of making the rest of my trek alongside these angry people. Who were they fighting against? What was the issue?

It was only when I understood what they were chanting that my heart sank into my stomach.

This was not just an ordinary crowd–this was a riot on its way to the capital, demanding to get answers from the royal family about dragons.