Chapter 148

FELIX

Through my findings at the Library of Magic, along with Lady Isabella’s covert research at the Bensons’ house in America, we were able to pinpoint Mila’s birthplace: the seaside village of Beauveis. As soon as I departed the library, I started heading to the sea.

To be completely honest, I was hesitant about the prospect of Lady Isabella joining our team. She had, after all, attempted to poison me–at the behest of Charles, but still. I had my reasons for concern. My brother swore that we could trust her to put the kingdom first, but I was still working on trusting him.

I chose not to share the darker details of my conversation with Sofia with any of my friends or family. I was still mulling over what it all meant in my own head. Mila was everything to me, and my visions of our past lives and losses had only confirmed that.

But I needed her to forgive me, not just for my betrayals in this life, but for all my betrayals beforehand.

It all still felt too sensitive and raw to discuss with anyone, including Joseph.

I knew leaving my former assistant, now advisor in charge was the right idea, if only for how it rubbed the old guard the wrong way. I felt a bit bad about separating him from Isla, as there was clearly some chemistry brewing. However, I needed her eyes and ears in the countryside, investigating the ever-growing riots.

As I approached the coast, I wished for not the first time that I had Ignatius with me. I had managed to pick up a small car from one of the royal military bases near the mountains, and was now slowly but surely making my way to Beauveis. On dragonback, this journey would have taken me mere minutes.

I had no idea what my plan was once I got to the village. I had reason to believe that Mila was there, trying to learn more about her past, but no way of knowing where to begin my search.

There was also the small matter of the growing civil unrest. I harbored a great deal of nerves over what I could be facing in the country. As the King, I was instantly recognizable, and knew that I was facing the intense resentment of most of my people now.

As I drove into Beauveis, I settled my face into an expression of benevolence and calm. There was no point in letting on how nervous I felt.

The village was small, but bustling. I knew it was a hub of fishing activity, and had grown quite wealthy over the last few years. It looked nothing like the ancient collection of houses and farms I had seen in my visions with Sofia.

Thankfully, I did not have to look too far. I was only about a mile into the village when I saw a woman walking down the side of the road, carrying a large basket of fresh produce and basking in the sunlight.

Were it not for the slight gray around her temples, I could have sworn I was looking at my wife.

I pulled up next to her and rolled down my window.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” I said politely, hoping I had not startled her, “do you happen to know a woman named Mila Benson?”

When the woman turned to see me, she gasped.

“King Felix!” She whispered, pressing her free hand to her mouth. “I can’t believe you’re here. She just went looking for you.”

“Who?” I asked, my heart starting to race. “Mila?”

The woman nodded. “She is my daughter.”

And so I ended up in the kitchen of the people who I realized were technically my in-laws: Mila’s birth parents, Charlotte and Alexander, still emotionally recovering from their reunion with their long-lost daughter the day before.

“How is she?” I dared to ask as Charlotte poured me a large glass of water.

“She is well,” Charlotte said hesitantly. “She is clearly working through a lot of things in her own head. This is a difficult time for her, you see.”

“I can imagine,” I murmured.

Alexander, who had been silently staring me down for the last ten minutes, cleared his throat and finally spoke. “If I may be frank, Your Majesty, I do not like the way you have been treating my daughter.”

It was the first time in my life that I’d been interrogated by the father of a romantic partner, and were it not for the intense, angry look on Alexander’s face, I might have rejoiced at the normalcy.

“Of course,” I said quickly. “I don’t like how I’ve been treating her either. Which is why I’m so desperate to find her.”

Mila’s parents exchanged cautious looks.

“She set out just this morning to find you,” Charlotte said. “It sounds like she’s making her way to the capital.”

“Is she… on foot?” I dared to ask.

Charlotte shrugged. “She apparently has some magical ways of getting about, but I imagine she’s walking the main road to Fresia. We’ve heard there’s quite a bit of foot traffic there right now.”

The riots. My gut twisted. “And what are your thoughts on all of that?”

Alexander sighed. “I have always been loyal to the royal family. I am not one for political violence. And after hearing Mila’s tale, I understand why you have been forced to keep the dragons a secret. But I think that for the good of the kingdom, it may be time to come clean.”

I nodded forcefully. “I completely agree. I’ve wanted to make knowledge about the dragons public for years now. I’ve just never had the opportunity before becoming king.”

“I just want to say–” Charlotte interjected. She turned bright red, but continued. “I just want to say that I understand what you must be going through. We once made a very difficult choice to protect Mila, too. And it broke my heart. I know you love my daughter and I just ask that you keep her safe.”

It was a mother’s broken plea, not unlike the ones my own mother had been offering up on behalf of Charles. It nearly broke my heart.

“I promise,” I said softly.

“Good.” Charlotte said forcefully. “Now perhaps you should get on the road and find your wife.”

I looked out the window at the sun, slowly starting to make its descent towards the horizon. “I just need to make sure I can find her.”

“Follow the main road to Fresia,” Alexander said, finally smiling. “I’m sure you’ll find her there.”

I had just made it to my car when my phone rang. Joseph. I picked it up as fast as I could. “Hello?”

“Felix,” my advisor said, sounding stressed. “The riots have started to converge on the capital. We fear they may breach the castle soon. We need you back here to address and maybe even stop the crowd.”

Sure enough, there was shouting and noise in the distant background of his call. “How much time do I have? I still need to find Mila.”

There was a long pause before Joseph said, “I don’t think you have enough time to do both. If you want, Esmeralda can open a travel portal for you and you can be back at the castle in minutes. If not…”

Here it was: the crossroads between kingdom and queen once again. I had to make a choice.

I took a deep breath. “Tell Esmeralda to save the portal in case you all need to get out. Barricade the doors. Hide the dragons. I’ll get there when I can. I’m going to find Mila.”