Chapter 89

MILA

In the aftermath of Felix’s confession, I still felt some lingering confusion and anger. I thought our marriage would fix everything, but apparently… it did not.

Felix reluctantly agreed to meet with the royal doctors and discuss treatment plans, or, at the very least, methods of physical therapy to help him in his moments of paralysis. His parents and Esmeralda were frantically searching every corner of the castle library for information on the cure.

I knew that my presence would be unhelpful, and frankly, the thought of being around so much grief made me itchy. I needed to process my own feelings about my husband and marriage in my own way.

So I went to the restaurant.

Sea and Sky was still seeing massive success, and I was desperate for things to settle down in the monarchy so that I could return to being at the restaurant full-time. I knew that Felix would support and encourage my ambition and dreams–that was one thing he had never wavered on.

There were still several hours until open, so I busied myself in the kitchen preparing some new dishes for the menu that night. My entire life, I had poured my thoughts and feelings, my inner turmoil, into cooking. It had gotten me through even the darkest of days.

And perhaps it could even get me through the possibility of becoming a widow mere weeks after my wedding.

Being in the kitchen again was instantly calming. I had not realized how much stress and tension I had been holding onto until it released from my shoulders.

I had not cooked in so long, for a second, I had no idea what I actually wanted to make. But as I looked around those familiar walls and thought about my now-unfamiliar life, I realized that I needed to go back to my roots.

My favorite dessert of all time was pecan pie–especially when served warm from the oven, paired with a heaping scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Thankfully, my staff had recently restocked our pecan supply, and I always made sure to keep ingredients for ice cream on hand. It would be simple enough to whip together the dessert, and I knew I needed something sweet after the week I’d had.

It did not take me long to get back into the rhythm of things. By the time I was churning the vanilla ice cream by hand, I was breathing easy. At some point, my other staff came in to prepare for the day’s service, but they took note of my intense focus and left me alone.

When I picked up my phone to set a timer for the oven, I noticed that I had two missed calls from Felix–and that I’d been at the restaurant for almost six hours. My phone had been on silent all afternoon, so I had unintentionally shut myself off from communication. I frowned and called him back.

“Mila?” he asked, almost breathlessly, from the other end of the line. “Where are you?”

“The restaurant,” I replied evenly.

“Felix, we need this marriage to be a partnership. And in order to be the best possible partner to you, I needed some time back in the kitchen,” I explained. “It’s okay. I’m not mad at you. This is just how I process things.”

Felix went quiet for a while, and I was filled with dread wondering if I’d somehow hurt him all over again.

“I can understand that,” he said finally. “Just… let me know next time, okay? I know you’re smart and responsible, but I don’t want another kidnapping on our hands.”

I smiled slightly. “Of course. That makes sense.”

“I’ll see you at home, then,” Felix said.

I decided to throw him a bone. “I’ll bring home some pie. Sound good?”

Felix laughed. “Sounds excellent. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

ISABELLA

Every day in the mountains was torture.

Without Charles present, the army grew restless and impatient. As the only woman in the camp, I was frequently the subject of lewd stares and even lewder comments. I tried to block it all out, reminding myself that I had been chosen by Charles for a higher purpose, but it was difficult to hold onto hope when everything seemed so… bleak.

It had been a week since he’d fled, and I could not tell if I missed him or just missed his protection. The war had made it almost impossible for me to really unpack my feelings.

The mood of the army was shifting in other directions as well. What had once been a revenge mission fueled by the decades-long, pent-up resentment of second sons feeling cast aside by their families. Instead, I feared the growing extremism inside the camp. There were whispers now of dismantling the entire ruling structures of some of the kingdoms and leading revolutions against the human subjects.

Dragon Knight supremacy, after all.

Charles had given me permission to sleep in his tent while he was away, so at least it was a step up from the cold, hard ground. Still, I felt out of place, and even worse–unwanted.

I needed a purpose. I could not sit idly by while hotheaded men made decisions that would affect my entire life.

On another dreary morning, the eighth day of Charles’ absence, I hauled myself out of bed and went to one of the mountain overlooks.

The Dragon’s Teeth Mountains ran a jagged edge through the magical kingdoms, and there were several viewpoints in the mountains where one could see all the kingdoms at once. One such spot was not far from the camp. I could use the exercise of a short hike, and the activity to get my mind off Charles.

The word “overlook” was, perhaps, a bit of an embellishment. I sat on the edge of a craggy rock and tried to ignore the thousand-foot drop to the stones below. As I gazed out on the kingdoms, I allowed myself, for a moment, to think about my family left behind in Fresonia.

Did they miss me? Did they wonder where I had gone? Was my father, always so focused on social climbing, attempting to marry one of my younger sisters off to a noble gentleman?

Did they have any idea of the coming war?

I shoved thoughts of their faces aside. I did not have time to dwell on the people who raised me. I had a new family now–one that would surely put me on the throne.

And there would be no sleeping outside ever again.

I heard a slight chirp from behind me. I turned to see a small white dove with a note strapped to its back.

The sight surprised me–famously, only the kingdom of Abernathy used carrier doves as a method of communication. The rest of us had gladly moved into the modern age.

The dove chirped again and hopped towards me. I reached for the note on its back, careful to avoid its wings. The dove seemed to actually nod at me before flying off.

I opened the note and gasped to see the familiar handwriting inside:

Gather the army and travel to Abernathy. I have established a safe haven and allies for us. We will plan our attack from there. Make haste. –Charles

I rose to my feet, dusting the slight gravel dirt from my skirts, and made my way back to the camp.

We were going to Abernathy.