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He responded only with a pearly grin before leading me to the mirror, which was far grander than it initially appeared. Its frame was intricately adorned with silver threads resembling vines, and tiny crystals glowed the same blue as the fragments surrounding us.

"Look. What do you see?" he prompted.

I gazed at my reflection, noticing that my eyes almost mirrored the brilliant blue hues surrounding us and that I appeared leaner and healthier for the first time in my life. My dark auburn hair seemed to radiate with greater intensity, its reds swirling—

"Am I supposed to see something?" I interrupted, growing irritated.

"Look deeper," he urged, stepping up close behind me. I resisted the urge to lean into his warmth, especially considering the chill of the air down here, visible in the wisps of my breath. He closed the distance between us, his hand lightly resting on my forearm as he looked into the mirror. He leaned into my ear. "Find what you do not see," he whispered, his breath caressing down my neck, sending pulsing waves of heat cascading through me, unsure how to feel standing this close to him.

I peered deeper into the tarnished mirror, acutely aware of his proximity—so close it was intoxicating. His hand slid down into mine, and I couldn't help but notice the faint remnants of yellowing bruises on his face, now fading into mere whispers of the incident I still couldn't understand.

However, his eyes shone brighter than ever, mirroring the same vibrant hue as the blues around us and somehow—somehow…like mine,glowing.

I blinked to dispel the confusion, then swiftly turned towards him to meet his gaze. His eyes still reflected the swirling blues of the room, though not as vibrant as they appeared in the mirror. Glancing back at the mirror and then returning my gaze to him, I noticed the stark difference.

His lips curled into a subtle smile, barely revealing his teeth, and it dawned on me just how close we had become. I sucked in a sharp breath, feeling the heat spread across my face, neck, and ears.

"You see it," he whispered, his grip tightening on my hand.

"I…I'm not entirely sure what I see," I admitted, my gaze sweeping over the shimmering blues within the small alcove. "What is this place? And please, spare me the riddles."

"This place is made from everything that reminds me of home," he replied softly. "I made it solely on my own."

His mother's face flashed in my mind, her image mirroring the sparkling patterns surrounding us, reminiscent of those on thepainting. The vibrant hues of the paint were unlike anything I had seen before; a place like this must have cost a fortune.

Shaking my head, I stepped away from him. "And how is this," I asked, gesturing to our surroundings. "Supposed to reveal the truth to me?"

He looked down, swallowing hard before clearing his throat.

"Eliah, when I called you my queen last night, it wasn't to prove a point to my friends.You are my Regina," he confessed, quickly inhaling a sharp breath and turning his back to me. His gaze was fixed on the mirror with a somber expression.

"I first saw you in a market by the Fernwen seaside. You looked sick," he paused, recollecting the memory with sadness. "And so thin," he continued, running his hands through his short hair before facing me again. "Your hair was tied back in a long braid, and you wore a white floral dress that was far too big. You stumbled over your feet. You clung to Calum, pleading for him to stay as he and Jesri left you alone by the carriage while they traversed the markets cavorting with pleasure." He settled his rising voice as his jaw fluttered with an anger I hadn't seen before.

"You kept your head down, swaying as you nervously twisted your dress between your fingers. Your eyes were swollen from crying. You stayed by the carriage, wiping your face," he paused, a subtle smile crossing his face as if the memory of me still vividly played in his mind.

"Once they were out of sight, you straightened your shoulders and left the carriage, slipping away before the footman could notice. Wiping your tears away, you transformed into someone resilient and headstrong. I trailed behind you to the beach, where you kicked off your boots, burying your feet in the sand, inhaling the salty air eagerly. You absorbed everything around you—the view, the sounds, the soft sand underfoot. Your hair fluttered in the wind as you started twirling, just as my motheralways did. You danced and splashed, matching the rhythm of the rise and fall of the sea foam, and laughed for joy," he smiled, looking up into my eyes, sending my heart swirling with emotion. "You brought a smile to my lips for the first time in ages."

He approached me, gently clasping my hands and tracing his thumb over my knuckles. "I was still in the royal guard back then. Life wasn't easy, but I knew—I knew Ihad to find you. Someday, somehow, I would meet you—help you. Ensure you never had to shed tears for whatever unpleasantness Jesri or Calum brought upon you."

A glint of silver shimmered in his eyes as he cupped my face in his hands, prompting my own tears. "Eliah, what I did…I had no choice," he faltered. "Once I realized it was Lord Jesri in the tavern that night, I couldn't bear the thought of losing you." A solitary tear trailed down his cheek that he quickly brushed away as he fought back the emotions.

"At first, Jesri believed me to only be a boy, being only in my late teens and crudely dismissed me until he saw the royal insignia on my uniform. He was apologetic and bought me a drink, where he then drunkenly confessed everything to me—every detail of his degrading treatment of you, his intention to sell you like a commodity to all those hungry powered men, with hideous plans and expose you to who knows what horrors. So, I took action. I made sure he agreed to let me train you once you were ready, and I dangled the bone, letting him know I was leaving the Royal Guard and was looking to be in a similar business. I divulged what the king had revealed about hosting a Match unlike any other, and it sent Jesri drooling," he gritted his teeth, his jaw fluttering.

"It kept him tethered to me as he insisted on information, hungry to know when things would be ready. I attempted to intervene early, proposing to train you. Still, he refused, wantinghimself to be the one who taught and trained you, in hopes that it would attract enough attention for the king to notice. He grew hostile towards my persistence, so I ceased and maintained a mask of cooperation," he paused abruptly, his fist clenching.

"Ineveranticipated the capacity of his cruelty towards you, and I deeply regret not finding a way to retrieve you sooner, to liberate you by any means necessary. But I saw no alternative," he confessed, tears streaming down his face, mingling with mine as they fell onto the cold, unforgiving stone floor. "I wanted nothing more than to confront him, but I had to continue to play the part and maintain the illusion of being the partner he believed me to be."

We stood there in silence as my heart trembled, gazing into his eyes, which brimmed with regret and sorrow. I tried to summon the memory of dancing by the sea, but it was overshadowed by the rush of thoughts stirred by his story—by thetruth.

"I don't let people know about my past," he murmured softly, his voice carrying a vulnerability that tugged at my heartstrings. "I don't let them glimpse the shattered pieces inside of me. To see the struggle it is to piece myself back together just to navigate this world that was never ours."

His hand, still cradling my face, tightened gently as he drew closer, his breath warm against my skin. "But you, Eliah…Sabene," he paused, on my middle name, his eyes turned somber. "You are not just anyone. Youaremy queen, now and forever, and I would be honored if you'd have me."

Tears flowed freely down my cheeks as my heart expanded with a turmoil of feelings that rippled through me unchecked.

"Why me?" I breathed, leaning into his rough hand.

He met my gaze, his touch gentle as he brushed away the tears from my cheeks.