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Theron’s face breaks out into a smile as he clasps my forearm as if I were greeting one of his brother warriors. “Prince Renard, I cannot express enough gratitude for what you’ve done. I am in your debt.”

His sincerity catches me off guard, and despite the jealousy that burns in my veins, I cannot find it within myself to hate him. He clearly cares deeply for Rapunzel; it’s written across his face.

Theron is a good man, and that realization makes the ache in my heart even worse.

How can I possibly hope to convince her to choose me, when here is the male who searched for her these past three years? The one who never gave up hope when everyone else believed she was dead.

Rowan and Tristan walks toward us, and Rapunzel introduces my brother to the Stag prince.

When Theron thanks Rowan for escorting Rapunzel from Cambryn, his gratitude is once again genuine and unguarded, as if he were speaking to a long-time friend instead of someone he just met.

Stags are known to be rather vain creatures, and I’d hoped this would be the case for Prince Theron. I wanted to find flaws in him that would prove I am the better male. But now that we’vemet, my first impression is that he is kind and possesses the type of charm that I’d thought could only be found in one of my kin.

Theron turns back to Rapunzel, taking her hands in his own. “What happened, Zel? Where have you been these past three years?”

Zel?My heart slams in my throat. He has a nickname for her?I don’t stand a chance.

He starts to guide her away, but she turns back to me, her eyes meeting mine. “Ren, Rowan… could you please delay your departure? I’d like us to speak later.”

“Of course.” Rowan answers, dipping his chin in a subtle bow. “We’ll wait for you.”

Uncertainty tightens my chest as she darts another glance at me before walking away with Prince Theron. I long to go to her… to take her in my arms and never let go.

Ever since we met, I've tried so hard to prove myself worthy of her affection. And yet, as I watch her leave with the Stag Prince, it feels like I'm right back where I started: scarred, flawed, and not enough. Fate’s cruel joke.

“She still wants to talk,” Rowan says quietly beside me, probably sensing my unease. “That’s a good sign, Ren.”

I shake my head. “What if she regains her memories of him? What if she remembers”—my voice catches—“that she loves him?”

“That may happen.” Rowan grips my shoulder firmly. “And if it does, she will have to make a choice. Which is why you must let her know what’s in your heart. Hold nothing back. If you do, you will regret it.”

Determination burns deep within. I won’t surrender to ghosts of her past. If Prince Theron wants her, he'll have to fight harder than me.

Because I’m not letting her go. Not until she herself tells me I must.

CHAPTER 46

RAPUNZEL

Theron’s striking blue eyes shine with something between concern and reverence, staring at me as though afraid I’ll vanish. “You’re really here.” He touches my face. “After all this time, I was so afraid I’d never find you.”

My heart aches at his tender words and expression.

“I was so worried—” His voice breaks, and he swallows hard. “What happened to you, Zel?”

Facing me, he takes my hands as we stand beneath an ivy-covered trellis. A fragment of the past flickers through my mind. I remember being here with him before. This is where we agreed we would marry.

The feelings attached to the memory are… complicated. Something more than friendship, but not quite as strong as romantic love.

And yet, the way he looks at me gives me pause. If we were not in love, I don’t understand why he stares at me as though I’m so precious to him.

“I was taken by a Goblin witch, named Drusilla,” I begin. “You probably remember her as Glinda—my former nanny and then handmaiden.” Theron inhales sharply as I continue, explaining to him about how I inherited some of her powers when she saved my mother’s life on the day I was born.

“She disguised herself to appear human. She lied to me, and I trusted her. She kept me in a tower and said it was for my safety.”

Theron’s jaw tightens as he listens to my story.

“She took my memories, but I started remembering things in flashes. Dreams, mostly. And you—” My voice quavers. “I remembered you. I dreamed of you reaching for me as I fell, a terrified look on your face.”