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That didn’t come as a surprise to me. You can’t expect people who have built their lives on the blood and sweat of others to let go without a fight. Who would clean up their messes after their slaves were made free, and most importantly, how else could they prove the level of their strength if there was no one to oppress?

I got lost in my thoughts about the conversation, and I didn’t hear the footsteps approaching the door until it was too late. I quickly grabbed the ceiling duster that was leaning on the wall and pretended I was about to knock as the door swung open.

I was greeted by an imposing giant of a man who had a beard nearly covering half of his face.

“Good afternoon, sir.” I greeted, trying to keep my voice neutral.

He lookedme up and down before responding.

“How long have you been here?”

“I just got h—”

“It’s alright. She can come in,” Griffin said from inside, and the big man stepped aside, sending me a suspicious look before walking down the hall.

“You know eavesdropping is a bad habit, Mira?” Griffin asked as soon as I stepped into the library. I felt my face heat up. I’ll never get used to the sound of my name coming from his mouth.

“I wasn’t eavesdropping, my prince,” I replied, getting an eye full of him in his work attire. His shirt was rolled to the elbow, showing off his perfectly sculpted forearms, and the undone buttons at his neck gave a sneak peek to a light trail of hair.

I don’t know how he managed to do it, but somehow, his presence took up so much space there was barely enough air for me to breathe without his scent filling up my lungs. I lifted my gaze to find him watching me with curled fists, and the heat on my face deepened.

“You can call me Griffin.”

“Sorry?”

The corner of his lips dipped.

“Are you going to make a habit of zoning out whenever we speak?”

There was a double meaning behind his words. “No, my prince.”

He cocked a brow at me, and I cleared my throat, rephrasing my response. “No, Griffin.”

His name tasted like peaches and dirty promises dripping from my mouth, and I caught him grinding his teeth.

He cleared his throat, and I couldn’t help the smile tugging at the corner of my lips.

“What?” He queried.

“Nothing. It’s just you said I have a habit of making you repeat your words, but I’ve just noticed it’s you with the habit of clearing your voice all the time.”

A small smile touched his lips.

“I guess we both have habits, then.”

“Take a seat.” He gestured to the sofa across from him, and I lowered myself to the soft cushion, the memory of what happened the last time he asked me to sit, replaying somewhere at the back of my mind.

“What did you think about my conversation with the elder?”

His question caught me off guard. I opened my mouth to deny it, but he didn’t let me get it out.

“Don’t lie to me, Mira. I could feel you standing behind the door the whole time.” He leaned back into his chair, crossing his arms and commanding the movement of my eyes with how his muscles strained beneath the shirt. “Besides, I’d like to hear your input on all of this. As someone who has been on the other side of the caste, I was thinking you could offer some pointers on how to deal with the situation and things you wish could change.”

The statement came as a shock to me, and I found my throat growing impossibly tight with emotions. He wanted my opinion on how to change things in our world? Every time I thought he couldn’t wow me with his extraordinary personality, he came up with something new, setting the pedestal higher.

I tried to speak, but the lump seemed to be permanently lodged there, and I cleared my throat to dislodge it, earning me a soft chuckle from him. I smiled back. I guess we have an inside joke now.

“It’s a tricky situation,” I started when I finally found my voice.