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Malachi stiffened as he, too, noticed it. The crowd around us stood in a semi-circle, watching us.

Blood rushed to my face. “Why is everyone staring at us?” I whispered to Mal. His hand never left mine. If he was in any way embarrassed, he didn’t show it.

“Because I am the King of Rewyth,” he said, only loud enough so I could hear. “They’re waiting for us.”

He cleared his throat and, without letting go of me, began walking to the throne. I followed. The silent crowd parted ways as we moved through it, and when we reached the bottom of the steps that led to the throne, Malachi paused.

Serefin and another guard stood next to the throne.

Another man, one I recognized from the court dinner, stepped forward onto the stage. “Fae of Rewyth,” he announced. “Today we gather to commence the coronation of our new king, Malachi Weyland.” Malachi bowed his head slightly as we waited for him to continue. “Malachi, please join me.”

Malachi squeezed my hand once before letting go. I tried to ignore the wave of loneliness I felt as he stepped forward to stand before his throne and his kingdom.

He stood with his shoulders back and his chin high, like he deserved to be there all along.

“King Malachi,” the guard announced. “Today we gather here to officially name you, Malachi Weyland, as the leader and king of this great fae kingdom, the Kingdom of Rewyth.”

Cheers erupted in the crowd around us. Malachi stared straight ahead.

The guard held a large crown covered in bright red rubies before Malachi before continuing. “By accepting this crown, you promise to uphold the values of this kingdom. You promise to protect this kingdom by any means necessary, and you promise to lead the citizens of this kingdom to live peaceful and safe lives. You hereby recognize the sacrifices of our ancestors, and the lives they gave up to protect our people. You swear to maintain the utmost priority of defending this kingdom against any and all enemies. Do you accept this oath?”

Malachi’s jaw tightened. “I accept this oath.”

The guard lowered the crown onto Mal’s head. Serefin stepped forward and secured the velvet red robe around him.

And when Malachi lifted his head again, he was officially the King of Rewyth.

“Long live the King!” Serefin cheered.

“Long live the King!” the crowd repeated. The cheers began once more, filling the room with their support.

Pride welled in my chest. Malachi had been a king since his father was killed, and maybe even before that. But this was the first time his kingdom officially saw him as one.

And by the sound of the crowd, they loved it.

Malachi stepped down the stairs and reached for my hand without looking at me. I slid my hand into his, not worrying about how the others would react.

“That was surprisingly simple,” I whispered to him as he began walking me into the crowd.

“Yet the entire kingdom demands it happens,” he replied with a wink.

Malachi led me through the crowd, and the fae around us congratulated him and bowed to him as we passed.

When we approached the edge of the ballroom, Eli and Lucien were waiting for us. “It’s about time your arrogance is made official,” Lucien teased before clapping Mal on the shoulder.

He laughed quietly. “Don’t worry, brother. I’ll refrain from abusing my power against you for the time being.”

Adonis’s loud voice in the distance caught our attention. “Back off,” he growled.

I snapped my eyes in his direction, only to find him standing directly in front of Tessa with his hands in front of him.

Mal was pulling us in their direction before I could react.

“What’s going on over here?” Malachi asked as we approached.

I let go of his hand and instantly rushed to Tessa, who was now cowering away from the fae.

Only when I looked at the others, my stomach dropped. Standing before Adonis were the same fae who had antagonized us in the gardens before.