Page 172 of The Throne Seeker

“You angel of a girl.” Gretta sighed in relief, slumping into the chair beside the bed before she fell over, fanning herself furiously. “I’ve tried everything,everything, to get him to sleep. To make matters worse, the healer said he wouldn’t be availableuntil tomorrow afternoon…” She paused her fanning, straining her ears. “Listen to that… even his wheezing has stopped… It’s a miracle,” she said, continuing to fan herself again.

Rose stared at her with concern, unaware of his insomnia. “How long has he not been sleeping?”

“Ever since you arrived,” Gretta admitted. “Though I didn’t know that until a few days after. He asked me not to say anything, so I didn’t. The first night I caught him in the library, I didn’t think much of it. But after I found him more than once, I knew something was going on. It wasn’t just a fluke. It was every night.”

Her eyes widened. “He hasn’t slept inseventeen days? What in Vallor does he do?”

Gretta shrugged. “Who knows. Sometimes he’s in the library or on the patio, other times the kitchen… I’ve caught him staring up the staircase to his bedroom quite a few times.”

Rose’s heart quickened. “You mean the room I’m sleeping in?”

Gretta nodded. “You should’ve seen the way he looked at those stairs. Looked as though he’d seen the stairway to heaven.” She laughed lightly. “Sometimes I thought he’d do it—go up them. He even took a few steps once, but every time, he turned and left… I think he missed you.”

Rose blinked, bewildered. “That’syour explanation for why he’s so sick? You think hemissesme? That’s madness. It couldn’t be. We’re together every day.”

“I don’t know.” Gretta bit her lip. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve cured my fair share of ailments, but this… this is different. Nothing seems to be wrong with him. I thought perhaps it was a phase, maybe some sort of post-traumatic stress from everything he’s been through. But somehow, he just kept getting worse and worse. Until now. It’s almost like it’s some sort of… magic.”

But Rose held no power and possessed no magical abilities. There was no possible way she could be the reason for his being so ill… could she?

“I swear I didn’t do this.” She was worried Gretta would think this was all her doing. “If I did, it wasn’t intentional.”

Gretta looked at her, flabbergasted. “Goodness, the thought hadn’t even crossed my mind, child. I know you’d never do anything to hurt him.”

A wave of relief came over Rose. “I’m sorry, I’ve just had a lot of…” She changed her phrase. “People have a hard time trusting me.”

“And some people still believe the world is flat,” Gretta replied with a twinkle in her eye. “Best not to dwell on what others believe. What’s more important is what you believe of yourself.”

Rose gave her a small smile, comforted by the familiar words.

“Well.” Gretta cleared her throat, getting up. “I’ll leave and let you both sleep before my blabbering wakes him. Is there anything I can get you? A change of clothes or an extra blanket?”

Rose shook her head. “No, I don’t want to risk waking him. I’ll be fine,” she said, giving Gretta a thankful nod.

“Bless you. Just ring for me if you need anything. Good night, lass.” Gretta dismissed herself, closing the door softly.

Rose looked back at Roman, who was still out cold, feeling foolish for how she counted his breaths. For how she watched to make sure his chest was still rising and falling. For the urge to want more.

Her eyes fell away, and she chastised herself for letting her imagination wander. He only wanted her here to keep an eye on him, nothing more.

But… if what Gretta said was true? No—she wouldn’t let herself go there. She’d been disappointed one too many times. Fate would never be so kind.

So instead, she learned to be content with this moment. Even if it was like this, even if he regretted inviting her into bed tomorrow, she would cherish being by his side.

She allowed herself to rest her forehead against his, and slowly, sleep found her.

CHAPTER 67

Roman slept throughout the night and into the following day.

Rose refused to leave his side, wanting to keep a close eye on him. Over time, his skin regained its natural tanned hue, his eye sockets no longer dark and hollow, and even the purple bags under his eyes had disappeared. His breaths and body temperature had normalized. She couldn’t believe it. He had been on the brink of death, and now he seemed to be recovering simply by…sleeping.

Gretta came to check on them throughout the day, thrilled to find him on the mend. She brought Rose a book to entertain herself as she lay beside him. Even as her hunger gnawed, she wouldn’t move.

Night came again. The cool moonlight streamed through the window, offering little light, creating dark shadows. She thought he’d sleep through the night again until he began to stir.

Roman slowly opened his eyes, taking a moment to become conscious of his surroundings. Relief came as her favorite pair of eyes were revealed to be back to their perfect golden state.

“Rose?” he muttered, sounding more like himself.