Page 64 of The Throne Seeker (Vallorian #1)

R ose stepped outside and the salty sea air almost instantly cured her nausea.

The sun had plunged into the sea, spreading what was left of its rays across the horizon, transforming the sapphire sky and sea into a world of soft pinks, purples, and oranges.

She let that fading warmth soak into her skin, embracing her like a hug—like they sky gods knew she needed it.

Roman was the first to pass through the arched wooden gate, keeping his swift pace until they had ventured deep into the garden. She silently stared at the torch-lit path, trying to recall all the names of the flowers she passed to keep her mind busy.

“You feel better?” Roman asked, speaking for the first time since they’d left her room.

She gave a small nod. “Yes, thank you.”

He shot her a glare. “What did I tell you about thanking me?”

Rose was taken aback at the sharpness in his voice, not sure how to respond. So she didn’t, hyper-focusing on the blooms again.

They wandered down the stone paths together in a comfortable silence, the crooked oak branches swaying overhead as they strolled. They must have been walking a long while because soon, the colorful sunset was swallowed up by the night sky, unveiling the stars and twin moons.

Tonight, the gardeners scattered thousands of candles throughout the paths and beds for the wedding festivities, mimicking the stars above. Even the small pond nearby had candles floating on full-grown lily pads.

She stared at the flames as Roman said, “You like lights, don’t you?”

Guilty as charged.

“I love them. There’s something so beautifully pure about them…

How their flames dance so freely. The darker it gets, the brighter they shine.

Radiating their own heat, their own special energy.

” She lifted her head to the sky. “The stars are much the same. In the darkness of the net that holds them, they still manage to give off their own small light for the entire galaxy to see.”

Roman’s mouth ghosted upward. “You’d love Eristan.”

She automatically pictured the island province across the eastern seas. “Why is that?”

“At night, the shores are lined with bioluminescent plants, trees, creatures, rocks, everything.” He casted his gaze out as if transporting himself there.

“Any color you can think of and more. Some I can’t even quite explain.

When you look down into the water, the rocks shine in the dark.

It feels like you are swimming through the night sky.

It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. ”

Her heaven. That was what he was describing. “It sounds wonderful.”

The warmth of the candles danced in his eyes as he gazed at her. “Would you like to see them one day?”

Yes , she practically shouted into the void. Anything to get me out of here. But instead, she simply said, “Someday.”

“Then I have no doubt you will… someday.”

At last, they arrived at the heart of the garden. The oversized fountain was full of the same candlelit water lilies that drifted in the pond, floating effortlessly atop the dark pool.

Rose stopped to watch the overflow cascade to the lower levels, the simple trickle soothing her nerves.

She didn’t know Roman was standing behind her until his warm breath fanned the back of her neck. Her joints locked in surprise. “I’ve been a fool, Roe,” he whispered with remorse.

Her stomach flipped at the sound of her nickname again. She hadn’t realized how much it meant to have him refer to her in such a sentimental way.

“I should’ve never doubted you,” he ground out, clearly not used to admitting when he was wrong—a family trait.

She wasn’t expecting his apology to affect her the way it did. She could almost identify it as… relief? She soaked in his words, making sure she’d heard them correctly. But there they were, as clear as day. I should’ve never doubted you.

“You seemed so sure I was the villain… What changed your mind?” She didn’t turn to look at him, though she could feel his gaze burning into the back of her head.

“That night after Tristan’s succession celebration, you put me in my place, and I didn’t like it,” Roman admitted.

“You made me start to question everything. Malcolm is here for the wedding—” Malcolm?

Malcolm—yes, she remembered Xavier’s best friend well from his frequent visits, “—so when I ran into him last night, I asked him about Xavier. They’ve been traveling together, and Xavier told him the whole story.

He told me about what happened that night on the beach and how Xavier admitted to using you to get out of the succession.

Then you saved my life, and I’m still not sure at what cost. But when you pulled that stunt with Grant, I didn’t know what to think.

I thought maybe you were only using Tristan for your own advantage until…

until I saw you today.” He paused, shifting as the loose rock crunched under his feet.

“It solidified just how grave of a mistake I made. You were never the threat I feared… You were the savior.”

His words brought hot tears to her eyes.

She scarcely believed them. “All I wanted was for you to believe me.” She cursed her fragile voice, wishing she was in a better state to control it.

“It hurt to think you thought I was capable of something like that… I was so sure that you, of all people, would see the truth.”

Roman finally stepped around to face her, his jaw set tight. “I know. I should’ve trusted you.”

Rose wouldn’t meet his gaze, still staring into the fountain, not trusting herself to speak. Yes, he should have trusted her. At least he admitted it.

“Believe me when I say I never want to be the cause of your pain again. I’ll never question you again.” His gaze seared the side of her face. “I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I hope someday you’ll be able to forgive me, because… because I want to be friends again.”

Her first impulse was to say they would never be friends again.

To let him see how it felt to be rejected and deemed untrustworthy.

To be scorched from the inside out. But deep down, she knew blaming him wouldn’t make her feel better.

It’d only prolong her pain, and she was tired of fighting.

She couldn’t summon the energy—too much of it had already been spent.

So instead, she weakly nodded, wiping her eyes.

His feet shuffled like he was nervous—another trait unfamiliar to him. “What if I help train you?”

Rose’s wide eyes locked on his. She was positive she heard him wrong. “What?” she whispered.

“I know I can’t replace Zareb,” he said his name with care. “He taught you remarkably well, but I could continue where he left off. I could help finish your training.”

Her jaw slackened. She’d never expected this from him, not in a million years. “You’d do that?”

He nodded slowly. “I would. If it’s still something you want.”

“Yes,” she answered almost too quickly. “But Tristan will be furious if he finds out.”

Roman scoffed. “Tristan doesn’t scare me. He can’t banish me like Zareb. He doesn’t have that power over me, not yet.”

“Still, it’s a risk. He may not banish you, but there are plenty of other things he could do to make you wish you hadn’t. I don’t want you getting punished because of me.” She couldn’t handle another person suffering for her sake.

“I know the risks.” He didn’t look the least bit worried.

Her eyes roamed over him curiously. “Why?” she finally asked.

Roman’s gaze shifted to the fountain, searching the water like he could find the answer in the soft glow. His eyes returned to hers. “You’ve done so well; it’d be a shame to stop now.”

She studied him, contemplating his answer. It was vague, but what he was offering was too big of a temptation. “When do we start?”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

“Tomorrow?” she suggested, desperately needing to keep her mind on something else. Anything else.

The corner of his mouth twitched upward, nearly smiling but not quite. “Tomorrow it is.” Dare she say he sounded glad .

She wanted to smile back, but her heart was far too crippled to make the muscles in her cheeks move.

“Come on.” He nudged her towards the castle. “You must be exhausted.”

They walked back in silence, side by side. She focused on her steps, counting them to distract her mind from wandering to— things . She counted them. One… two… three… six… twelve.

She counted all the way until they reached her door, the diversion fulfilling its job.

She faced Roman, about to say thank you. “You helped me today,” she said instead.

Roman saw right through her facade. “Hardly… Are you going to be alright?”

The simple question jabbed her heart as her anxiety resurfaced, threatening to take over. The hour was a painful reminder that the celebration would be ending soon, meaning Tristan was about to return to his room with his new wife. She grimaced on the inside, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Of course,” Rose lied through her teeth.

Roman stepped closer, towering over her. After a long agonizing silence, he said, “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

She hesitated, biting her lip. “How hard it’ll be to sleep tonight.” Her stomach threatened to retch.

His soft eyes held a depth she’d never seen. She wanted to shrink away from them, crawl, bury herself into the ground like the pathetic worm she was. But his golden eyes kept her pinned. “What can I do?” He sounded… desperate.

“You’ve done enough,” she said, grateful. Truly. At least they were friends again. That was something to celebrate. “I’ll be fine.” She even summoned a small smile to convince him.

Another long pause. “Okay… good night, then.” He bid her farewell with a firm nod.

“Good night,” she said, doing a masterful job at keeping her voice light and airy. She hid her face from him as she went to the door, forcing herself to open and close it at a normal pace.