Page 185 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)

The Onyx Castle had never felt more like a home than it did today.

When Kassein was a child, his mother had been more interested in the gardens and too busy raising eight children to make many changes inside.

Alezya, however, was different. After spending years confined in a tight cave with Lumie, she had been determined to turn the castle into a proper home.

Every room had been renovated with the blessing of his siblings and parents, including some he had nearly forgotten existed.

Alezya had a knack for trade and made every trip to the villages worthwhile.

She loved learning about new techniques, fabrics, and materials, always eager to explore the expanding trade hubs in the mountains.

Kassein had fallen into a habit of going on long hunts in the days leading up to their trips, knowing how much she loved returning home with new goods in exchange for the pelts and meat he procured.

She had a map from Tievin, carefully marked with every trading hub, ensuring she always knew where their next stop would be.

When she had been too pregnant to travel, she had been just as involved, making detailed lists of what she wanted and sending Dajan to gather everything for Kassein to collect later.

“...I heard something interesting today,” he smiled.

“What? At the Dragon’s Haven?” she asked, using the new name for the North Camp, which honored Kein for some reason.

“In the mountains,” Kassein shook his head. “They were talking about the Onyx Princess.”

“Who?”

But Alezya’s jaw dropped when he smiled.

“ Me ?” she exclaimed. “They’re calling me the Onyx Princess?”

“I think the Onyx Queen would be more accurate,” he frowned.

“You’re one to talk! You won’t even let anyone call you King.”

“That’s different,” Kassein rolled his eyes.

“How? You’re more of a king than I am a queen. Or a princess.”

“You work with the clan chiefs to expand trade, you manage an entire castle, you had a school built for the clans’ children, and you’re an incredible mother to ours. Meanwhile, I go out to hunt, settle a few disputes, and come home to nap with our kids.”

Alezya blushed but shook her head.

“That’s nonsense,” she said. “You hunt for hours to feed people who can’t feed themselves.

You teach men twice your age how to coexist. And when you’re gone, you make sure they’re too scared to misbehave.

Then you come home to our castle and take care of me and our babies.

That’s more than enough. People who once feared you now rely on you to survive the winter, my love.

The north is harsh, but no one went hungry last season because of you. ”

“Because of your trade routes too,” he reminded her, before shrugging. “...It’s a wild land. It doesn’t need much managing, not compared to my brother’s Empire.”

“I’m happy with that,” Alezya sighed, leaning against his shoulder. “Let’s keep the north wild and free. I think that’s exactly what it’s meant to be.”

“Agreed.”

She smiled. She loved that they were fluent enough in each other’s language to have long discussions or even arguments like this.

In the beginning, whenever she got upset, she would speak so fast in her own language that Kassein couldn’t keep up.

In the end, he would just apologize, even if it had nothing to do with him.

Now, she knew that when they did fight, he let her win.

He was fluent enough to argue back if he wanted to, but the only fights he actually cared to have the last word over were the ones about her safety.

If it involved riding Kein on bad days or staying put when she was too pregnant and exhausted, Kassein refused to back down.

She turned to check on Shuryo, who was frowning and wiping his face against his father’s torso.

Their son was a miniature copy of Kassein, with his dad’s facial features and his skin the same dark shade.

The only difference was his onyx-black eyes and messy mop of dark hair, which were like hers.

He definitely had her temper too, and she was glad for Kassein’s patience because at six months old, the baby boy was already able to throw dragon-sized temper tantrums. At the moment, though, he was sleeping adorably, and as usual, he would sleep through the night, unshakeable like his father when they were napping.

She smiled and pressed a kiss against his chubby cheek.

She had named him after the sun in her language, and she found it incredibly fitting.

“I’m excited to see the family,” she smiled. “Lumie is going to have fun with all her cousins. And your grandpa, Lumie?”

“ Ababi will come?” Lumie whipped her head around.

“Yes, my snowflake, Ababi is coming tomorrow.”

“Yeah!” she punched her fists to the skies happily.

Alezya felt her heart so warm and full, a tear reached her eye.

Just over a year ago, she would have never dreamed of Lumie having such a big family who adored her.

A couple of months after the war, Lumie had started calling Kassein “Dad” in his language.

Alezya had cried when she had finally realized the word he’d taught her patiently for weeks.

Then, when Kassein’s parents visited right before Shuryo’s birth, Lumie had learned a lot more words, including grandpa and grandma.

It wasn’t just Lumie; Kassein’s siblings and parents treated Alezya like she was one of their own too.

She was close to his mom, and whenever she bickered with his siblings and the in-laws, Kassein’s much-feared and respected paternal grandmother often favored her.

She felt at home. With Kassein, their children, their garden full of dragons, and the black walls of the Onyx Castle surrounding them, she felt more at home than she had ever felt before in any cave.

She was free to go wherever she wanted, but this was the one place she always wanted to return to.

She looked up at the stars, the same stars she had once been too afraid to admire in the open.

Once, she had feared the skies. Now, she lay beneath them, unafraid.

With her family, her future, and her freedom.

“Thank you,” she said, the tear escaping her eye, “for finding me.”

Kassein smiled, leaning his forehead against hers.

“Thank you for loving me.”

*The End.*