Dawn streams through the willow’s branches, slipping between the gaps in her embrace.
I roll groggily onto my side, skin slick with morning dew. My hand reaches for her warmth but finds only cold air. Blinking awake, I sit up rigidly atop the damp blanket, my bare chest exposed to the morning chill.
My frantic gaze lands on her. Then it calms. Evolves into something akin to awe.
Pae sits at the end of the blanket, light dappling her smooth skin. Shadows of willow leaves paint her body, ever shifting in the slight breeze. She is a vision, something so ethereal in this moment that I may just believe there is a God. She is the closest thing to a deity.
Her smile is soft, lingering at the corners with a slight shyness she rarely lets me see. “Good morning, Prince.”
My pants are damp with dew, but I bend my knees, propping elbows on them loosely. “Good morning, darling.”
I watch her pull each strap of that damp and dirtied dress over her shoulders. She can feel the gaze I drag over her and kindly lets me continue. Inching closer, Pae turns her bare back to me. “I know you’re better at unlacing corsets, but I can’t walk through the castle with my dress falling off.”
I smile, letting my fingers glide down her spine. This makes her shiver, skin pebbling in a way that has me swallowing. I memorize the feel of her, slow and deliberate, before tying a loose knot at the base of the corset.
“Thank you,” she murmurs, turning to face me.
I shrug. “I could use the practice when it comes to lacing corsets.”
Paedyn rolls her eyes, even as I pull her against me. “If it is more practice you need, then how would you like to be the queen’s maid?”
My fingers find the tip of her nose and flick it lightly. “I’m afraid I would be a terrible distraction. Your clothes would rarely make it on.”
“Is that so?”
“Only one way to find out.”
She shakes her head at me before growing suddenly solemn. “Thank you for last night.”
“I love you, Pae.” I say this sternly, unforgivingly. “And I am honored to get the chance to.”
She presses her forehead to mine, lips quivering as she whispers, “There is nothing I regret more than not having the time with you.”
Her hands are cupping my face. Mine are buried in that tousled silver hair I cut for her. And when she kisses me, it’s as though she is taking one final breath. Her mouth clings to mine, memorizing a moment we pretend will be our forever. I taste her lament on my lips, a lingering goodbye I’ll relive long after she’s gone.
Pulling apart before I can feel her trembling hands, she gets to her feet and steps away. “I need to go.” Another step backward. “Ellie will want to get me ready soon.”
Now I’m standing, chest tight. “I can’t watch you marry him, Pae.”
“Kai, don’t make this harder than it already is. Please.” She swipes angrily at the tears slicking her face. “You know I have to do this.”
I shake my head. “You don’t.”
“You have your duties,” she breathes. “And I have mine. We don’t choose our fate, remember?”
I stare at her, and the feeling of my heart wrenching in two nearly brings me to my knees. Her feet fumble backward until the willow’s branches are tangled around her shoulders. “But I would choose you every time, if only I could,” she whispers. “Know that.”
The sun streams through her hair, crowning it with a halo of light. I swallow, throat burning. “I’ll see you after the wedding, my Queen.”
A tear rolls down her cheek at my words.
“As your Enforcer,” I finish weakly.
With one last regretful look, she parts the curtain of leaves and steps into her future.
Without me.
