46. Chapter 46

forty-six

P hysically, Kallessa had never felt better, her body at full strength with enough rest and food. But mentally, she was a wreck.

In the days since claiming her birthright, she’d thrown herself into action. She’d sent generous sums to the kindhearted women at the inns who had sheltered her. Patronized every business in Teansong, trying to do her part to breathe life back into the war-crippled local commerce.

A package from Princess Ciana sat on her desk—the split skirts and an invitation to discuss production plans.

She had everything she’d wanted, didn’t she? Security? Status? A home of her own?

So why did emptiness gnaw at her? Why did every night seem darker and lonelier than the last?

She’d roamed every corner of Wynlar Estate, every acre, every field. Sat on a hay bale, staring around the stables where her mother once worked. Walked along the lake where she’d fished with Father and Blain. Wandered the inside of the estate from top to bottom, finding treasures of her childhood that had been locked away.

Anything and everything to avoid the prince of Dracia .

Now, as another chilly night came to an end, Kallessa stared at the ceiling, the one she’d woken to every day for the first seventeen years of her life.

Her mind drifted to Tynan, his poetic words, his false promises of the perfect life they’d have together, and it all came together like a thunderclap.

What she’d felt then was mere infatuation. She hadn’t seen past the pretty words, honestly, she hadn’t wanted to. She’d wanted that dream he presented, hanging on the arm of the dashing poet. It had been all about her, a fantasy of a child.

Now, her heart demanded something altogether different. Something real.

The image of Nevander—against her will—stood bold and full of color before her mind’s eye. She shook her head, wanting to bury herself back under the blankets. But she was sick of this bed.

As grey dawn seeped through her curtains, Kallessa flung back the covers. She needed to clear her head, but how? His presence saturated every corner of the estate. Why did he linger when he could have left for the capital a week ago?

A soft knock sent her pulse racing. She cracked open the door, disappointment and relief warring as Shaydn’s silver-blonde hair glowed in the dim light.

“May I come in?” the healer asked, her harsh accent still jarring.

“Of course.” Kallessa ushered her inside, lighting a lamp and stoking the fire. Shaydn’s practical riding outfit–canvas pants, wool sweater, and well-worn boots–stood in stark contrast to the light and airy bedroom.

She pulled Kallessa to the bed and sat down beside her, pulling three linen pouches from her bag .

“There are instructions on how to use them if you fall ill again.” Finality laced Shaydn’s words. She was leaving.

“Thank you for everything,” Kallessa said. This remarkable, strange woman had brought her back from the brink of death. Instead of acknowledging Kallessa, Shaydn sat quietly, studying her. For a long moment, the healer’s icy blue eyes searched Kallessa’s face, thoughts flickering behind them. Finally, she spoke.

“A prince is a different breed of man,” she began, her gaze ghosting to the window. “I know this because I’ve been around royalty my entire life.”

Shaydn flicked her gaze back to Kallessa. “They are spoiled and intense and everything they do is grander and bolder and wilder than an average man. But they carry a heavy burden with them wherever they go, a weight on their shoulders that never lifts.” She paused, chewing on her bottom lip briefly. “Their responsibilities are almost too much for one person to bear. And when they love someone, it’s with an intensity that burns brighter than the sun.”

Kallessa’s breath caught. She didn’t want to hear this, didn’t want another reason to feel tied to Nevander.

“Did he tell you how he got that black eye?” Shaydn asked.

Kallessa had made herself not ask. She shook her head.

“I’ve never seen a man so out of his mind,” Shaydn said, shaking her head. “He wore himself down to a nub watching over you, protecting you. I think he would have found a way to change the current of the sea if it meant saving you.”

Her voice lowered. “When he saw Tarrick hovering over your unconscious form, he went mad. Ripped his brother away from you like a lion guarding its mate.” She paused, shaking her head. “Then Tarrick, in his usual fashion, provoked Nevander. But Nevander was so exhausted, he missed his swing. Tarrick knocked him out cold for eighteen hours.”

Kallessa’s mind reeled. Nevander, always so composed, had lost control... over her? A fierce protectiveness rose within her at the thought of Tarrick punching Nevander when he was so distraught.

He’d never said a word to her about it.

She suddenly wanted to hug Nevander until he couldn’t breathe. Kiss him until they were both senseless. Her skin vibrated with the longing to just touch him, thank him. If only…

“I heard he stole a mail cart to bring you here,” Shaydn added. “Arrived like an avenging angel with you in his arms.”

The prince had rescued her from that dark cell, carrying her when she was filthy and probably smelled like a sewer.

“But why?” Kallessa blurted, unable to stop herself. “I was just some girl, and he’s—” The words stuck in her throat.

Shaydn held up a pale hand. “You are now Lady Kallessa Wynlar. Owner of Wynlar Estate, the ‘Lady of Teansong’, they’re calling you.”

The Lady of Teansong? Kallessa’s lips pursed at the ridiculous moniker. Of all the preposterous—

“Are you a different person than you were two weeks ago?” Shaydn’s voice cut through her thoughts.

“Of course not,” Kallessa replied slowly, her brows drawn.

Shaydn’s gaze pierced her. “Then why are you treating Nevander as if he is?”

He was gone.

Kallessa’s heart raced as she threw on her clothes, her fingers fumbling with the buttons. The silence in the house pressed against her eardrums, suffocating in its intensity. She burst through the front door, the icy wind slapping her cheeks as she desperately scanned the empty landscape.

Nothing.

She slowly withdrew, the breeze slamming the door shut behind her with a finality that made her flinch. Her legs gave way, and she slid down the polished wood, her breath coming in short, painful gasps. He’d really left. Without a word, without a goodbye.

It was Penny’s day off and Dovina and Nadie’s absence on their shopping trip only amplified the emptiness. She thumped her head against the solid entry door, staring into the house she was forbidden to enter for five long years. Flickers of memories played across her thoughts, a house full of laughter and arguments, joy and sorrow. Now, echoing silence greeted her.

Then her mother’s voice rose unbidden to her mind. All I need is your father’s love to keep me warm.

She swallowed. Her mother would have happily lived in a straw hut as long as they were all together. This grand estate, this life of luxury, it wasn’t what made a family.

Love. That’s what made a family.

She’d foolishly believed that regaining her wealth would heal everything, but the gaping hole left by her family’s death remained.

Only the love of someone who truly understood loss and still clung to hope could ever fill that void.

Her feet carried her to Nevander’s suite before her mind could catch up. His scent of cloves and cedar enveloped her, a comfort she now craved like air. The large bed stood pristine in the dark paneled room, its military corners folded to perfection. But there, on the pillow, lay a folded piece of paper.

With trembling fingers, she snatched it up and moved to the window. The wan morning light barely illuminated the words, forcing her to squint:

Lady Kallessa,

For many years, your choices were taken from you. I refuse to partake in that. I’ve seen too many consequences to rob you of your agency, your independence. So, I’m leaving your future in your own capable hands.

A sob caught in her throat, equal parts gratitude and fear coursing through her veins.

You are strong and beautiful, and I know you will make good choices.

His faith in her both buoyed and terrified her. What if she wasn’t worthy of such trust?

The choice is yours, Kallessa.

She closed her eyes, savoring the weight of those words, the freedom they represented after so much constraint and expectation. When she opened them again, determination blazed in her gaze.

But, if you do want to find me, I’ve left you with a map.

Her heart leapt, even as a bittersweet smile curved her lips. Of course he had.

Yours forevermore,

N

That single initial–N. It had sparked an adventure she never dreamed possible, introducing her to a man who’d awakened a longing she couldn’t smother, no matter how hard she tried .

Another sheet fluttered to the floor–the map. As she unfolded it, a gasp escaped her lips. How had he managed to squeeze so much detail onto one page?

Among the trails and lines were all the things she and Nevander had shared. There was a little inn, shaped like a fat owl, its windows the large round eyes. A sparkling glass house among intricate hedges, a kidney-shaped lake with tiny trout jumping from the water.

Her eyes fell on the Ravenbluff estate, its bronze telescope aimed at a full moon.

A library teeming with tiny books and a looming fireplace. She laughed.

Sunu, along with other horses, galloping around the estate.

A lump formed in her throat as she spotted the long pass leading around a bend. There, standing tall and golden, was a lovingly rendered memorial bearing her family’s name and crest.

Kallessa blinked back tears, not daring to mar this masterpiece. He’d created this just for her.

Everything they’d done together since they’d met. Every wonderful and crazy experience. As her gaze followed the winding road, it came to a fork.

To the right lay the Wynlar estate under a brilliant blue sky. A tiny figure of herself rode a spirited chestnut horse, her curls flying in the wind, eyes alight with joy and freedom. The detail was breathtaking, from her freckles to the determined set of her jaw. And that horse, its head tossing proudly, looked remarkably like Sunu.

To the left, a constellation shaped like a ship sailed across an inky sky. Below it stretched the Ederon sea, its waves gently lapping at the pale sand. And there, etched with unmistakable care, stood Nevander. His whimsical self-portrait made her laugh through her tears—barefoot and disheveled, hair tousled by an unseen breeze. But it was his outstretched hand that made her heart skip a beat, beckoning her to step right into the magical world he’d created.

Kallessa’s eyes lifted from the paper, wonder replacing the sorrow in her gaze. For the first time in years, her life was truly her own. The path forward was hers to choose, even if the steps ahead remained shrouded in mystery.

She took a deep, steadying breath, her resolve hardening. No more drifting, no more letting fate dictate her course.

It was time to embrace her future. And the man who’d shown her how to hope again.