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Prince Daegal was not certain why he felt guilty about the Alsayfian woman's death. Aside from the dream and the strong desire to help her, he knew nothing about the woman. So why does he feel like she has been ripped out of his grasp before he could find her? "What was her name?" Daegal stepped closer to Nerina who still caressed the painting like a lost lover. Naomi took a moment to answer, contemplating whether to tell him the truth or make something up. "Her name...was Naomi," She decided to say. "She was the bravest person I ever met. Took her life the way she saw it but never stopped fighting for the truth and what's right. I met her on a tour before our official engagement. She was sick... So sick but had the biggest smile on her face. The light in her eyes was the brightest I ever saw. I was by her side when she died." Naomi was not exactly lying. After all, she was dead. There was no way she could have survived that explosion. Flashes of it came to her sometimes. Entranc
Dreygor didn't try to eat Naomi this time and for that, she was very thankful. Daegal had done his magic and the wound on his dragon's wing had been healed and it was a smooth flight to Estoria from the Sykorian forests.Through the flight—a short one—Daegal did not say a word to her. However, his hand firmly held onto the back of her thigh for the entirety of their journey to prevent her from falling off.Naomi could only wonder about what was going on in his head. Their heated argument was still fresh in her memory. She was not sure of what she would do about her and Nezetta’s relationship.From what she had seen, she knew that Nezetta was a jealous and possessive person who never even wanted her to get married to Daegal. It was one of the qualities Naomi loved about her yet it would be something that would cause a big problem in the near future.Naomi was well aware that she could not keep Nezetta as an illicit affair and she could not make her marry someone else either even though
"Breathe from the pit of your belly, Princess Nerina. Do not breathe like a dying fish," Daegal instructed while he spun a coin between his fingers. Naomi rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time since they set out on their journey to Rynzonia. Daegal had been trying to teach her the ropes of her magic throughout their flight from Estoria to the outskirts of Lamesh, a small town bordering the towering and sprawling prison of Rynzonia. It was a day and some hours into their journey on foot and the only thing she had learned how to do was set a portion of the forest around them on fire which Daegal had hastily doused with a quick flick of his fingers and a spell that sounded nonsensical to her. Afterward, he sent her a glare that almost set her skin ablaze. "You are not even looking at what I am doing, Prince Daegal," Naomi spat as she tried out his instructions once again. "I do not need to look at you to see that you are failing woefully," Daegal replied, his face forward. Naomi's
The more he stared at her, the more he thought he was caught in a daze, mesmerized by the aura she let out. Months before, he had observed her beauty as something passing. A mere notice. Something he didn't dwell on. Yet... He couldn't help but marvel at how ethereal she was and for some reason, he couldn't take his eyes off her. Not even when she caught his gaze and held it with her cold, ocean-blue eyes. "My Prince..." Naomi murmured. She wondered why butterflies were fighting a thrilling battle in her belly. She was in love with another...but there was something... A pull that seemed to draw her ever closer to Daegal. Their fingers brushed against each other and Naomi almost flinched from the sparks that shot up her arms. Once again, those words from her dream that seemed to be from another time played in her mind. 'I will burn down the continent before letting anyone harm you.' Naomi's eyes fluttered shut and without thinking of anything else but the feelings blooming in h
Rynzonia was a hulking structure that erupted from the peak of a mountain, with large towers that touched the clouds. Naomi gazed at the prison where she and Daegal were supposed to infiltrate. She wiped off the beads of sweat that formed on her forehead. The sweltering heat from both the afternoon sun and the forest behind her only added to her worries. Naomi found herself wishing she was back home in her comfy bed, surrounded by the walls of her fully automated apartment. Yet, here she was, an imposter princess about to go against the emperor of an entire continent so she could break out the sister of the man whom she kissed not too long ago. Oh, the man and his sister just so happened to be the children of said Emperor. 'How has my life become this?' Naomi wondered as she shifted one strap of her travel pack to her other shoulder. "Is there a reason we are staring at Rynzonia from the edge of a cliff? It is very uncomfortable here and I am trying my hardest to not look down beca
When Nezetta raised her head, a small gasp escaped Naomi's lips. The once headstrong girl that she knew was gone and replaced with someone that she couldn't recognize."Nezetta..." Naomi stepped in front of Daegal and he moved back slightly to avoid touching her. "Naomi? Is that you?" came Nezetta’s shaky voice. "Fucking hell, what have they done to you?" Naomi gripped the iron bars till her knuckles whitened even further from the strain. "You are here. I am not imagining it?" Nezetta rose to her feet and slowly walked over to Naomi. Tentatively, she touched Naomi's hand and instantly, she released a relieved sigh. "You are here. Oh My... I thought you were never going to show up and—" She paused once her eyes met Daegal’s with the flickering flames in his hands. "Brother, you are present as well," She stated with a blank expression on her face. "Nez... Are you alright? Nothing untoward occurred?" Daegal asked, his brows creased from worry. "Nothing happened. I have been here...
"Tell me you knew about this and have come up with some method of escape. Do not tell me that all your silence was for nothing!" Naomi glared at Daegal whilst moving away from the sharp edge of the cliff before her.More silence from Daegal and the howling of the wind was all she heard."Fantastic," She muttered, rolling her eyes."There is supposed to be a bridge here. It was used to bring in prisoners from the west but it got blown away in a heavy storm and I believe they saw no reason to fix it when they could just bring the prisoners in from the south, east, or north," Nezetta chimed in with a shrug of her shoulders."Of course. That is very helpful information at this moment," Naomi responded. Her tone was acerbic as she folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot against the rocky ground.She didn't want to be mean but her irritation had grown exponentially and even when it wasn't Nezetta’s fault but Daegal’s, she found herself transferring the aggression to Nezetta."M
Naomi stood frozen in place as Daegal’s eyes roamed over her nude figure. The damp cloth she used in drying herself hung limp in her hands. Their eyes clashed in a heated gaze. Not one of them wanted to look away. Until Naomi snapped out of her daze and brought her hand up to cover her breasts. That was when Daegal finally blinked out of his stupor and turned away. "Oh...Princess Nerina. My apologies," He coughed into his palm, glancing everywhere except at her. "It's-it's fine." Naomi shook her head, wondering why she was stuttering in the first place. Why was she flushed? Why wasn't she screaming bloody murder or making an effort to cover the rest of her body? Against his better judgment, Daegal’s eyes returned to her skin which still bore droplets of water. Without giving a single thought to her actions, Naomi's hand fell from her breasts, revealing them to Daegal once more. 'What the hell am I doing?' She chided herself internally but still, she made no move to hide a