“You okay?” he whispered softly as the ladies quickly bowed to him.“Not really,” I said, as quietly as I could. “Nadine and Isabella are… causing some issues.”It was as if speaking my sister’s name aloud summoned her from whatever depths of hell she had been lurking in. I looked up to see her smug
MILAAlthough I had enjoyed the banquet once Nadine and Isabella had left, I was still exhausted and ready for it to be done. Felix and I eagerly headed back up to our hotel suite to decompress after the long day.“You were a sensation,” Felix told me as I flopped down on the bed. “An absolute trium
“Mila, I–” my mother began, but I cut her off.It was the first time in my life that I had ever asserted my own voice to my parents. And it felt good.“You will not be sightseeing in Fresonia because you will not be invited to the wedding,” I declared. “I do not want you there. And frankly, if I was
FELIXNadine didn’t even bother to hide her smile as Mila approached the couch. Thankfully, the appearance of her sister had caught her off-guard, so I was successfully able to shove her off my lap. Nadine landed with an awkward thump on the ground.“Mila!” she said, in a tone of fake surprise. “Oh
CHARLESAfter the disaster in the forest following Mila’s kidnapping, I flew quickly into the night.Hades and I fled for hours, desperate to get out of Fresonian airspace and the ever-reaching grasp of my brother. I had thought I could rely on the gang to get the work done–I had been sorely, sorely
FELIXIt was Mila’s idea to return to Fresonia.The morning after the banquet, she woke me up with a hand around my length and a sultry little smile.“I think we should go back to Fresonia today,” she said.It was impossible to think when she had me in this position.“Talk later,” I managed. She gri
MILA I had exactly seven days between returning to Fresonia and my restaurant to make sure everything was perfect.I was eternally grateful to Felic for monitoring the installation of the new furniture from Carnea while I was away, so now all I had to worry about was putting the finishing touches o
MILAAfter seeing Alexandra’s negative reaction to the dish, I did the first thing I could think of.I ran frantically into the kitchen and called Samara. I knew she had previously worked with Alexandra, and she might have some insight into how to improve the situation that was rapidly heading downh
MILAOur baby boy, Samuel, was born in April, a few days after Felix’s 31st birthday. He was named for the first King of Fresonia and to commemorate the love that had brought his parents together. As the future King of Fresonia, he had an official naming ceremony in front of the entire kingdom, and
CHARLESLife in exile was surprisingly calm.Despite our conversation before being sent to this remote island, I’d had a harder time adjusting to a relationship with Isabella than I once thought. Perhaps it was the sadness I felt at being away from my home kingdom, or maybe I did not like the vulner
FELIXWhen I was growing up, I never imagined that I would enjoy being King.The whole thing looked dreadfully boring to a young boy. Although I knew I was the heir to the throne and would someday take over for my father, I always had far more interest in hanging out with Ignatius and running around
MILAThe last few weeks had been a blur. Meetings, ribbon cuttings, speeches. I spent countless hours in the countryside of Fresonia helping to relocate people who had been displaced by either the war or the dissolution with Abernathy. I cooked meals for homeless shelters and taught magic to young c
FELIXThe King of Abernathy had been placed in a highly-protected magical prison deep in the Dragon’s Teeth mountains, locked away with no hope of escape. His advisors and various family members were locked away with him, all facing sentences for their crimes against magic.The leaders from the othe
FELIXThe King was clearly shocked by my challenge. He slowly put down his wine glass, his eyes darting between me and Mila. I could tell that the idea intrigued him, as much as he wanted to seem disgusted by the offer.The curse might have been broken, but I could still feel the panic and tension s
FELIXIt was time for me and Mila to travel to Aberenathy. We could delay it no longer–although the magic across the kingdoms was safe and protected, time was still of the essence when it came to the civilians in Abernathy.We were concerned about what the King was doing to his citizens. Based on Is
At the nearest chance I would ask Mila to take me to that famed Library of Magic so that I could learn about the powers that now flowed through my veins. Although I was thrilled, I was also terrified. I had gone twenty-six years of my life without magic.What would change now?I was exhausted, ready
ISLAI had been waiting in the war council room with Joseph when the magic came surging back into the kingdom. In case anything went wrong, we were instructed to stay in the below-ground chambers and monitor any potential problems with the magic.I had no idea what to expect when the magic returned,