MasukInside, Blair sat on the sofa, her hand resting on her slight belly, while Roman stood nearby deep in conversation with Luca. Two-year-old Olivia was showing off her drawings to anyone who would look."Aunt Keira!" Olivia shouted, abandoning her colouring-in to run across the room. Keira bent down,
Olivia, growing restless, wiggled off Blair’s lap. “Can I go play with my blocks?”“Yes, but stay in the playroom,” Roman told her. “I’ll be there in a minute.”As Olivia skipped off, Roman pulled Blair to her feet and into his arms. “You look tired. You should have let me bring someone in to handle
“Mama! Look!”Blair looked up from her laptop to see her two-year-old daughter, Olivia, proudly showing off a crayon drawing that was mostly colorful scribbles.“That’s beautiful, sweetheart,” Blair said, genuinely impressed with the artwork of her toddler. “Is that our family?”Olivia nodded madly,
"Is that what you think?" Niko's voice was dangerously quiet. "That your only value is as a... what? A royal broodmare?""It's the reality of our position," she insisted. "The Wystovian crown needs an heir. You need an heir. And I can't—" Her voice broke.Niko crossed the distance between them in th
"I'm trying to protect him—""From what? From having a choice?" Keira's voice grew stronger. "You're deciding what's best for Niko without asking him what he wants. That's not protection, that's control."Amelia stared at her, startled by the blunt assessment."Look, I get it. The pressure is overwh
Amelia shook her head, the weight of her failure pressing down on her. "The doctors say there's nothing wrong with Niko, which means the problem lies with me. I'm considering stepping aside, letting him divorce me so he can marry someone who can actually give him an heir." She glanced at Keira, sudd
Prince Niko was unmistakably Alexei's brother, tall and dark-haired with the same sharp jawline. But where Alexei carried himself with casual confidence, Niko had a more formal bearing, the weight of future kingship visible in his posture.Beside him stood a woman with auburn hair and intelligent gr
"I've never been more certain of anything," he interrupted, his gaze never leaving hers. "I don't care what my father wants or what protocol demands. I care about what I want. And I want you, Keira. Only you."Tears pricked at her eyes, threatening to ruin her carefully applied makeup. "Yes," she sa
Keira nodded, taking a deep breath. She could do this. She'd faced down kidnappers, hostile royal cousins, and interrogation by a king. A dinner party shouldn't be that much harder. As the doors opened to the corridor, Alexei and Niko were waiting.Keira almost whistled but, remembering the stylists
The King took his place at the center of the receiving line, with Niko and Amelia to his right, Alexei and Keira to his left. Then began the seemingly endless procession of dignitaries, nobles, and government officials, each one offering formal greetings.Keira followed Amelia's example, offering he







