Masuk“Kays, you’re strange today,” the prepedollie looks at me warily, pulling back just a little.“Today I’m exactly how I should be with you,” I say with a confident smirk. She begins to ponder something intently, studying me.“I don’t understand you sometimes. One moment you’re an impenetrable rock, and then… like this,” she says sadly, lowering her gaze.“Get used to it,” I grin. “And let’s just enjoy ourselves tonight without thinking about anything.”“All right,” my beloved exhales with a smile, and we plunge into the whirl of the celebration—full of congratulations, games, dancing, and delicious food. The holiday truly turns out warm and wonderful.The newlyweds couldn’t take their eyes off each other, constantly staying close as if they couldn’t quite believe their happiness.I even catch myself wishing that the prepedollie and I would look at each other the same way, that we would have such a tender moment of shared happiness.I never really had a proper first wedding. Bahira and
A foolish smile spreads across my face, and Iza notices it. Most likely, she saw back at the market how the blonde hugged me. That’s why she was so angry. Everything falls into place.“What are you grinning at?”“I missed your growling and your manners,” I admit sincerely.“I don’t growl,” she snorts, puffing out her lips.“I haven’t seen Halida for quite a while,” I decide not to tease her and instead clear things up. “The king issued a decree, and construction of a children’s shelter is underway. That’s where she and the other refugee women will work, caring for homeless children. Camellia will be in charge, and the others are helping as well. We’ve already bought a lot of things for the children at the market. Everyone is settling in and eagerly awaiting the end of construction. There’s a mountain of work there, so I help them sometimes. And for your information,” I emphasize the words so she won’t be angry, “there has never been anything between Halida and me, and there never will
Noticing me, Iza stops as if she’s stumbled. I don’t miss how her breathing grows heavy and quick, how her cheeks flush slightly. She looks at me with obvious nervousness, which both pleases and troubles me at once. I matter to her too—but I am Kays, and it’s Karadeylis who needs love!I move closer slowly, and the girl looks as though she might bolt and run as far away as possible—she just hasn’t decided yet.“Hi,” I smile faintly at her, unable to tear my eyes away.A small white rose on a clip appears in my hand, and I offer the girl this tiny token of attention.She looks at the rose, then at me, not quite understanding, clearly thinking hard with that lilac head of hers.“Why?” she asks sadly, taking the flower.“Don’t ask. I just felt like it,” I say—and I myself no longer know what I’m doing. It’s as if my life experience of the past half-millennium has simply evaporated.“Tyrant,” Iza smiles slightly, looking at the flower. “If you gave it, you clip it on yourself.” Her blue e
Kays:“You,” the prepedollie stunned me with her answer, and I saw the corners of her lips twitch.“That’s… unexpected,” I smiled, realizing the little menace was simply amusing herself at my expense. But at least she wasn’t fainting or running away—and that alone was a victory.“Well, it’s just… I’d rather still be asleep, but I had to come have breakfast with you,” she finished me off with her bluntness and burst out laughing.I’m the king, for a moment’s notice! But rules simply don’t apply to the prepedollie, and that alone sets her apart from everyone else in this kingdom.“I think you’re a menace. No—I’m sure of it. You’re definitely a very straightforward menace,” I spoke the truth I’d known for quite some time, but which simply had to be said aloud—by Karadeylis himself.We turned to breakfast. I’ll admit it: the fewer girls remained and the closer the day of decisions drew, the heavier it became for me. I was terribly nervous. Nervous about Iza.What if I destroy her, like th
“That’s… unexpected,” Karadeylis smiles, awkwardly looking away.“Well, it’s just that… I’d rather still be asleep, but I had to come have breakfast with you,” I sigh heavily in an exaggerated, theatrical way, shrugging my shoulders and watching the king’s stunned reaction—at which point I burst out laughing.“I think you’re a menace. No—I’m sure of it. You’re definitely a very straightforward menace,” the monarch declares, smiling and looking at me intently.We begin eating and fall silent for a while. Lost in thought, Karadeylis suddenly addresses me with unexpected seriousness.“Iza… tell me… do you want to be here?” I notice sadness in the man’s eyes.No matter how strong and powerful a mage he is, right now he seems somehow vulnerable. I have no doubt that he is a good man, and I truly want to help him.Just yesterday, a brilliant idea came to me about how to rid the king of his curse. The answer is—Fisa.She would make a wonderful queen, and she doesn’t feel disgust toward the k
Iza:After our unplanned walk through Briol, we returned to the palace. I had absolutely no appetite for dinner—we’d already grabbed a bite in the city.After saying goodbye to Iolanta and Yafi, I stayed alone in my room. Well, not entirely alone… I had the book that someone from the library had kindly provided me with today.Even though I had breakfast with Karadeylis scheduled for tomorrow morning, I still spent half the night reading.The book turned out to be incredibly interesting and useful. I didn’t read much, but even that was enough to draw some conclusions and spark serious reflection. There was so much in it.I learned that there are countless kinds of curses, classified in many different ways. There are individual curses, paired ones, mass curses, ancestral, family-bound, local, delayed, reversible and irreversible—and even accidental ones.A person could be cursed simply by the power of thought, in a moment of extremely strong emotion.However, such abilities usually belo







