บททั้งหมดของ The Prince and His Princess: บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

Tobi’s POVDinner had settled into a quiet rhythm, the wine mellowing the last edges of tension between us. Lila looked relaxed for the first time since we arrived her shoulders loose, her smile soft. I was just about to reach for the wine bottle when Thefros spoke.“Funny you should ask,” he said casually, swirling the last of his wine. “I received a call a couple of days ago from your friend Matthew Lowell.”My hand paused mid-pour.“Matthew, huh?” I leaned back in my chair, curious. “What did he want?”“He was asking if I’d heard from you recently,” Thefros replied, clearly amused. “Said you usually check in every few days but have gone radio silent.”Lila glanced between us. “Who’s Matthew?”I smiled at her. “He was, well, is my best friend. He’s back in Aruyios. I used to check in with him regularly, just to let him know I was safe. But the last couple of weeks…” I shrugged, brushing her hand beneath the table. “I’v

Tobi’s POVWinking at Lila, I took her hand and led her out of Thefros’s office, the stone hallway cool beneath our feet.“Tobi, where are we going?” she asked, her voice light with amusement, curiosity flickering in her grey eyes as we stepped into the fading golden light outside.“You’ll see,” I murmured, tightening my grip just slightly.We moved through the gardens in companionable silence. First came the tidy rows of kitchen herbs and vegetables, their practical order giving way to wide ornamental paths lined with hedges and flowers. The scent shifted from soil to lavender, rosemary, and roses. Then the man-made beauty gave way to the wild past the groundskeeper sheds, into a grove of chestnut trees.Candles flickered low on the forest floor, lighting our path with soft pools of amber light. The deeper we went, the more magical it felt.“What is this?” Lila asked, her hand flying to her mouth. Her voice was hushed, reverent.“You’ll see,” I said again, grinning. I wanted this to

Tobi’s POVI woke just as the first sliver of sunlight broke over the horizon. The tent was still cloaked in the quiet stillness of dawn, its canvas walls glowing soft gold. Careful not to wake Lila, I slipped from the warmth of our bed and quickly pulled on some clothes. I needed to arrange breakfast and have her clothes brought down though, if I had my way, I’d keep her naked and wrapped in these blankets all day. But coffee was sacred, and Lila would need more than my arms to start her morning.By the time I returned, everything was waiting neatly outside. I exhaled in relief as I stepped back into the tent and found her still curled beneath the covers, fast asleep. Stripping back down, I climbed in beside her, unable to keep the smile from my face as she made the softest sleepy sound and pressed back into me.The curve of her bare body fit so perfectly against mine. Just the brush of her skin was enough to stir me, but I held back. She needed rest afte

Lila’s POVWe made it back into the Priory and reached Cayden’s office within a few minutes. Tobi banged on the door, and it creaked open to reveal a pale-faced Cayden.“Ah, good to see you two are well,” he said weakly, swaying slightly in the doorway.“Cayden, what’s wrong?” I asked immediately, concern flooding my chest. I slipped my arm through his, offering support as we guided him back into the room.“Nothing I won’t recover from,” he said as I lowered him carefully into the armchair beside the fire. “The mind-link… it took a bit more out of me than I expected.”“Tobi, get him a drink,” I said, shooting him a look.Tobi nodded, crossing the room to the small cabinet while I knelt beside Cayden.“I brought the dress back,” I added gently. “Where’s the key so I can put it away?”He smiled and fished the small key from his pocket, placing it in my hand just as Tobi handed him a glass of something amber and st

Lila’s POV“But why isn’t he here with you now, Moira?” Henry asked softly, his voice rasping under the weight of emotion.Moira looked down, her jaw tight. “Cayden became obsessed with finding a loophole. A way back into Aruyios. It consumed him. I tried to make him see we needed to move forward. Start a new life. But he wouldn’t accept it. Said our future could only exist back there.”She paused, her eyes distant. “We were poor. Really poor. Cayden spent every day and most nights chasing old leads, scratching at shadows. And I… I was lonely. So, eventually, I called Sandi. I couldn’t tell her everything, but I told her enough. Enough for her to understand my desperation. Greg paid for my flight back to Forreston. I left without saying goodbye.”No one spoke. Moira’s voice cracked, but she continued.“I lived in Forreston for eight years. Pretended I was a regular human. Played the role of the world’s best aunt, if I do say so myself. Th