His mother had given him Paradi’s reins once, whispering that if he ever really needed anything, he should ask for it. It was a distant, almost forgotten memory, and when Layla had left for Veldam, he’d intended to ask for something else entirely.

If something had gone terribly wrong… he’d planned to ask to just disappear.

Layla had never expected to live a happy life, knowing only too well the misfortunes his mother had endured. When he had been ordered to Veldam, he had been overcome with despair and thought it would be better just to disappear from the world without a trace.

He gently ran his fingers through Malyn’s hair as she rested her head on his chest, looking both tickled and content. Layla enjoyed the warm, comforting weight of her presence. His eyes closed, he found himself reflecting on the events of the afternoon.

‘What should I do?’

A royal advisor, someone Layla had never seen before, had come to inform him that an envoy from his homeland was due to visit. Presumably to check on the welfare of the princess they had sent away to this grim kingdom. The irony struck him – after banishing her to such a place, they now wanted to ensure her safety. Layla almost ran her hand over his face in frustration, only to be startled by the cold touch of the golden mask beneath her fingers. He quickly composed himself, pretending to brush the mask as if deep in thought.

Suddenly he knew what to do.

‘There’s no need to let her in.’

‘Pardon?’

‘Dion will receive no further support from us.’

Layla lowered her hand from the mask and looked forward. The Counsellor looked confused, struggling to grasp the meaning of Layla’s words. Layla rested her chin on his hand, a slight smile playing on her lips.

‘Before the year is out, Dion will be wiped off the map.’

He would rid himself of everything – the father who never even knew his second child was a daughter, the queen who cast a weak girl into a corner of the palace, and those who had conveniently sent her to Veldam to get rid of her. He would burn down every stone wall and cold hall in that kingdom.

His mother, who had sacrificed the solitude of the deep forest in the hope of never being lonely again, had died the loneliest of deaths in that castle. Not even her last wish – to be returned to the forest to burn herself to the ground – had been granted.

He would burn those who had lured an innocent girl with a few coins and placed her beside a doomed princess. He would make sure that no one would remember the face of the girl who had followed her princess to the end.

With these thoughts swirling through his mind, Layla looked down in surprise at Malyn’s brown hair. He knew only too well how deeply she despised the cruelty of the men who had trampled over her. Malyn had cursed, her lips cracking as she spoke of those who had violated her, pulling up her skirts in places from kitchen hearths to alleyways, even in front of sewers and stables.

A childish fear gripped him – what if she found out what he was planning, what he had ordered? His blue eyes darkened with sudden panic and he stopped running his fingers through her hair, staring at her with a troubled expression.

“Well, it’s not like there’s nothing you can say.”

“…Pardon?”

Layla jumped at the sound of her voice, her chest rising in surprise. Malyn turned her head and looked at him curiously, then let out a small laugh, as if she found his reaction absurd.

“What are you so nervous about? Just tell them you’ve grown fond of the poor, frail girl who’s wasting away after the death of her maid.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Layla realise that Malyn was continuing with her earlier remarks. She slowly sat up, reached for a single grape from the fruit platter beside the bed and popped it into her mouth. The way her cheek puffed up as she ate was endearing. Layla buried his face in her shoulder, hiding his lingering fear with a forced smile.

“But isn’t it customary for people of high rank to sleep separately?”

“Even the king would satisfy his desires with me and then send me off to sleep alone. Now that you’re sleeping in my room, people are starting to gossip. Shouldn’t we keep our sleeping arrangements separate?”

“But you said you hate the cold.”

Layla replied, unable to hide her slight irritation. With a mocking look of indignation.

Malyn’s eyes widened and she shot back.

“That was in winter. It’s summer now! Besides, do you have any idea how much the maids pamper me out of pity? They even heat my bath water to the point of scalding!”

Layla laughed, the tension finally breaking.

Layla let out a soft laugh, avoiding a direct response. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist, curled up against her like a young animal seeking warmth, and soon closed his eyes. Malyn nudged him a few times and asked, “Are you pretending to sleep?” But he kept his eyes shut. Gradually his breathing became slower and quieter, and it seemed as if he really was drifting off.

Malyn decided not to wake him up. She was well aware that Layla had been having sleepless nights lately.

In fact, she had been the one to fall asleep first these days, her drowsiness increasing. Each time, Layla would gently watch over her, sometimes stroking her face and planting a tender kiss on her forehead. Until she was completely asleep, he patted her chest in a soothing rhythm, as if lulling a child to sleep.

Now she gently loosened his hold on her waist and eased him onto his side, placing a pillow under his head. His beautiful, pale face softened with the weariness visible in the candlelight. Noticing the faint rose tint to his lips – a sign that his health had improved with better food – Malyn traced a finger across them. His lips parted slightly at her touch.

“In Dion…”

“Yes?”

“In Dion… when a couple gets married, they traditionally go on a long journey.”

Layla murmured, her eyes barely open, drowsiness and the remnants of a dream clinging to her.

“The first child is expected to be the first wife’s child… so it is customary not to return until they are expecting.”

“What a strange custom.”

Malyn remarked with a smile.

“But since you and I can’t travel…”

Layla said, letting out a small yawn.

“We say that my visits to your room are like my journey…”

Malyn gave him a playful smile.

“How unfair. I don’t get to go on a journey, do I?”

The man, on the verge of falling asleep again, managed to open his blue eyes at her words and looked up at her with a faint smile.

“Let’s travel together,” he murmured.

“Once the mask is gone… we’ll go somewhere far away…”

Layla rambled on until sleep took him completely. He spoke of dipping their feet in cool, clear water, of her wearing a beautiful necklace… and of a great carriage, nothing like the stubborn horse Paradi. His voice was so calm and peaceful that Malyn, lying beside him, soon closed her eyes as well.

She fell into a sleep so deep and so comforting that there was no room for worry.

The following spring, a rosy-cheeked baby was born.

The King of Veldam once again became the subject of gossip, as his merciless conquest of Dion – supposedly a gift for the queen – drew harsh criticism. Yet, strangely, the queen was seen smiling every day, leading people to whisper that she too must have gone mad. Nevertheless, the king ruled steadily, and the palace enjoyed a semblance of peace. For those willing to overlook a faint underlying unease, life at court was as smooth as ever.

And so the two lived happily ever after at Veldam Castle.