Chapter 42: Chapter 42

Chapter 41:

Sanaya’s P.O.V

I woke up from my slumber when a ray of sun fell on my eyes.

I opened my eyes to find the entire room illuminated with the sun’s rays as Lancelin seemed to have opened the curtains to the windows at the head of his bed. I could hear Lance’s soft breathing from behind me and the heaviness of his arm on my waist was a welcome weight telling me that he was alright.

I took a second to look around the room as I snuggled deeper into the covers. The theme might be a dark one but it didn’t appear gloomy. There was a kind of comfort in the darkness. And in the morning light, I could see a pop of colour here and there that I hadn’t noticed before. Like the red roses on a jar on top of a side table or the small painting hanging from the wall of him and Acelin. This was home with not just a roof over his head or a bed to sleep in, but a heart and warmth.

“Good morning, beautiful.” Lancelin spoke sleepily, tightening his hold on my waist as he pressed up against my form snuggly.

“Good morning.” I turned in his arms to face him. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I can run a marathon.” He grinned before bending his head to claim a kiss.

I slid my arm up his shoulders and into his hair, savoring the feel of his soft lips on mine as we engaged in a lazy tangle of lips. We were both smiling as we parted and I could already see how much he had improved from last night. His skin was no longer so pale that it almost appeared blue and his eyes were back to their sharp topaz color. The golden glow had returned to his skin and he seemed to vibrate with life.

The biggest change however was the scar on his chest which had almost completely disappeared, only leaving behind a thin pink circle which looked more like a rash than a scar. I traced the circle with a finger lightly but I couldn’t feel any indents on his skin. It had healed almost completely. I leaned down to press a kiss to his chest as Lance wrapped his arms tight around me.

“Did I hurt you?” He asked seriously, looking at any exposed skin for bruised or cuts.

“Other than the fact that I feel sore all over?” I raised an eyebrow at him. “I think I’m good.”

“Sorry.” Lance grinned, telling me that he wasn’t sorry at all. “I’d been starved for far too long. How about I set up a nice warm bath as compensation?”

“That sounds blissful.” I sighed, just as Lance’s phone began to ring.

Lance decided to ignore it with a grumpy comment but I stopped him. “What if it’s something important? Maybe Acelin found something about the shooter?”

Sighing in defeat, Lance reached over and picked up his phone. “Mother?” He answered, sitting up against the headboard. “Yes. I’m fine now. In a week? That’s crazy! Mother, there’s no need to panic, I’m-alright. Fine. I understand.”

After he hung up the call, Lance just sat there quietly, looking at the walls with narrowed eyes. I knew something was wrong when five minutes went by and he still didn’t speak.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder as I too sat up against the headboard, the covers clutched to my chest.

“My mother is moving up the coronation to next Saturday.” Lance pinched the bridge of his nose. “I always knew I’d be crowned but I didn’t expect it to be this soon.”

“But you’ve been preparing for this your entire life. Your people love you.” I reminded him. “You have nothing to worry about.”

“Once I become King,” he took my hand in his, playing with my fingers. “I’ll have even less time with you. You’ll have your duties as my Scribt but I’d rather have you by my side as my lover than my Scribt.”

“I’ll be whatever you need me to be.” I leaned my head on his shoulder. “No matter what you need, I’ll be always here for you.”

“Have you made up your mind?” Lance asked quietly.

“I’d made up my mind the second you told me about the option, but I haven’t decided on a time frame yet.” I told him honestly. “I want to wait a year before turning.”

“Are you worried we might not work out?”

“No!” Was my immediate answer. “I don’t have any doubts about us, especially not after what I went through yesterday. I couldn’t stand seeing you hurt. But I do want to spend some time as a human. Just being us.”

“I think I understand.” Lance tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’ll be with you all the way. After the coronation, I want you to stay with me at all times. Move in with me.”

“Move in?” I asked wide eyed. “I never thought about that.”

“Well, after I’m crowned I wouldn’t be staying here anymore.” He smiled. “We’ll stay at our castle at Prague where my parents stay now. Or we could have a castle of our own, I can arrange that-”

“Lancelin,” I interrupted his ranting with a peck to his lips. “Yes. I’ll go wherever you go.”

“Thank you.” A smile bloomed on his lips. “I meant what I said last night. I love you.”

“And I meant what I said last night,” I told him. “I love you too.”

Lance smiled and pulled me in for another lazy kiss that curled my toes and made goosebumps appear on my skin.

“But when did you find out you were in love with me?” I had to know.

“Well, you know the saying that you know when you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams?”

“I’ve never heard it until now.” I told him honestly but I was captivated by the beauty of his words.

“Well, that happened to me since the first day you came to work for me.” He said fondly. “I couldn’t sleep for countless nights because I wanted to meet you as soon as morning came. I couldn’t wait for the night to get over.”

If I wasn’t in love with him already, I would’ve fallen in love with him right then and there. The man had a way with words. He knew exactly what to say to hit all the right spots.

“Now…how about that shower?”

Lance barked out a laugh. “I thought you’d never ask.”