Princess Of The Skulls - Chapter 66: Chapter 66

I woke before dawn to find my chambers filled with an oppressive silence that made my skin crawl. The skull relics, still contained in their warded box, were completely quiet for the first time in years. No whispers, no guidance, no sense of ancient presence watching over me.
It was terrifying.
Through my enhanced bond with Aldric, I could feel that he was already awake, probably experiencing the same disorientation I was as our magically amplified abilities settled into their new configuration. The marriage had changed us both in ways we were only beginning to understand.
A soft knock at my door interrupted my contemplation. "Enter," I called, recognizing Kael's distinctive rhythm.
He slipped inside, moving with the fluid grace that had first caught my attention months ago. But there was something different in his posture now, a careful distance that hadn't been there before last night's ceremony.
"Your Majesty," he said formally, the title creating a barrier between us that felt like a physical wall.
"Kael," I replied quietly. "We need to talk."
"Do we?" His voice was carefully neutral, but I could see the pain in his eyes. "You're married now. Legally bound to another man. I think that says everything that needs to be said."
"It says that I made a political alliance to protect my people," I corrected. "It doesn't change what I feel for you."
"Doesn't it?" He moved closer, his expression intense. "Can you honestly tell me that the bond with your husband hasn't affected your feelings? That sharing consciousness with him hasn't changed how you see me?"
The question struck home because I wasn't entirely certain of the answer. The marriage bond with Aldric was deeper than I'd expected, creating an intimacy that went beyond physical attraction or political partnership. But that didn't erase my feelings for Kael—if anything, it made them more complicated.
"I don't know," I admitted. "Everything is different now. I'm different. But that doesn't mean I care less about you."
"Just that you care differently," Kael said with bitter understanding. "I get it, Seraphina. The princess who could risk everything for forbidden love is gone. In her place is a queen who has to consider the greater good above her desires."
"That's not fair," I protested, though part of me wondered if he was right.
"Isn't it?" He stepped back, his expression hardening into the mask he wore when dealing with dangerous situations. "Tell me honestly—if you had to choose between my life and Aldric's, what would you do?"
The question hung in the air between us like a blade. I wanted to say I would choose him, that my love for him transcended all other considerations. But the enhanced bond with Aldric made that impossible—I could feel my husband's consciousness at the edge of my awareness, his thoughts and emotions becoming part of my decision-making process.
"I would try to save both of you," I said finally.
"But if you could only save one?"
I closed my eyes, hating the answer I could feel forming. "I would save the one whose death would cause less harm to our people."
"Which would be me," Kael said with quiet certainty. "The expendable assassin rather than the prince who can unite two kingdoms."
"You're not expendable to me," I said desperately. "Kael, you have to understand—"
"I understand perfectly," he interrupted. "And I don't blame you for it. This is what leadership requires— the ability to put duty above personal desire. I've always known that about you. It's part of what I love."
The past tense hit me like a physical blow. "Loved?"
"Love," he corrected gently. "I'll always love you, Seraphina. But I won't compete with a man who shares your soul. That wouldn't be fair to any of us."
Through the bond, I felt Aldric stirring in his chambers, beginning to sense the emotional turmoil I was experiencing. The connection that had seemed like such an advantage last night now felt like an invasion of privacy, making it impossible to have truly intimate moments with anyone else.
"So what happens now?" I asked.
"Now I serve my queen as I've always served my princess," Kael replied. "I protect you, I carry out your orders, and I try not to let personal feelings interfere with professional duty."
"And us? What did we have?"
"We had a beautiful dream," he said sadly. "But dreams end when you wake up to reality. The reality is that you're married to another man, bound to him by more than law or politics. The reality is that I'm a commoner with no legitimate claim on your time or attention. The reality is that continuing what we had would be adultery, and you're too honorable for that."
He was right, and I hated him for it. Not because his logic was flawed, but because it was perfect, cutting through my emotional confusion with surgical precision.
"I wish things could be different," I said.
"So do I," he replied. "But wishing doesn't change anything. We are who we are, and we have the
Responsibilities we have."
A stronger knock at the door interrupted us—Master Dorian, requesting immediate audience. Kael melted back into the shadows as I called for my advisor to enter.
"Your Majesty," Dorian said urgently, "we have a situation. King Magnus has discovered the marriage."
My blood turned to ice. "How?"
"Brother Marcus felt obligated to report the ceremony to his superiors," Dorian explained. "Word reached your father an hour ago. He's not pleased."
Through the enhanced bond, I felt Aldric's sudden alarm as he received similar news about his own father's reaction.
"How not pleased?" I asked.
"He's declared the marriage invalid and is demanding your immediate presence in the throne room."
Dorian replied. "Lord Cassius is with him, and they've brought their guards."
"Armed guards?"
"Very armed guards," Dorian confirmed grimly. "I think they mean to place you under arrest pending annulment proceedings."
"Over my dead body," I said, feeling the skull relics suddenly pulse with renewed energy. The ancient powers were responding to my anger, offering strength and solutions that would leave my enemies as corpses.
"That may be exactly what they're planning," Kael said from the shadows, stepping back into the light. "If they can't control you through legal means, they might resort to more permanent solutions."
Through the bond, I felt Aldric making his preparations, gathering his loyal guards, and preparing for confrontation. Whatever happened in the throne room, we would face it together.
"Summon my guard," I ordered. "Full battle gear. If my father wants to discuss my marriage, we'll discuss it. But not as his helpless daughter as his equal."
"Your Majesty," Dorian said carefully, "are you certain that's wise? Confronting him directly could escalate.
This is beyond any hope of peaceful resolution."
"There was never going to be a peaceful resolution," I replied, feeling the truth of it settle in my bones.
"My father sees my independence as rebellion. Lord Cassius sees my very existence as a threat. They were always going to try to eliminate me—the marriage just gave them a convenient excuse."
"Then what's the plan?" Kael asked.
"We show them exactly what they've created," I said, feeling the skull relics pulse with approval. "They wanted a weapon they could control. Instead, they raised a queen who bows to no one."
The confrontation that would determine the fate of both kingdoms was about to begin. And for the first
Time since discovering my true heritage, I was ready to embrace exactly what that meant.