Kael had spent years perfecting the art of control.
It was necessary—expected. A prince did not waver, did not succumb to distractions. He commanded respect through discipline, through power.
And yet, as he sat at the head of the long dining table the next morning, Seraphina seated across from him, he felt dangerously close to unraveling.
She looked unbothered, her expression composed as she sipped her tea. The golden morning light filtering through the tall windows caught in her dark hair, casting a warm glow over her skin.
She had not spoken a word to him since she arrived.
It should have pleased him. Instead, it infuriated him.
He was still thinking about last night—the way she had looked at him, the way she had left him standing alone in the cold, pulse thrumming with something he refused to name.
Seraphina finally set her cup down, lifting her gaze to meet his. "You're staring, Your Highness."
Kael tensed, his grip tightening around his fork. "And you are presumptuous."
Her lips curved slightly, amusement flickering in her eyes. "You make it far too easy."
He exhaled sharply, shifting his focus to the plate before him. This woman would be the death of his patience.
The clinking of silverware and quiet murmurs of the palace staff filled the room, but the weight of their unsaid words thickened the air between them.
Finally, Seraphina broke the silence. "The council meeting is today, is it not?"
Kael gave a curt nod. "You need not concern yourself with it."
She arched a brow. "I am to be your wife. Should I not be aware of the matters of the kingdom?"
"You are not my wife yet," he countered, his voice even.
A beat of silence.
Then, slowly, she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table as she studied him. "And does that bother you?"
Kael's jaw clenched.
This game she played—this taunting, teasing battle of wills—it was a dangerous thing. And worse, it was working.
He could not afford to let her win.
"Hardly," he said smoothly, meeting her gaze with unwavering intensity. "You mistake my indifference for something else."
Her smile was slow, knowing. "If you were truly indifferent, Your Highness, you would not be trying so hard to convince me."
Kael said nothing.
Because, for the first time, he was not sure he had a response.
And the rea
lization unsettled him more than anything else.