Jenna found her by the window, still staring blankly at the shards of porcelain someone had failed to sweep up.
"Are you okay?" Jenna asked, her voice soft.
Seraya blinked. "I'm fine," she said, too quickly. "I just need a little time to cool off."
Jenna didn't move. "You sure? I can come with you."
Seraya forced a smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Maybe later."
She turned before Jenna could say anything else and slipped from the quarters, the heavy silence of the harem clinging to her like a second skin.
________________________________________________________________________
The garden was quieter than usual, sun-drenched and serene — a cruel contrast to the storm in her chest. Seraya paced beneath the arch of flowering vines, hands clenched at her sides.
That smug witch.
Vera held power like a whip and wielded it for no reason other than because she could.
And all for what? To keep the king's attention?
"He can have her," Seraya muttered, kicking a loose pebble across the stone path. "I don't even want him. I don't even want to be here."
A low voice answered, amused. "What's got you so worked up?"
She jumped, spinning to see Lex lounging beneath the arbor, a lazy smile tugging at his lips. He was half in shadow, half in sunlight — and entirely insufferable.
Seraya huffed. "Aren't you ever working?"
He shrugged, rising with that feline grace of his. "Why would I be anywhere else," he said smoothly, "when I can be with you?"
She rolled her eyes, but her pulse betrayed her. "So cocky."
"I call it confident." His smile widened. "You're the one always finding me, after all."
"I'm pretty sure you are the one who keeps popping up wherever I go."
"Coincidence."
"More like stalking."
He gave an exaggerated bow. "Only if it's working."
Despite herself, a ghost of a smile curled at her lips. But she was still raw. Still furious.
"Tell me what's wrong," he said, stepping closer.
She crossed her arms and turned away, her voice tight. "I hate it here. I wish I were somewhere else. Anywhere else."
A beat passed, and then he said, quieter now, "I can do that."
She glanced over her shoulder. "What?"
"Sit and close your eyes," he said.
She gave him a wary look.
"Trust me. It'll just be a minute."
She sighed but sank into the cushioned bench.
"No peeking."
Then heard his receding footsteps.
She felt the sun on her face, warming her. A moment of peace. Then felt the cushion next to her dip and she could feel the warmth of his presence. His scent pickling her senses.
Her eyes popped open.
"A book?"
"It's not quite a palace escape, but…" he shrugged.
Then he began to read.
His voice, rich and smooth, poured over the words like honey, quieting the chaos inside her one sentence at a time. The world around them softened, blurred, until it was just the two of them and the sound of his voice — warm, patient, steady.
She would give anything to hear his voice read on and on. It felt like everything to her. It felt like home.
By the time he reached the final page, Seraya's eyes had gone glassy.
"Thank you," she whispered. "My nanny used to read to me when I was a little girl and since then whenever I was having a hard time. She—" Her voice caught. "I don't even know if she's okay."
A tear slid down her cheek before she could stop it.
Lex's brow furrowed, and with a gentle hand, he brushed it away. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault."
He said nothing, but his hand lingered on her cheek, thumb tracing a path that made her heart ache. His expression mirrored her pain — like her sorrow was his to carry too.
Then—grrrrowl.
Her stomach betrayed her, loud and unmistakable.
She flushed, pulling back. "I—skipped breakfast."
A slow grin broke across his face. "Ah. So that's why you were more barbed than usual. Should I show up next time with… what was it? Spiced fig pastries? Honey bread?"
"Perhaps," she said, recovering, her smile returning. "That would certainly improve your odds."
They stood then, facing one another, a quiet tension between them. A magnetic hesitance. Neither of them ready to leave, but both unsure what would happen if they stayed.
Lex plucked a single rose from the climbing vine beside him and held it out.
"Until next time," he said, offering it to her.
This time, Seraya took it.
She tried not to think about what that meant as her heart leapt at the dangerous thought.