Page 11 of Dragon King’s Duty Bride

The servant nearly bowed himself in half before hurrying away.

Sia traced the rim of her cup with her finger. “They’re watching us.”

“I know.”

“They’ll be watching the girls, too.”

At that, his attention snapped fully to her. “The girls are not part of this.”

“Aren’t they?” she asked softly. “Everything we do will shape what they believe about family and duty. Every word the staff says about us will eventually, somehow, make its way to one of the children.”

A muscle ticked in his cheek. She was right, and he hated it.

“They adore you,” he said after a moment.

“I adore them,” she replied. “But they’re confused.”

And that, at least, was the uncomplicated truth.

He reached for the tea pot at the same moment she adjusted the fruit bowl. Their fingers brushed with the slightest contact.

They both pulled back instantly.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured.

“It was nothing.”

But it wasn’t nothing. The air shifted, now charged with awareness.

Lucas cleared his throat. “We’ll need to attend the council briefing this afternoon. They’ll expect you beside me.”

“Of course.” She straightened. “But have no worries. I won’t interfere with your… king stuff… unless you ask me to.”

“My king stuff?”

She shrugged, but a burst of footsteps interrupted them as they echoed down the corridor and were followed by high-pitched giggles.

The dining room doors flew open with the enthusiasm only children possessed.

“Papa!”

Three small figures tumbled in with their hair half-brushed, ribbons hanging half tied, and energy as bright as the rising sun.

And just like that, the strained quiet between king and queen shattered.

The girls went to Sia first. “Auntie Sia.”

Lucas watched from his seat. Celeste, Luna, and Stella clustered around her with their voices overlapping as they spoke. He was afraid he hadn’t accurately prepared them for this new reality.

Celeste, the eldest, stood straighter than the others with dark strands pinned back with barrettes. Luna hovered close with her hands twisting the ribbon at her waist. Stella, the youngest, circled them all and peered up at Sia with open fascination.

“Aunt Sia,” Stella said a little loudly. “Papa says you live here now.”

Sia knelt to their level without hesitation, just as she always had. “I do,” she said gently.

Celeste frowned. “Forever?”

Sia hesitated. Just for a second, but Lucas felt it even from a distance.