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Shey rolled his eyes, a smirk playing on his lips. “Now you’re just mocking me.”
“I would never mock you.” And it was the truth. Shey was an incredibly handsome man, but he was also very insecure about his looks, thanks to the long scar that ran along his left cheek. He’d been attacked as a child by a wolf and very nearly lost his left eye. The healers had saved his life, but they couldn’t remove the scar.
The scar was the reason he made few public appearances and why he usually stood so that he was only presenting his right side to people.
After a time, though, Rayne noticed that he’d stopped making that attempt with him.
“I dyed it to match my soul after you left.”
Rayne tossed his head back and laughed. “Now I know that is a lie.”
Shey shrugged. “Only partially. I did color it because I missed you, but I also did it to annoy my mother.”
“Please, Shey. What is going on in Caspagir? Has your mother formed an alliance with the Empire?”
“Truly? That’s what you think of her? Of my kingdom?” Shey demanded, nearly coming across the table.
Rayne threw up his hands. “What am I to think? Look at my world right now!”
Shey sighed and dropped into his seat. “Yes, I’m sorry. You’re right.” He gave a shake of his head and picked up his wineglass again but didn’t take a drink. “No, we haven’t formed an alliance with the Empire. I would love nothing more than to see all of New Rosanthe destroyed and turned into a No-Man’s-Land like the Ordas. I’d toss the Emperor to the dragons and allow them to eat him alive.”
That was at least reassuring in part.
“What about the soldiers in your borders? We found New Rosanthe occupying a base in a small town called Shallow Edge near the Ordas border. You have to know about that.”
“We?”
Rayne frowned at Shey. “You can’t think I’ve made the trip to Sirelis completely alone.”
One broad shoulder lifted in a partial shrug. “True. Maybe I was just hoping that you’d returned to me at last.”
An old ache throbbed in Rayne’s heart for the future they could have had together. In the end, Rayne had been the one to end things between them. It had been time for him to return home, to the life he’d been steadily building for himself. If he’d stayed with Shey in Caspagir, he wasn’t sure he would have ever been more than Shey’s boyfriend. As someone from Erya, he was confident members of the National Assembly wouldn’t have trusted him as an advisor.
Shey had always understood, but it didn’t mean that they both weren’t hurt for a time over it. But clinging to old dreams wasn’t going to save anyone’s life or stop the Empire.
“Now is not the time—” Rayne broke off when the door to the room opened and Panu stepped inside carrying a massive tray laden with a couple of plates of seafood pasta, salads, and fresh-baked bread. The man had planned it so that everything was ready at the same time, allowing him to enter the room only once.
“Here you go, Your Highness and Master Laurent.” Panu smiled as he set the food down in front of them. “I hope everything is to your liking. I am just so happy to have you both back in my restaurant.”
“It smells delicious, Panu. Thank you for accommodating us on such short notice,” Shey said with a warm smile.
“Anytime. Anytime at all.” Panu quickly bowed his way out of the room and shut the door behind him, leaving them alone.
Rayne had been introduced to the restaurant and the secret room not long after moving to Sirelis. Panu’s restaurant had been covertly serving the royal family of Caspagir for generations, which was why the restaurant had survived for so long.
Of course, it also had amazing food. Rayne felt only a little guilt when he dug into his salad, trying not to seem like he was stuffing his face in front of the prince. The food since leaving home had been subpar at the best of times. Well, the meal Andy had provided was nice if a bit greasy, and he greatly appreciated her thoughtfulness.
“I’m worried about you, Rayne,” Shey admitted softly.
Rayne shook his head. “I’m fine. Battered and bruised, but fine considering. Tell me about the Empire soldiers.”
Shey nodded. They had to get down to business. “The Empire started attacking the smaller bases along our border with the Ordas about a week before the attack on Erya. They attacked, kicked out our men, and remained inside. Our diplomats met and New Rosanthe promised to make no further inroads into Caspagir.”
“Did you try to attack them?”
“We cleaned out a few, but they returned with stronger forces and retook the bases with even larger casualties. Then they warned us that if we attacked their men again, our fate would be the same as Erya’s. We didn’t know what they were talking about at first, which is why my mother demanded a meeting. She told me that Prince Caelan was being secretly sent to us.” He paused and waved his empty fork in front of him. “Then there was this mess with a train problem and then the Empire’s attack on your capital. When we heard that Caelan was dead, we assumed that he’d returned to the capital because of the problem with the train.”
