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Wisteria glances up, her purple eyes curiously looking from me to my phone. She starts to back up, but I tighten my grip around her, encouraging her to stay. She doesn’t fight. Instead, she melts into my arms, making me almost miss my dad’s words.
“—Emperor Emrys would like to talk with Wisteria.” Ionly catch the end of his sentence.
“Sorry, what?” I ask.
Dad sighs into the phone, clearly upset about having to repeat himself. “Where is Wisteria?”
“She’s with me. We’re in the back. I was about to give her a driving lesson.”
“Driving lesson?” Another voice asks.
The second voice has me paying greater attention. “What’s going on?”
“Emperor Emrys is here and he needs to speak to us,” Dad explains. “Can the two of you come to my office?”
“Yeah, we’ll be right there.” I end the call, my stomach churning as I wonder what Wisteria’s dad could possibly be doing here.
Wisteria’s purple eyes look up at me. “Where are we going?”
“Emperor Emrys is here. He wants to talk to us.”
“F-f-father is here?” She stutters over her words in a way that only makes her that much more adorable. “What does he want?”
“I don’t know.” I lace her fingers through mine. “Come on, let’s go find out.”
I tug Wisteria with me. I slow my pace when I realize she’s having to run to keep up with me. I glance down at her, seeing purple eyes. She’s back to hiding her emotions, though I don’t think it’s because of me. Does she want to hide the fact that she’s anxious from her dad? The thought makes my stomach tighten.
I stop, right before we walk into the hallway that leads to my dad’s office—far enough away that I know my dad can’t hear us.
“I don’t know why your dad is here, but I’m not going to let him take you away,” I promise her. “You’re never going back to your old life. I will protect you.”
Her eyes flash so fast, I can barely register the color. It’s a light shade of pink, but before I can think to ask about it, they flash back to purple. I look at her, hoping to see the color again, but they stay purple. As we begin walking forward, I wonder about the color. If hot pink means attraction, then what could light pink possibly mean? Still, I don’t dare question her when I’m this close to my dad’s office. I don’t want him to overhear our conversation.
Before I can knock on the door, my dad throws it open, motioning for the two of us to come inside.
Emperor Emrys sits in one of Dad’s oversized chairs, sipping a cup of hot tea—something our staff started stocking when Emperor Emrys started visiting regularly. I tug Wisteria with me toward the couch, ignoring the way my dad’s gaze lingers on our intertwined fingers.
Emperor Emrys looks at us and he chokes on his tea.
Dad makes his way to his chair behind the desk. “Maybe now you can enlighten us on what the point of your mysterious visit is.”
Quicker than I thought possible, Emperor Emrys straightens his face, putting a mask in place. I recognize it because I can see that my wife has done the exact same thing.
If this is what Wisteria’s life was like before, no wonder she was excited to marry a complete stranger. Her entire demeanor and attitude makes so much sense now.
“You two seem to be getting along.” Emperor Emrys looks from Wisteria to our hands and back at her again. “You look happy.”
I can feel her tense at his words, but she doesn’t let go of my hand. “I always thought Poppy had the better lot in life, so I don’t know why you’re surprised I’m happy. Anything is nicer than being at court, though Stellan is better than I ever imagined he would be.”
Knowing that she can’t lie, her words hit me hard.
I think my wife likes me… maybe even loves me.
Is that what light pink means?
Even if she loves me, it doesn’t mean it’s a romantic kind of love. I’m pretty sure her eyes were pink the night of our wedding when she was saying goodbye to her younger brother.
“That is what I am here to talk to you about.” Emperor Emrys puts his cup of tea down and turns his attention toward my dad. “There is news that will likely get out soon and I thought I should be the one to tell you. I hope this won’t cause a rift between our people.” He turns to Wisteria again. “I am afraid the news will hurt you.”
