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There she is.
She is clearly submissive and not very strong-willed. I can tell it from her posture and from the way her eyes are always cast downwards.
She is almost… meek.
She is exactly who I want. What I want.
Thoughts of Krista vanish from my mind as I walk back into the palace and watch the construction on the armory, which is on the lowest floor of the palace.
It’s a damned good thing that we do place a lot of stock in how our buildings look because this place looks horrendous.
I hand my kaffo mug to a servant who appears at my side. A warm, full mug of kaffo reappears in my hand seconds later, and I inhale deeply before I drink the bitter, decadent liquid.
The construction to expand the armory is making this side of the palace look oddly shaped, but there is nothing to be done about it.
Besides, the King, Queen, and the rest of the royal family do not care.
It seems that I am the only one who cares that a war is coming.
Which is why you do not have time for a cute little human girl. You have to focus on protecting Lodra. That is the only thing that should be on your mind.
I walk back up to my office, finishing the kaffo before I get there, and place the mug on the side table in the office, which is also covered with empty mugs and plates that have not been picked up by the servants yet.
Another letter has arrived from one of my spies in Lodra’s neighboring kingdom of Kario, and my heart sinks to the depths of my stomach as I read the contents.
More unrest has sparked across the kingdom of Kario, and it has been inflamed by unrest in Marzula, another kingdom neighboring Lodra.
“And this is why I am the only one without a mate. Because I am the only one left with sense to protect this kingdom,” I mutter to myself as I start to write a reply.
It is a good thing that I do not mind being alone. All I need to do is focus on fortifying Lodra, and hopefully convincing the royal family to do something before everything goes to shit.
I spend the rest of the day coordinating the training of the latest additions to the royal guard. I also spend a lot of time making lists of the weapons I want to commission from Irian.
We need advancements in the weapons we use because I am quite sure that swords and knives will not be enough if every other kingdom in Nagaland comes descending on Lodra.
“Maybe I need to ask Rory or Lorelai for help with their magic. Maybe if we can add their magic to the weapon-making process…”
But I know I could never ask either of them for that kind of help. Not now when they’re both so happy.
I am still in my office past midnight. I go stand by the office window just as the clock strikes one in the morning, and I see her, walking back to the palace from the smithy.
There she is.
3
KRISTA
“Fuck.”
I can’t stop the expletive from slipping out as I scrape my right hand against the burning hot edge of the furnace.
That’s going to leave a bruise. I think it’s already bleeding. But I am not dismayed, as I know I should be.
I slow down, coming to a stop as the pain, intertwined with the nearly agonizing heat, travels from my arm and settles pleasantly in the center of my chest.
I must be crazy,I think tiredly to myself as I turn back to the furnace and stoke the flames.
I am alone in the smithy. For the first time, Irian has instructed me to run the smithy for the day. The rest of the naga who work in the smithy with me, along with Irian, are working in the armory.
