Before our return, Prince Berik was warned that Valik wanted to marry me, which made my announcement much easier to explain. He cleverly parlayed his mother’s guilt into an agreement that he would be allowed to choose any bride he wanted- within reason-and then wasted no time making his way to Voltera to find my replacement. Although he’s fallen in love a few times, he has yet to decide who he wants to bring home to Arkania. Since, Valik and I have produced an heir and have another on the way, there is no pressure on him to do his royal duty.
Six months after our mating ritual and wedding, Valik and I returned to Azela to welcome our daughter, the future Queen of Arkania, Princess Sarai. She favors her father and grandmother with black hair and gray eyes, but according to my grandfather, she is the spitting image of my mother. We had intended to wait until she was a few years older until we tried for another baby. However, shortly after Sarai’s first birthday, we received a case of Volteran wine from her grandparents and before I knew it, I was hauled off into a cave and pleasantly held hostage until I conceived our son, Prince Eddik. As I said, Prince Valik has his moments.
It is peculiar to me that the place I feared the most wound up being the source of my greatest happiness. I was raised to fear Arkania as the Netherworld—a place of darkness and nightmares. But quite the opposite. It’s a world where my fondest dreams have come to be realized.
The End
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Love & Desire Page 10
