Kaelen's POV
I stood in the line with the other men, the sun beating down on my neck. My leather vest was hot, but I kept my face blank. Bored, even. Like this whole thing was beneath me.
I was only half-listening when Captain Varrus called my name. I'd come to this tryout because I needed work. The royal guard paid better than anything else in the city, and I was running low on coin. Simple as that.
"Kaelen! A skilled fighter!"
I stepped forward, already thinking about how much gold they'd pay me per month, when—
She looked up.
And I froze.
No.
No way.
That wasn't possible.
But it was. Standing on that balcony, wearing a crown that probably cost more than my entire life, was Lara.
Lara. The shy, blushing girl from the Wandering Gardens. The "tourist" who'd stammered and giggled and came apart in my arms three nights ago.
Except... she wasn't Lara at all.
She was Queen Elara of Dravara.
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing out loud.
This was insane. This was perfect. This was the universe playing the cruelest, funniest joke in history.
She'd lied to me. The whole time. While I was being honest about who I was, she was pretending to be some innocent girl seeing the kingdom for the first time. "I'm a tourist," she'd said with those big, innocent blue eyes.
A tourist. Right. A tourist with a palace and a crown.
Part of me wanted to be angry. But mostly? I was impressed. And very, very amused.
I watched her face as she recognized me. Watched the color drain from her cheeks. Watched her eyes go wide with pure panic.
Oh, this was going to be fun.
I kept my expression neutral. Professional. Like I had no idea who she was. I gave her a small bow, playing the perfect soldier.
She looked terrified. Like she thought I'd planned the whole thing. Like I'd somehow known she was the princess and seduced her on purpose.
The thought almost made me smirk. If only she knew. If only she knew that I'd been just as drunk as her. That I'd woken up alone and confused, wondering why the pretty girl had run away before sunrise. That I'd spent the last three days thinking about the way she'd whispered my name in the dark.
And now here she was. The queen.
My one-night stand was the queen.
Then she pointed right at me.
"Him," she said. Her voice was strong, but I could hear the slight shake underneath. "I choose him. Sir Kaelen."
I raised an eyebrow. Interesting choice, Your Majesty.
The advisors behind her started protesting. Some old man was shaking his head, saying something about loyalty and trust. But she didn't back down. She kept her eyes on me, her jaw tight.
She was choosing me to control me. To keep me close. Make sure I never talked about our night together.
Smart girl.
Captain Varrus grabbed my arm and pulled me out of line. "Lucky bastard," he muttered.
Yeah. Lucky. That was one word for it.
They led me through the palace. Gave me a uniform, dark blue with silver buttons. Told me to report to the queen's sitting room in an hour.
An hour to prepare myself. An hour to figure out how to handle this.
Because this was... complicated. The girl I'd spent one perfect night with was now my queen. My employer. The woman I was sworn to protect.
And she clearly thought I was some kind of threat.
When a severe-looking old woman came to collect me, she walked me through endless hallways. Finally, she stopped at a large wooden door and knocked three times.
"Enter," came the voice from inside.
I walked in. The room was smaller than I expected. Cozy, almost. A fireplace, soft chairs, a desk by the window. And there, standing by that window with her back to me, was Elara.
She'd changed out of that heavy coronation gown. This dress was simpler, though still obviously expensive. Deep green silk that made her hair look like spun gold. Her hair was still pinned up, but loose pieces were falling around her neck.
That neck. I remembered kissing it. Remembered the little sound she'd made when I'd bitten down gently on that soft skin.
Focus, Kaelen.
"Your Majesty," I said, my voice smooth. "I'm here as you commanded."
She didn't turn around. Just stood there, staring out the window like she could pretend I wasn't in the room.
The silence stretched. I could see her shoulders tense.
Finally, she spoke. "Leave us."
The old woman behind me made a strangled sound. "Your Majesty, I don't think—"
"He is my personal guard," Elara cut her off, her voice sharp. "His entire job is to stay by my side. Now leave. Close the door behind you."
The old woman looked like she wanted to argue, but one look at Elara's face and she bowed stiffly. The door clicked shut.
And then it was just us.
I waited. Counted to ten in my head. Patient.
Slowly, Elara turned around. Her face was pale, her blue eyes hard as ice. But I could see the fear underneath. The uncertainty.
"So," she said, her voice tight. "Kaelen."
I gave her a slow smile. "Your Majesty. Or should I call you Lara?"
Her eyes flashed with anger. "You will not call me that. Ever."
"Touchy," I murmured, taking a step closer. She went rigid but didn't back away. "Though I have to say, I prefer you when you're not wearing a crown. You were much more... relaxed three nights ago."
"Stop," she hissed.
"Stop what?" I asked innocently. "Stop remembering? Stop thinking about how you tasted? Stop hearing the way you moaned my name when I—"
"Enough!" Her face flushed bright red. She glanced nervously at the door. "Someone could hear you!"
"The door is closed," I pointed out. "And I'm your guard. We're allowed to be alone together. In fact, it's expected."
She wrapped her arms around herself, like she was trying to hold herself together. "You planned this. You knew who I was that night. You seduced me on purpose."
There it was. The accusation I'd been waiting for.
I laughed. Couldn't help it.
"You think this is funny?" she demanded.
"A little, yeah." I crossed my arms, leaning against the wall. "You're standing here accusing me of lying when you're the one who lied about everything."
"I had to!"
"Had to?" I raised an eyebrow. "Had to pretend to be someone else? Had to give me a fake name? Had to let me think you were just a normal girl when you're actually the queen?"
Her mouth opened. Closed. "I... it wasn't like that."
"Then what was it like?" I pushed off the wall, closing the distance between us. Not too close. Just close enough to make her nervous. "Because from where I'm standing, you wanted one night where you didn't have to be the princess. One night to be normal. And I gave you that. I was honest about who I was. Can you say the same?"
She bit her lip, and damn if that didn't send heat straight through me. Same lip I'd bitten. Same lip that had been against my skin.
"I don't believe you," she said finally. "How do I know you weren't hired to ruin me? To... to seduce the princess before her coronation and destroy her reputation?"