Chapter 162: Protect

My heart threatens to beat out of my chest the moment the king begins his grand descent down the stairs, and it's not because of him. No, it's because of the person he has on his arm, the one figure I've dreamt of night after endless night for the past two years. My beloved star.

The world narrows to just him, and for a moment, it's as if time itself has come to a halt. He's even more beautiful than I remember, and the sight of him steals the breath from my lungs. Those familiar, gentle green eyes are scanning the crowd, searching with an urgency that makes me want to cry out, to shout for him, to tell him I'm here.