I don’t know what The Queen thinks of me after the incident. I’m a little afraid to ask. But after putting it off for a few days of blissful ignorance, we can’t avoid talking about it any longer. I know she can’t ignore what she learned.

  The Queen sits me down in her room for privacy. We’re in her study this time, the alcove of bookshelves messy as ever. She shuffles around the papers and books to make room for both of us at the table. After frittering for a moment, she finally gathers them all together and shoves them into a corner, giving us a couple inches of table space, for whatever that’s worth.

  She’s not going to send me home—at least for now. That’s what I repeat in my mind over and over again while she holds my gaze.

  “You didn’t really come here because you wanted to,” she begins.

  I swallow and shake my head. A part of me still wishes I could lie and keep up this charade.

  “You volunteered for this marriage because you needed to get out of a bad situation,” she continues. “I could never hold that against you. You don’t owe me an explanation, and I won’t ask you to ever give one again. You did what you had to.”

  It doesn’t feel fair to her. But I keep my mouth shut, tracing the scattered papers crumpled around us with my eyes.

  “I just want to ask you one thing, Ashura.” She lowers her head enough to meet my eyes. “Do you really want to marry me?”

  Do I want to marry her?

  Marry her…

  It’s a terrifying thought. But only because the thought of marriage has brought me nothing but anxiety these past few years, all from the thought of being married to her—of being locked in, no escape.

  But what if I could marry someone else? What if I could marry Lantana?

  I look up at her, examining her face. She clasps her claws together, awaiting my answer patiently.

  Lantana seems kind. And beautiful. And gentle. And maybe just about everything that I need in my life—just about everything I could ever want. But there’s so much I don’t know about her. There’s so much I can’t anticipate. She’s a dragon. She’s a fully-fledged monarch. She’s confident, and she seems to know what she wants.

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  Against my immediate urges, I tell her the truth. “I don’t know yet.”

  Lantana gives me a soft smile. “That’s okay.”

  Really?

  I don’t know how it’s okay. I could be wasting both our time.

  “What I’m really wondering, I suppose, is do you still want to try?” She straightens in her seat. “After all, it’s not normal for someone to be confident in marriage after such a short time. But given your circumstances, are you still willing to…” She tilts her head, one ear tipping up and the other one tipping down.

  It’s a little bit adorable.

  “...Date me, I suppose?”

  I absorb her words. “Against what other option?”

  “If you say no, I won’t force you to go anywhere,” she rushes, sensing my unspoken question. “If you decline, I understand fully. In that case, I can provide you with a place anywhere within my kingdom. You can have any job, live in any community, even work in this castle if you’d like. And if that’s not enough, I can provide you with travel funds, and you may go to another land, though that’s as much as I could help you if you left.” She takes a breath. “What I mean is, whatever you choose, I will make sure you’re safe.”

  Safe. Imagine that. Well, going to another land is hardly an option. When word gets out I’ve left the dragon kingdom, I wouldn’t put it past Rosalind to track me down. Perhaps she’ll have me thrown in a dungeon—or worse.

  So, what would life be like, living in Lereon-Siv? The only human for miles? I’ll have all the struggles I face here, only she won’t be around to protect me from immediate danger, whatever danger that might be.

  I should stay close to her, and within the castle. At the very least, I know she has my best interests at heart. It’s kind of nice knowing there’s someone who does, after years of my brother being my only real companion. But how close? Could we remain friends? Should we?

  She looks at me, waiting again. She must have unmatched patience, while my mind is busy flipping through all the scenarios.

  I know what I need to ask. “Well, what do you want me to do?”

  “I want you to be where you’re happy.”

  Of course she would say that. “What I mean is, would you like it if I stayed with you?” I start fidgeting with a stray piece of paper on the table, crumpling its edge while I talk. “Or would you rather find another human?”

  Almost like she was waiting for me to ask, she says, “I would really like you to stay.”

  I look up at her, surprised.

  She shrinks a little in her seat sheepishly. “I’ve enjoyed the time we’ve had together. I feel—I feel something when I’m around you, and I don’t think that’s been the case for any other humans. Ashura, you have me intrigued, and not just by your atypical reason for coming here. I would love to get to know you better.”

  Oh. I wasn’t expecting that. I fix my eyes on the paper again.

  “Well, in that case,” I take an uncertain breath, “Could we still try to make this work?”

  Lantana brightens. “Yes! Of course!” She holds out her claw. “Let’s restart, then. My name is Lantana, Queen of the Dragons. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

  I tentatively take her claw, momentarily distracted by the softness of her fur. “I’m Ashura. Just a human prince trying his best.”

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