Chapter 164. You Were Always Mine

Xerina’s POV

My father, however, was less optimistic. “If he doesn’t come to his senses soon, he’ll be of no use to us in the fight against Valeria.”

“Father…” I began, but he cut me off. “You do believe me right. Valeria is my sister. Well, she was.”

Papa looked at me and nodded after a while. “I do not doubt the gods, sweetheart. I do believe you and Rasmus’s already hurt you enough, Xerina. Don’t be a fool by waiting for him to remember some half-buried past while Valeria is out there scheming.” His voice was sharp, tinged with the protective instinct that had always been a part of him. “You need warriors at your side, not a man who can’t decide if he wants to stand with you or against you. There is a war nearing.”

I stiffened at his words, my heart twisting painfully. “Rasmus isn’t my enemy,” I said quietly. “He’s confused. He’s been through hell, just like I have.”

“And that’s exactly why we can’t afford to trust him,” my father retorted, hi