Chapter 65

Ronan’s POV

Soft, gentle melodies drifted through the castle, stirring me from my slumber. It was familiar, this ritual of awakening—how I had risen every birthday since my earliest years, how every monarch before me had been roused, and how those who would follow would greet their day. Yet today felt different. Today, I had the privilege of drawing close to the most exquisite person I had ever seen.

My hand rested lightly on her slender waist as I bent over her. Golden locs framed her serene face; long lashes cast delicate shadows beneath her closed eyelids, and she seemed so peaceful, so vulnerable. A fierce desire to protect her—and to hold her ever nearer—surged through me, and my fingers tightened on her.

By nightfall, most of her troubles would vanish. After tonight’s grand celebration, we would attend the trial of that buffoon Malrik and the treacherous Virella. With my mother’s influence and my own, they would both face the executioner’s blade. I wou