The Prince and Mia

n tapestries, embroidered with the golden Klbasian falcon, absorbed the sound, their sharp eyes watching over the room's sole occupant. King Ozzan sat in a polished ebony wheelchair, posit

, retained a sharp, penetrating clarity, the last vestige of the formidable ruler who had guided Klbas for decades. At seventy years, h

it. His dark eyes were shadowed with the weight of the previous night. He was t

soft as he knelt beside the w

f Klbas." He gestured to a cushioned chair, his wheelchair creaking as he shifted. "My time grows short. This chair, these medicines... they are temporary measures against an inevitable tide. I

d. "Father, you're still

eeds a king who can stand tall, not one who is bound to a chair. But you must be ready. You must

s sapphire eyes flashing in his mind. "

iding presence in a silver gown, her dark eyes sharp with purpose. She took a seat opposite Ozzan, her

him, Faya. The throne will soon be his,

rt is distracted by... unwise attachments from the past. An official engagement to Lady Lamar would silence all their doubts. H

heir bloc of council votes," Ozzan said, his v

dens you so love. Tarkan must ascend soon, but an unmarried prince invites chaos and weakness. Lady Lamar is beautiful, poised, a

ely, but his love for his kingdom, his duty to the crown he had worn for forty years, outweighed all else. "You are right,"

Tarkan, who had risen to his feet,

or Klbas, for your future, and for my peace, you will engage yourself to Lady Lam

ambition, but he could not defy his father's plea, weighted as it was with a dyi

ambit for the most precious commodity he could imagine time. "But I ask for one condition. The wedding will be delayed until next

zzan nodded slowly, his wheelchair creaking.

was the key; it was a binding contract. A year's

ed to Lady Lamar?" Myar exclaimed, sitting bolt upright on a velvet settee, her dark curls bouncing. "

eds the kingdom stable before he passes the crown. I couldn't refuse him. Not our father. He's the one who always understood us, who shielded us from Mother's worst amb

ulling her into this game. Mother is ruthle

s fists clenched. "So I h

poised as her hand rested on Tarkan's arm. She was the perfect bride-a mirror showing him everything he was supposed to want. Tarkan, i

e distraction from his frozen heart. His office became his fortress. One afternoon, surrounded by st

rk. These documents require precise and discreet tran

ed. "I will send an inquiry to the p

t the university directly. Request a list of their top ten graduates from the most recent cla

suspicion dawning in his perceptive e

m folder on Tarkan's desk. "The university's

roze, tracing a name that made his breath catch: Mia Ritchard. Number seven, with top marks in diplomatic translation and a glo

hammering heart. "An impressive list. I will need to review their work sa

e when he heard one. "Of course, Your Highness. But may I

king for the most competent person to serve Klbas, Ramzi. That

then nodded, his loyalty masking his de

k into his world, not as a lover, but as a professional. It was logical. It was defensible. His mother could hardly object to him hiring the best. But as he pictured Mia's sapphire eyes in the palace halls again, her golden hair catching t