Chapter 167: Chapter 167 

~ ROWAN

I felt more relieved coming out of my meeting with Jeremiah than I did coming in.

With his ominous announcement, I thought there was a problem, or something else had resurfaced but it turned out that it was merely some pack work that needed my attention.

I was peeved at my breakfast being interrupted, but it was the push I needed to actually wrap up the shit ton of work that had gathered on my desk.

A mating ceremony was no small feat, and there was a lot of bureaucratic red tape that I needed to deal with, like informing the council and sending out unofficial announcements. Normally, it wouldn’t be that much of a bother, but with the message I received from the council a few weeks ago, I felt a strange wave of emotion in my stomach.

They couldn’t refuse, neither could they interfere directly, but I still couldn’t help but be wary that there was more to be afraid of.

After a few hours of paper work and signing documents, I mind linked Aria. “How are things going on your end?”

She groaned immediately. “Horrible. We still haven’t been able to do shit. I’m thinking of calling it a day because we’re all exhausted.”

I glanced at the clock and frowned. “It isn’t even three yet.”

“Exactly, but I think Nyssa is at her wit’s end. She barely looked at the color palettes for the floral arrangements. She told me to do whatever.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“It isn’t funny, Rowan,” Aria snapped. “This is important. Goddess, I don’t know who is worse—you or her. You’re not taking this seriously.”

“I am, trust me, but perhaps you’re too focused on things being perfect.”

“It’s meant to be perfect.”

I rolled my eyes at my sister.

She’d always been a bit of a perfectionist, which was ironic considering that she was the most disorganized person that I knew.

“Where are you now?”

“Not far from the palace… why?”

“Don’t move. I’m on my way.”

I still had a lot of work to do, but a little break never hurt anyone.

I met them in a little flower garden a few minutes away from the town. It was smack dab in the middle of the distance between the palace and the town and it truly was beautiful with wildflowers growing in heaps around the walkway and a beautiful flower arch.

Nyssa sat cross legged on a steel chair, a pink drink in her hands. She sipped quietly, her eyes distant as she stared in front of her. She didn’t even notice me approach, not until I took the seat next to her.

“I hope I’m not intruding.”

She jumped at the sound of my voice. “Fucking hell, Rowan! You scared me. What are you doing here?”

“I figured we could use a moment.”

She glanced around, frowning when she realized that we were alone. “Where are the others?”

“Gone. They left as soon as I arrived.”

She watched me with a raised brow. “Aria called you, didn’t she?”

“Actually, I called her, but she did mention that it wasn’t going as planned.” I stood to my feet, holding my hand out to her as I did. “Come on, let’s take a break, hm?”

She didn’t hesitate before taking my hand as she stood. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

To my utter shock, she didn’t ask where we were going once. She sipped on her drink quietly in the passenger side of my car. Sitting with her was beautifully intimate. We didn’t have to speak, the silence was enough for us.

“Why is this a surprise?” she asked as we approached the house. “I’ve been here before… twice actually.”

My lips curled into a small smile. “You’ll see.”

“If there’s some kind of secret tunnel in this house—”

“None that I know of,” I told her quickly. “Just be patient.”

She rolled her eyes at me but didn’t say a word, choosing instead to lean back into the seat, her hands folded neatly in her lap. I parked the car into the driveway and stepped out quietly, holding a hand out for her as she did so as well.

“Why are we here, Rowan?” she asked softly. “Don’t get me wrong, I love being here—”

“Do you really?” I asked and she nodded.

“Of course. It’s peaceful and I don’t feel watched here unlike at the palace.”

Her answered assured me that I’d made the right choice. I exhaled deeply, pulling out the keys from my pocket and handing it to her.

She stared at it with a slight frown. “What is that?”

“The keys… well, your keys. You’ll need them to get in when I’m not around.”

Her brows knitted in confusion, her head cocking to the side as she stared. “I don’t understand.”

“Unless of course you’d like to wait for me to pick you up after work every day. You might have to wait a little because you finish before I do and I work in the palace while you work at the office—”

“Pause,” she cut me off. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that we’re going to be living here. We both hate the palace.”

“But—I thought… isn’t the royal family supposed to be living there?”

I shrugged. “I’m the King, I can do whatever the fuck I want.”

She stared at me in shock, her mouth opening and closing in disbelief. She stared down at the key in my hands and just when I thought she’d take them, she threw herself into my arms and kissed me.

Her lips were soft but insistent, and I wasted no time in wrapping my arms around her and kissing her back.

“Let’s do it here!” she said as she pulled back. “The mating ceremony.”

“Are you sure?” I asked and she nodded.

“It’s the perfect place and the perfect start… our home.”

I couldn’t help but smile as I kissed her once more. “I like the sound of that.”

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