Chapter 237: An Arrow To The Heart
[ Loraven ]
It was the morning of Selvin’s and Osian’s departure. They were leaving at first light with King Thalinal and his guards. The evening before, Loraven remained with Selvin despite her mother’s warnings. Leaving him was more challenging than she initially thought it would be.
That night they didn’t even take advantage of each other’s bodies. They cuddled and spoke of anything and everything. It was more intimate than removing their clothes. Only Selvin was able to break down the icy walls she’d built. Only Selvin was the one to see how she really was.
It was the last she would see of him. Loraven knew that. Though she had no intention of marrying Prince Theoden of the wild fae, she knew Selvin had to marry another. Even thinking about it caused a ripping feeling in her chest, like her heart was being pulled apart. It was like nothing she’d ever felt before.
It both disturbed the Lyvarian princess and saddened her. Loraven couldn’t say it aloud. But in one fleeting week, her heart only beat for one man. She’d fallen for him. Now the only thing she could do to ensure he stayed safe and had a happy life was to remove herself from it.
When Selvin’s breaths grew heavy with sleep, Loraven slipped out of his hold after steadying her own breaths. She left his chambers with tear-filled eyes, a hand over her mouth to smother the sob trying to escape from the root of her being. But her eyes landed on an unexpected figure lurking in the darkness.
Osian.
Loraven held his gaze for a moment, hoping her tears would dissipate. Instead, they trickled from her eyes, and she forced herself to look away.
No one else had ever seen her so vulnerable. They would never again, either.