Yue-Senn Tokio Kageyama POV

The sun hadn’t even breached the horizon, and I had already spent four hours trying to kill the memory of her. I’d torn through the training yard until my knuckles were raw, stood under a stream of ice-cold water until my skin turned blue, and paced the perimeter of the inn like a caged animal. Nothing worked.

Every time I closed my eyes, I felt the phantom weight of her leg hooked over my shoulder. I heard that soft, broken moan vibrate against my throat, and I felt the terrifyingly innocent curiosity of her touch. It was haunting.

I was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the floorboards, when a sharp knock shattered the silence.

Get it together, I hissed at myself, delivering a sharp slap to my own cheek. She is just a princess. A means to an end. A political bridge to the throne you’ve wanted your entire life. Stop acting like a boy who’s never seen a girl before.

"Enter," I growled, my voice sounding like it had been dragged through gravel.

Ki-ri, my right-hand man, stepped into the room. He didn’t even look at me as he strode over to the windows, throwing the heavy velvet curtains wide. The morning light felt like a physical assault on my retinas.

"Time to wake up, my King," Ki-ri said, his tone annoyingly efficient.

"We have a wedding to plan in a fraction of the usual time. Plus, word was just sent from King Vhaelor."

I felt a muscle in my jaw twitch. "And?"

"The King was very specific," Ki-ri continued, pulling a scroll from his belt.

"There is to be no communication between you and the Princess Ryophlira until the day of the ceremony. No letters and no visits. All commucation will be handled through him and the Queen personally."

Fuck.

I dropped my head into my hands. Vhaelor I am sure had seen the mark I left on her neck. A father with the power of an earthquake at his fingertips wasn’t just protecting her reputation he was warning me that my head was currently on a very thin chopping block.

"Fine," though my mind was already racing, calculating every guard rotation and shadow in the Vhaelor palace. If the King thought a few extra guards and a decree of silence would keep me away, he had forgotten what kind of man I was.

I stood from the bed, the sheets rustling a sound that immediately brought back the sensation of her skin against mine. Between my legs my dick harden again this time it returned with a vengeance.

"Ki-ri," I called out as I headed toward the washroom for my third cold bath of the morning.

"Yes, my King?"

"Get started on the arrangements. I want the finest of everything, the strongest steel, and the most impenetrable security we have." I paused at the door, my hand gripping the frame so hard the wood groaned.

"And while you’re at it, find me a goddamn cure for this I gestured down to my fully waken dick. Because if I have to spend the next thirteen days like this, I might actually burn this city down myself."

Ki-ri didn’t even crack a smile, though I knew he was judging me.

"there is only but one cure you need Sire and it seems she is currently off limits to you." His tone mocked me. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

I slammed the door shut. The water was freezing, but it wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough.