Ride to the seven kingdoms: Lilly of the Nile.

Chapter 41

***

  The moon hung high in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the castle grounds. Its light filtered through the tall windows of the princess’s chamber, where Cecelia sat by the window, lost in her tumultuous thoughts. The return of Grayson had shattered her peace, and her heart was a storm of conflicting emotions.

  Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Cecelia tensed, her eyes narrowing as she sensed who it might be. Before she could respond, the door creaked open, and Grayson stepped into the room, his expression unreadable in the dim light.

  “Cecelia.." He began softly, but she immediately rose from her seat, her eyes blazing with anger.

“What are you doing here?!" She demanded, her voice trembling with a mixture of rage and pain. “I told you I didn’t want to see you!”

  Grayson took a step closer, his hands raised in a placating gesture. “I just wanted to check up on you, to make sure you’re alright.”

  Cecelia scoffed, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. “Check up on me? After everything you’ve done, you think you can just waltz back into my life and pretend to care?”

  “Cecelia, please, just hear me out.” Grayson pleaded, but she cut him off, her voice rising in anger.

  “No! I don’t want to hear your excuses or your reasons. I saw you die in my arms, Grayson! You were buried right in front of me. And now you’re back, expecting me to just accept it? How could you do this to me?”

  Grayson stepped closer, his expression earnest. "It’s not what you think. I never meant to hurt you."

  "Then why did you?" Her voice cracked, and she looked away, trying to hide the tears that were threatening to fall. "I saw you die, Grayson. I held you in my arms. How are you here now?"

  He sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. "It’s a long story, but you deserve to know. After that night, I was left for dead, but I wasn’t. The prime minister found me. He saved me using the Flower of Kashniea. It brought me back from the brink, but it wasn’t without its cost."

  Cecelia’s eyes narrowed. "And you expect  me to believe that?"

  Grayson nodded. "Yes, because it’s the truth. The prime minister took me in, helped me recover. He became my guardian, my mentor. I owe him my life, but I never stopped thinking about you, Cecelia. About the way things ended between us."

  Grayson’s face contorted with guilt and pain as he listened to her words. “I know I’ve hurt you, Cecelia. I know what I did was unforgivable, but you have to understand—”

  “Understand what?” She interrupted, her eyes flashing with fury. “That you betrayed me? That you used me? That you were part of a plot that nearly destroyed everything I cared about? You broke my heart, Grayson. Do you have any idea how much I loved you?”

  Her voice cracked on the last word, and tears welled up in her eyes. Grayson felt his own heart break at the sight of her pain. He took another step towards her, his hands trembling.

  “Cecelia, I was a fool. I was blinded by anger and jealousy. I thought I could use you to get what I wanted, but I was wrong. I never realized how much you meant to me until it was too late.”

  Cecelia shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You don’t get to say that now. You don’t get to come back into my life and pretend that everything is okay. I was devastated, Grayson. I was heartbroken. And now, seeing you again, it’s like all those wounds are being torn open.”