The Dragon Bride | ✔️

Chapter Thirty-Three

Kora's POV

"Kora? What're you doing here right now?"

Marisol its down beside me, her dazzling Concubine gown flowing around her gorgeously.

I sigh, "I don't even know anymore,"

"Well, your sea monster steak and blubber has gone cold," she tells me, poking it with a spare fork experimentally.

I shrug, "I'm not hungry anymore,"

"What're those letters you've got there?"

"Oh, they're from Zac,"

"Ooh!" Marisol smiles warmly, "I didn't know he wrote you letters! I'd love to meet him, Kora. Will he visit again?"

"Maybe, although he'd have to bring along his little cousin,"

"Ooh, shall I tell the other empresses?"

"No, no. They'll all ambush him when he arrives, and the last thing I want is for him to get interrogated by the palace's most influential women," I say quickly.

Marisol nods knowingly, "I can tell Velia, though, can't I?"

I hesitate, but then relent. "Yes. But only her,"

Marisol smiles, and then begins to list her own cousins to me, one by one. And there's a lot of them. House Doran does not lack, clearly.

I tune her out after a while, dissolving into my own thoughts. It only occurs to me possibly half an hour later – when Marisol is still not finished talking – that I should probably write back to him.

"I'm going to write back to Zac now,"

"Who?"

"My- er, friend," I stammer.

"Oh, Zac!" Marisol laughs, "Right of course. OK. I'll be on my way then. See you later, Kora,"

"See you,"

Marisol hesitantly leaves, finally leaving me alone to write my reply. I take a deep breath as I reach for the pen on the table. How do I go about this?

After some time, I'm finished.

I fold the letter and slip it into the same envelope he used, ripping off the stamp and address, applying some fairy dust onto it instead. That should do it.