Chapter 74 — Hearth and Home
The following days settled into a rhythm neither Cairis nor Liora had known in years.
With the immediate threats quiet and the Keystone stable for the moment, they made a deliberate choice: to step away from war rooms and strategy tables and truly see the heart of the kingdom they ruled. Not from thrones or balconies, but from the places where life actually happened.
On the morning of the fourth day of peace, Liora woke with a quiet determination.
"I want to see the kitchens," she told Cairis as they lay tangled in bed, the early red light of dawn filtering through the tall windows. "Not as queen. As someone who wants to understand how this palace actually runs. How our people live when no one is watching."
Cairis propped himself on one elbow, studying her with soft crimson eyes. "Then we go as ourselves. No titles. No guards hovering too close."
