Kace Holland

"Just sign here and it'll be finalized." The lawyer used his pen and pressed on the bottom line.

Odaya released her breath. Shakily, she lifted her hand toward the line.

I already signed it long before she got the documents. It was only a matter of time before this separation, yet it didn't make it any easier. Watching her struggle with it burned my heart.

Oddly enough, it was satisfying. Her feelings right now were the same I experienced for months.

It was no surprise I didn't love her. How could someone love another that didn't love them? Personally, if someone didn't love me, then I couldn't love them. Selfish—I knew that—but it was the truth.

"Are you sure?" she whispered so low that only I could hear.

I didn't need to contemplate it further. "Just sign it."

"But are you sure?"

"This might be the only thing I've ever been sure about, Odaya." That was cruel to say, but again, it was honest. I rested a finger on the line. "Now sign it."

And she did. A singular tear came down.

The lawyer took the document and put it into a folder. "I'll run this into the archives," he said as he handed a handkerchief to Odaya.

She was seriously crying right now? Rolling my eyes, I leant back and crossed my arms. "If there's nothing else, I'll go," I stated.

Odaya turned and shot me a glare. Ignoring her and the lawyer's silence, I jolted from the chair and walked out the room.

I had cried enough over her, so seeing her like that was refreshing. I wanted her to boil herself inside out. I wanted her organs to feel like they were ice. That was how I felt every day with her. My lip curled up at the thought of her experiencing exactly what I did.

I told her I would do this. Did she think I loved her enough to handle her lies? Her deception? Pathetic. If there was one thing I wouldn't put up with, it was liars.

The only reason I didn't have her killed was because she was my wife and I was nothing like my father. I wouldn't kill someone for lying—I'd simply ruin their life and laugh. If I couldn't be enough for someone, I'd show them how empty they'd be without me.

Perhaps my father hated me for not killing her. Maybe that was part of the reason I didn't; King Lius should stew in anger at me and watch my life fall apart. He did this to me, so it was his problem.

Guards whispered as I passed by them. Sending each one a well-deserved glare, I continued toward the dining hall. I missed dinner for that conference.

It wasn't like I would've ate. Actually, I would probably eat more now that the vixen wasn't watching me from under her lashes.

These thoughts needed to cease.

Food was already set in a small area of the table. Taking a seat, I shoveled food onto my plate and poured myself a nice, cool glass of wine.

Right as I began spooning my onion soup, a butler began pacing around. This wouldn't have bothered me if it wasn't for his constant glancing out the door.

"Is there a problem?" I muttered, setting my spoon down.

The butler spun so fast he almost tangled himself in the nearby curtain. People were gradually annoying me today, it seemed.

"No... Sorry, Prince Kace," the butler, ever so sharp, decided to stand still.

I returned my attention to my soup and took a spoonful before I witnessed another pitiful attempt at him trying to discreetly look out into the corridor.

"So there's clearly a problem. Is there a rat somewhere?" I mumbled, pushing away my plate.

"I'm sorry, Prince Kace."

"Tell me why you keep looking out into the corridor."

"It really isn't a big issue—"

I lifted a single brow.

The butler shuffled in his spot. A few seconds passed before he cleared his throat and adjusted his coat. "Someone missed dinner earlier today. She hasn't came to eat for days, Prince Kace."

"And how is that my problem?"

His hands went up in defense. "It's not your problem, Prince Kace. It hardly matters. She usually helps us in the kitchen while making the food, but she hasn't showed up," he clarified, shrugging a shoulder.

"Is it a staff member?" They all knew how I felt about slackers.

"No, no."

"Spit it out, then. Who is it? I'll take care of it."

"It doesn't matter, Prince—"

"It matters if my dinner time is interrupted," I bit out. Not only was it my dinner time, but today the chefs made lokma. Whoever this imbecile thought they were was going to seriously regret this.

"Princess Senna, Prince Kace."

The wine lodged in my throat. The butler rushed behind me and pounded my back to clear the alcohol from my lung.

"Did..." I took a deep breath in, trying not to storm into Princess Senna's room and snatch her by her hair. "Are you sure it's her?"

He nodded almost regretfully.

"Why the hell does she cook with you?"

"She demanded us to let her, Prince Kace. She was bored and her company was nice."

Was the food poisoned all along?

"We are so sorry, Prince Kace. If you don't like that, we'll tell her to not help us anymore. I mean, she already stopped helping and eating, so I think that should do it, right? She doesn't deserve to be yelled at."

"You think I'm going to yell at her?" It wasn't an unlikely assumption. Hell, I might yell at her for interrupting my dinner.

Except she didn't eat? That woman usually cleaned her plate off all the food. Suddenly, the situation was a bit heavier to listen to.

"No, no! I wasn't implying you would yell—"

Regretfully, I slid my chair back and straightened my collar. "Is she in her room?"

I took his silence as an affirmation. Princess Senna has weaseled her into my dinner time, and unfortunately for her, I wasn't appreciating it. On top of establishing a routine with my staff, she decided to just ghost them.

She ruined their mood and she ruined mine. I marched out the dining hall and toward her room. The scolding today was going to be amazing. It'll teach her to not interact with my staff—and my life.

She was bored? That was rather amusing. I'd give her entertainment right when I got there.

And I was there. In front of that little vixen's door. A memory of me standing here many nights ago came and vanished.

No, I was mad. I was supposed to be mad.

I gestured the guards away from the door and knocked. There was shuffling inside, then silence. Then nothing.

I knocked again. "Open the door."

Nothing.

"I'll open it myself, then." I grasped the handle and quickly realized it was locked. "Okay, well, I'll have it broken down," I corrected.

There was a low curse behind the door. Before I could reprimand her, the knob jolted and the door flung open.

"I was getting ready to bust the door down," I stated, walking into her room. Her eyes followed me in and I sat on the chair of her desk. Documents were spread out everywhere. "You should organize this."

She shrugged and sat on the edge of her bed.

"What, no smart reply?" I muttered, taking a document between my fingers. "Someone must've drugged you."

"I'm fine."

Hardly. Her hair was tangled and tied up, clothes thrown everywhere, and her eye bags were more prominent than usual. "You've been helping the kitchen staff with food. Why?"

"I was bored."

"Seriously?" I didn't think I whispered that out loud.

"Prince Kace, is there a problem? Do you want to ship me off or throw me in prison?"

"What?" I dropped the document and slid to the edge of my chair. "The hell are you talking about?"

She shook her head and shrugged. Her eyes gravitated lower on my body, lingering in some places longer than others. Immediately my body wanted to curl into a tight ball. Another part of me enjoyed seeing her stare. She must've been concentrating, because her lips folded in and her hands grasped her bedsheets.

God, my chest was getting unbearable. The heaviness of it, I meant.

Her eyes glossed. "Nothing, Prince Kace. I'm sorry I interrupted your dinner."

Her eyes glossed. I took a stride closer to her, not taking my eyes off her wrist, her fingers, her neck, her hair... everything. Was she scared? Was that why the butler thought I'd yell at her? "Why haven't you been eating?" The question flew out uncontrollably.

"I do eat—"

"Bullshit. The butler told me you haven't for days."

As I took another step closer, her breathing became louder. Nearly unbearable. "I don't understand what you want right now."

"Why haven't you eaten?"

"Because." And then she shrugged.

"Shrug one more time and I'll tie your shoulder down," I grounded, finally stopping in front of her. Her gaze stayed at my foot. "Look at my eyes when I'm talking to you."

"Prince Kace, please leave me alone."

"Like hell I will. Lift your eyes up, Princess Senna." She didn't.

Fine. She wanted to be stubborn? I was more stubborn than her. I crouched down and latched my hand around her wet chin. "I'll eat if you go," she whispered.

"Are you crying?" The words came out hoarser than I intended.

"No, I just washed my face—"

Lifting her face up, two tears fell. "God, you're crying. What happened?"

"Kace, I said I was fine," she said, her voice harsher than before.

Defensive, huh? "I'll find out what happened and you know it. Tell me or—"

"Kace, enough." She yanked my hand off her and scrambled up from the bed. "Get out. Don't come here again."

"I don't think you quite understand, Princess Senna." She didn't realize I was behind her until she turned and yelped. "I'll get information out from the guards. They hear everything. Mallor will tell me."

She wiped away her tears and turned around, yet she had no where to go. In front of her was a desk, behind her was me. And I wasn't moving until she told me.

Stubborn met stubborn. I would not have a guest of the king crying in my palace over trivial matters that could be resolved. Princess Senna was logical, so her crying must...

It was something serious. "Tell me. I'm not moving until you say."

Her face was away from mine, but the documents on her desk got wetter and wetter as the seconds ticked by. She wasn't going to say.

Whatever happened was serious. Whoever did this... "Fine, don't tell me. How can I get you to calm down?"

"You're bombarding me with questions... Kace, please, just go."

"I'm not leaving until you speak. I'll figure out what happened, but right now I need you to stop crying. This..." I trailed my hands over her shoulders and tightened my grip. "I'll bring my dinner here until you stop crying. Tell me what you need and it's yours."

"I'm so sorry," she mumbled.

"You didn't do anything. Look at me"—she wasn't going to, so I spun her around toward me—"my dinner isn't important."

"You already don't eat, Kace. Please go eat—"

"Shut up." I stepped back from her and jeered the door open. "Get two plates of dinner here. Quickly, men!" They all whizzed away, and I turned back toward her.

She shook her head. "I'll throw up if I eat anything right now."

"I'll wipe it up.  You're eating."

"Kace—"

"No, don't protest. I'm not listening until you've eaten."

A knock. I opened the door and the butler wheeled in a cart of food. For some reason he was smiling like an idiot. "Thank you," Princess Senna called out, and he waved at her before leaving.

"You two are friends?" I asked, pulling a chair for her.

She nodded and gave a strangled smile. "He's sweet."

"Annoying, too," I said under my breath. "Come here. Sit."

We ate in silence for a long time. Sometimes she'd pause, but I'd tap her plate to remind her to eat. Other times she'd stare up at me with her serpent eyes and I swore my body was getting eviscerated by a cobra. Even after crying she could still suffocate me with her eyes.

Like it was an automatic instinct, I raked her head to upper chest with my gaze. Her hair was frizzing around. Maybe she just showered. Maybe she should pull her hair tie out and let her hair fall.

Not the time.

"Kace."

She was staring at me. Did she see me watching her?  "Yes?" I quickly said, covering my ridiculous charade of a stalker.

"Could you do something for me?"

I blinked. "Like what?"

She slid her fork onto the napkin and glanced toward a shelf. Why was I getting nauseous at her avoidance of the question? "I don't want Mallor to be my personal guard."

It was my turn to drop my fork. "Did he do something?"

"Could you just keep him away from us, please?"

"'Us'?" My brows scrunched as I leaned forward, then backward, then scanned the room. "Did he do something?"

"No," she quickly said. "Never mind. I'm sorry—"

"He did something."

"No, I was just confused. I don't want people around me all the time. It stressful."

"Princess Senna, did he do something to you?"

She blinked and covered her face. "God, no he didn't."

"I need a reason, you know." She was tapping her leg, now. I added, "He's my most capable and trusted guard. I will not have you wandering alone."

"Why not?" That was rather loud.

I tried to grab a bunch of words to throw back at her, but nothing stirred up. It was aggravating. Insulting. It was—

"I don't want to be followed around like I'm a helpless—"

"I will not have you unprotected!" I yelled out. Her foot immediately stopped tapping, and I couldn't control the suddenness of it all.

Silence.

"If the problem isn't with Mallor, then he will stay your guard. If it is"—I mediated the rising heat in my throat—"I'll have another guard watch you. We will not discuss your safety anymore because I will not have you unattended and unsafe. Not in my walls—not in my country. You get hurt and it's on me. I cannot—I will not—have you alone roaming the streets."

All her features fell.

"Understood?"

"How the hell can you act compassionate one second and heartless—"

"Heartless?" I seethed, nearly toppling out my chair. "It's for your safety, not so I can keep you in shackles. Do you honestly think I want you always around me? If it were up to me I would have you shipped back to Kandose tomorrow."

"See?" She stood up from her chair and shoved her arms my way. "This was what I'm talking about. Cruel and heartless. You would never understand what happened even if I told you—"

"For fucks' sake, Princess Senna—"

"Oh, forget it. I'm glad you ate. I'll sleep in another room."

"I swear to God, if you leave this room—"

She walked out and slammed the door unnecessarily hard.