When they finally pulled into a park at Aethewulf Centralis and Kira reached for the door handle, his hand shot out and caught her arm.

She turned to look at him, brows raised. "What now?"

"Is this your way of avoiding my questions?"

She settled back into her seat. "We had a deal." Her gaze fixed on his hand on her arm. "Do what I want, and get your answers."

"When did we strike a deal?" He looked at her for a moment, working out whether arguing would be worth it. Clearly it would not. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

She turned to face him properly. "I want to know if you genuinely don’t understand emotions, or if you deliberately choose not to see how your actions, and your inactions, affect the person sitting right next to you."

His brows creased, and he stared blankly at her. That was not the question he had expected.

"What does that even mean?"

"It means, do you actually have any emotions at all?"

In his head, Derek is thinking her pregnancy hormones must be making her so sensitive.

"Emotions are for weak men," he said flatly. "Logic is what runs a kingdom, not feelings. Why does this matter, by the way?"

"Emotions aren’t for weak people," she countered. "True strength is understanding the impact your actions have on others. It’s called emotional intelligence, and you’re currently failing the class."

He huffed, looking away. "Just answer the damn question, Kira."

"Fine. BFF means Best Friends Forever."

"Not that one," he snapped. "The scoreboard thing."

She leaned back and smiled slightly and a little smugly. "It’s simple. It means I’m winning, and you’re losing."

"Winning what, exactly?"

"Winning everything!" she said it cheerfully, without a single trace of the coldness that had been there a few minutes before. "It’s a tally of every round I’ve won in this marriage."

"And how have you decided you’re winning?"

"Because look at you." She gestured at him broadly. "You are the most powerful king in the territories. And you just swerved off a main road because I called you gramps. If making the most powerful man in the kingdom lose his composure completely doesn’t count as winning, I genuinely don’t know what does." She beamed at him. "Current score: Sweet Kira: 7. Grumpy King Derek: 0000."

She popped the door open and slid out of the car before he could form a single word in response.

Derek sat in the driver’s seat and stared through the windscreen, completely dumbfounded.

***

Nana had always loved the gardens at Dravengard in the early evening. The light went golden and soft at this hour, falling across the hedgerows and flower beds in a way that made everything look like it belonged in a painting.

She walked slowly, the way she had been walking for the past two years since her hip had started making its opinions known, with two gammas a respectful distance behind her and her personal maid, Dot, holding a light pashmina in case the evening air turned chilly.

A low whistle broke the peace.

"If it isn’t the most beautiful woman in the whole of the West," a voice called out.

Nana stopped, a knowing smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as Kai appeared around the corner of the hedge, hands in his pockets, grinning like a man who had just had a very satisfying afternoon.

He sauntered toward them. "Nana." He opened his arms wide. "You look younger every time I see you. What is your secret? I need it immediately."

"Kai, you silver-tongued devil," Nana teased.

She accepted his kiss on each cheek and patted his face with one hand.

"I only speak the truth, Nana. The sun is setting early today because it realised it couldn’t compete with your glow."

Nana laughed, a proper laugh, the kind that reached her eyes. Then she swatted his arm playfully.

"Save that honey for the young girls, you scoundrel. What brings you to my quiet stroll?"

They exchanged a few moments of light banter, Kai expertly teasing Dot until the poor girl almost turned into a tomato.

Nana watched them, her eyes taking in Kai’s relaxed posture. She knew him well enough to know when he was bursting with news.

Turning to the gammas and her maid, Nana gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "The air is lovely, and I think I would like to let my grandson walk me for the rest of the evening. You’ve all worked hard today; take the rest of the evening off."

Dot looked briefly pained. The gammas hesitated for a second—duty was a hard habit to break in the royal household—but a stern nod from Nana sent them bowing and retreating toward the palace. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Once the sound of their footsteps faded, Kai offered his arm. Nana took it, leaning her weight slightly against him as they resumed their walk.

The garden was quiet around them, just the sound of their footsteps on the stone path and the distant murmur of the estate beyond the hedgerows. Kai matched his pace to hers without being told, the way he always had since he was a boy, walking slowly and pretending it was his natural speed.

Nana looked up at him. "So?" she said simply. "What is the progress?"

Kai’s smirk widened. "Nana, you really are a little matchmaking devil, aren’t you? You’ve been pulling the strings behind the scenes like a master puppeteer."

She beamed at him without a trace of shame. "Someone had to do it. That boy would have sat in his misery for another decade if left to himself."

She paused. "And speaking of strings... when are you planning to settle down and give me some great-grandchildren to spoil? Your brother Tan is busy, but you? You have far too much free time to be single."

Kai let out a dramatic gasp, clutching his chest. "Nana, please! I am still a baby. My heart is far too fragile for the chains of matrimony. I’m a free spirit."

"A free spirit who spends all his time meddling in his cousin’s marriage," Nana countered with a wink.

Kai laughed, then his expression grew a bit more serious. "In all seriousness, Nana, I think you should speak to the council. You should bring the coronation closer.

Nana’s eyebrows rose.

"I mean it," he said. "Derek is already in love with his wife—even if his stubborn brain hasn’t quite sent the memo to his mouth yet."

Nana stopped walking, her hand tightening on his arm.

The Snow Crest trip had been her gamble, a desperate attempt to force them into a space where they couldn’t ignore the bond.

"You’re sure? The trip actually worked?"

"Worked?" Kai chuckled, shaking his head. "Nana, I saw it with my own eyes this afternoon. I went over to keep the Queen company, mostly to annoy Drek, if I’m honest, and the transformation is staggering. Derek is a mess of jealousy and possessiveness."

Nana stared at him suspiciously, her eyes narrowing. "Are you telling me the truth, Kai? Or are you making things up because Drek is your favourite cousin and you want to see him on the throne sooner?"

Kai placed a hand over his heart, looking offended. "Nana, you know you are my first and only true love. I wouldn’t deceive you."

"I watched him barge out of the house, practically foaming at the mouth because I was holding her hand. He’s currently into town on a date with her. Derek doesn’t know that’s what it is yet. But he’s on one."

"Our cold, business-minded King actually took a Saturday evening off to go for a drive in a Ferrari. You know he never would have done that before. He would have gone upstairs, shut his study door, and worked until midnight."

Nana was quiet for a moment. Then she let out a deep exhale and looked out over the roses, her eyes misting over with a mixture of relief and triumph. "A date," she whispered. "Finally."

She turned back to Kai. "I will speak to the elders. If their bond is solidifying and he is finding his heart, there is no reason to wait. The West needs its King to be whole."

She leaned her head gently on Kai’s shoulder, a weary but happy smile on her face. "If I die now, Kai, I will die a happy and fulfilled woman. My work here is almost done."

Kai’s smile vanished instantly, replaced by a deep, dark frown. He pulled back slightly to look her in the face, his voice losing its playful edge. "Nana, why are you suddenly talking about death? You’re as strong as an ancient oak. Don’t say things like that."