Chapter 7 "Which part, Princess?"
The change was immediate after that night.
König no longer lingered beside her carriage door after escorting her home from court. He no longer stood close enough for quiet conversations beneath his breath during long meetings. When Teagan spoke to him now, he answered with exact precision.
"As you command, Princess."
It was everything she had demanded.
The worst part was how good he was at it.
König carried out his duties flawlessly, as always. He escorted her through crowded halls, stood watch outside her bedroom chambers, and followed two steps behind her through gardens and courtrooms.
There was distance now. Careful, deliberate distance. He no longer looked at her unless necessary.
When she laughed, he did not soften anymore.
Even his voice had changed around her. Controlled. Empty.
Teagan found herself growing angrier by the day because of it.
Twice, she caught herself searching for König in crowded rooms, only to find him already there-just farther away than before.
Like he was making sure never to forget his place again.
And, of course, Gabe noticed the distance between them.
He was happy to have her all to himself.
They were walking through the royal gardens one afternoon when Gabe finally slowed beside her, watching König several paces behind them.
The knight's gaze remained fixed ahead, unreadable beneath the shadow of his hood.
Gabe smirked before looking over at Teagan, lightly holding her hand.
"I think your dog dislikes me."
Teagan's expression stayed neutral.
"He is not a dog," she said softly, quiet enough that only Gabe could hear.
"Hm." Gabe sounded amused rather than apologetic, his tone matching hers. "Guard dog, then."
Behind them, König's expression remained perfectly still, though Teagan noticed the slight tightening of his jaw.
"He is doing his duty," Teagan said.
"Yes. Very intimidatingly."
Teagan chuckled quietly at his choice of words.
"You know," Gabe continued casually, "I believe I finally understand why the court whispers about him so much."
Teagan frowned slightly. "And why is that?"
The prince leaned closer with a crooked grin.
"Because he looks at you like a man starving at a feast."
Behind them, König's footsteps stopped for half a second.
"You know, with the amount of times you bring him up, I'm starting to think you have a crush on him," Teagan said, secretly defending him.
Gabe's eyes widened in shock.
"No-no, Princess, you've got that all wrong."
"I would hope so," Teagan replied with a smirk.
She hated hearing those words spoken aloud.
She hated that Gabe had noticed at all.
König remained unreachable several paces behind them, his gaze fixed ahead. Perfectly composed.
Only Teagan noticed the subtle signs beneath the surface.
The slight tension in his shoulders.
The way his gloved hand flexed once at his side.
Anyone else would have missed it.
A few days later, rain fell heavily against the castle windows long after midnight. Most of the palace had gone quiet, servants retired to their quarters while thunder rolled across the dark mountains surrounding the kingdom.
Which meant she was already irritated before she even opened her chamber door-
And found König standing guard outside it.
He straightened immediately at the sight of her, his expression carefully blank beneath the low torchlight.
"Princess," König murmured softly.
His gaze immediately lowered.
That ache in her chest returned instantly.
God, she hated when he spoke to her like that now.
The storm cracked loudly overhead, and before Teagan could stop herself, she flinched slightly at the sound.
His posture shifted instinctively, taking half a step closer before he caught himself and stopped.
That tiny hesitation hurt more than it should have.
He hesitated only briefly before nodding.
The halls were dim and empty as they walked. Rain lashed against the tall windows while thunder echoed softly through the castle stone.
Neither of them spoke for several minutes.
Teagan finally stopped near one of the open archways overlooking the courtyard below. Cool, rain-scented air drifted inside.
König remained a respectful distance behind her.
Always that distance now.
Teagan stared out at the storm before quietly saying,
"I did not mean what I said."
Teagan turned toward him with visible frustration.
"Stop speaking to me like that."
His eyes tightened slightly.
"You asked me to remember my place."
"And you decided to become unbearable about it."
Something almost amused flickered across his eyes before disappearing quickly.
"I am attempting to respect your wishes."
König looked genuinely caught off guard.
Teagan stepped closer before she could lose her nerve.
"I was angry," she admitted quietly. "And frightened."
"You have no reason to fear me."
"I was not frightened of you."
That seemed to surprise him even more.
Teagan looked away briefly, struggling for words she was not used to saying aloud.
"Gabe noticed," she whispered finally. "The way we were becoming."
"And I hated it because once someone else saw it..." She swallowed hard. "It became real."
The knight stared at her silently in the dim light.
Thunder rumbled softly outside.
"I did not know how to stop it," she admitted.
König's voice came out quieter now. Softer.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then König stepped closer.
"I would never shame you," he said quietly.
Teagan looked up at him then-truly looked at him-and saw the exhaustion he had carried for weeks.
All because she had pushed him away.
Rain drifted lightly through the archway now, cool drops catching in the lighter strands of König's hair. He looked enormous, standing so close to her, all broad shoulders, careful hands, and gentleness.
Teagan's chest tightened painfully.
"I missed you," she whispered before pride could stop her. "Talking with you."
Something in his eyes broke completely at those words.
It was the first time he had said her name in weeks.
She stepped closer again until barely inches remained between them.
König looked torn apart by it.
"You should not stand this close to me," he murmured, though he made no move away.
Teagan could feel the warmth radiating from him despite the rain drifting around them. König's gaze dropped briefly to her mouth before immediately returning to her eyes.
Slowly, he pulled down his balaclava, revealing his face to her.
She could hardly see him clearly in the dim torchlight, but she noticed the scars first.
Then she looked at his lips.
She caught herself smiling softly.
His hand slowly lifted toward her face.
Teagan leaned into it anyway.
The roughness of his glove brushed gently against her cheek, painfully careful despite the size of his hand.
And then he bent toward her.
Like he was giving her every chance to stop him.
Teagan's heart hammered violently as she tilted her face upward.
Their lips barely touched.
Footsteps echoed somewhere down the corridor.
They jumped apart immediately.
A servant passed at the far end of the hallway without noticing them.
König stared at her like he might kiss her anyway.
Teagan almost wished he would.
But after a long moment, he pulled his balaclava back up.
"You should go off to bed," Teagan mumbled. "I will do the same."
König nodded in response.
And this time, when he looked at her-
