Let Them Kneel (kaelani and Julian) novel Chapter 161

The way Draevyn approached Lyressa had been… disarming.

Not arrogant.

Not swaggering the way some Unseelie warriors carried themselves when they stepped into Seelie territory.

Draevyn moved with quiet confidence–measured, deliberate steps across the throne room floor. His storm–gray eyes lifted to meet hers, and for one brief, impossible moment Lyressa felt as though the entire hall had gone still around them.

He bowed properly.

Deep.

Respectfully.

Not the shallow gesture of obligation most visiting commanders offered.

When he rose, he reached for her hand.

Lyressa had expected the cold brush of duty.

Instead, the touch was warm.

His lips grazed the back of her hand in a gesture of courtly respect, and when he looked up again, there had been something unguarded in his expression.

“I give you my word, Your Majesty,” Draevyn had said, voice low but resolute. “I will not leave your court until we uncover the truth behind what’s happening to your people.”

And she believed him.

Every word.

For weeks afterward, Draevyn worked beside her council as if the Seelie Court were his own. He listened more than he spoke. Questioned everything. Walked the gardens where the victims had last been seen. Studied the reports from her healers and the whispers from her spies.

He never treated the matter lightly.

Never dismissed the growing fear spreading through her people.

And slowly–dangerously–Lyressa found herself noticing other things.

The patience he carried.

The sharp intelligence behind those storm–colored eyes.

The way he treated her advisors with respect instead of disdain.

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Chapter 161

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The way he spoke to the grieving families of the fallen women–with a gentleness no one expected from an Unseelie commander.

No.

Lyressa told herself again and again in the quiet hours of those weeks.

No.

He is Unseelie.

Seelie and Unseelie unions were more than discouraged–they were nearly unheard of. The two courts had spent centuries standing on opposite sides of the same world.

Too many differences.

Too many histories written in blood.

Such things never worked.

They couldn’t.

And yet…

Draevyn had been patient.

Kind.

Steady.

Protective.

Unwavering in his belief that the truth could be found.

Kaelani felt the echo of those thoughts from within the memory, watching through Lyressa’s eyes.

And she understood it immediately.

How easy it was to be swayed by him.

How effortlessly he made trust feel natural.

How dangerous a man like that could be to someone already carrying the weight of a crown.

The invitation had come lightly.

Almost casually.

Draevyn had leaned against one of the carved pillars of the Seelie war chamber after another long evening of dead ends and theories that led nowhere.

“You should come to the Unseelie court tonight,” he said, as if he were suggesting something simple.”

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Just for a few hours.”

Lyressa looked up from the scrolls spread across the table.

“To do what?”

His mouth curved faintly.

“Relax.”

She scoffed softly.

“You’ve seen the state of my court,” she replied. “Young women are dying, and you think I should spend my evening relaxing?”

Draevyn only studied her, those storm–gray eyes far too perceptive.

“That,” he said calmly, “is exactly why you should come.”

She crossed her arms.

“And what exactly happens during these… relaxing evenings of yours?”

A flicker of amusement passed over his face.

“We drink. We dance. We play games. Sometimes we argue loudly about absolutely nothing.” His brow lifted slightly. “And occasionally we even enjoy ourselves.”

Lyressa huffed under her breath.

The Seelie had always criticized such gatherings.

Unseelie nights of revelry were whispered about in her court as proof of their unruly nature–proof they were little more than indulgent heathens who lacked discipline.

“I’ll pass,” she said coolly. “I’d rather remain focused on the matter at hand.”

Draevyn didn’t argue.

He only inclined his head.

“As you wish, Your Highness.”

But later that night-

sleep refused to come.

Lyressa lay awake beneath the silken canopy of her bed, staring at the painted ceiling as moonlight drifted through the tall windows.

Her mind replayed the conversation.

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Chapter 161

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