Let Them Kneel (kaelani and Julian) novel Chapter 163

Chapter

Chapter 163

Lyressa woke slowly the following morning, the pale glow of afternoon sunlight spilling across the high windows of her chambers.

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For a moment she simply lay there, staring at the carved ceiling above her bed as her thoughts struggled to gather themselves. The memories returned in fragments.

The forest.

The clearing.

Draevyn.

Her breath caught slightly as warmth spread through her chest.

She didn’t remember returning to the palace.

Perhaps he had brought her back.

The last thing she remembered was the overwhelming exhaustion that had settled into her bones after everything had finally quieted between them.

They must have made love for hours… or perhaps they

simply stayed there until the night surrendered to dawn.

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Lyressa shifted beneath the silk sheets, feeling the pleasant heaviness still lingering through her body. Every muscle carried the faint ache of a night spent in ways she had never imagined for herself.

The thought made heat creep up her neck.

She closed her eyes briefly.

What had she done?

A Seelie queen entangled with an Unseelie commander.

The court would have fainted where they stood if they knew.

Yet the memory of his voice–lo

and

warm against her ear–pushed the guilt aside far more easily than it should have.

By the time she finally rose from bed, the sun had already begun its slow descent across the sky.

Most of the day had slipped away.

Her council had visited more than once throughout the afternoon, checking on her with varying degrees of concern. Several of her advisors–and more than one of her commanders–had gently insisted she take the day to recover.

“You’ve been pushing yourself for months, Your Majesty,” one of them had told her firmly. “The investigation will not collapse if you rest for a single day.”

They assured her Draevyn had continued the work in her absence, moving through the court with the same quiet focus he had shown since his arrival.

Questioning.

Observing.

Searching for answers the Seelie themselves had failed to uncover.

Knowing that seemed to ease something inside her.

Chapter 163

So for once-

Lyressa allowed herself to rest.

The quiet hours passed slowly after that.

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The sun dipped lower, staining the marble terraces outside her windows with amber light. Servants came and went quietly, bringing fresh water and lighting the lanterns that would guide the palace into evening.

And when night finally returned-

so did Draevyn.

He appeared at her chamber doors carrying a tray of food, the faintest smile touching his mouth the moment he saw her.

“Your Majesty,” he greeted softly.

But the formality lasted all of two seconds.

His eyes warmed as he crossed the room, setting the tray aside before stepping close enough that she could feel the heat of him again.

“I missed you today,” he murmured.

The confession came easily.

Too easily.

He spoke of how the court had felt strangely dull without her presence. How he had caught himself thinking of the previous night more times than he could count.

How he had nearly abandoned the investigation entirely just to come see her sooner.

The words settled around Lyressa like sunlight after a long winter.

Dangerous.

Comforting.

Everything a young queen who had carried the weight of a crown alone for far too long would want to hear.

And Lyressa found herself believing every one of them.

In the weeks that followed, the bond between Lyressa and Draevyn only deepened.

Their days remained disciplined–measured, careful, entirely proper within the eyes of the court. They continued to work side by side in their search for answers. To anyone watching, they were nothing more than a queen and a visiting commander united by a shared concern.

But the nights belonged to them.

Long after the palace had quieted and the lanterns along the halls had burned low, Draevyn would appear within the shadows of her chambers–stepping from the veil between courts with the same effortless ease that had first unsettled her.

At first Lyressa had questioned the secrecy.

Draevyn had simply smiled and taken her hands in his.

“Not yet,” he had said gently. “There is already enough unrest in your court. Let us not add fuel to the fire until the truth behind

these deaths is uncovered.”

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