Amanda barely had time to catch her breath before another wave of problems came crashing down on her. Between strategizing for the war and keeping Elias from making reckless decisions, she had a full plate. Not to mention, she was trying her best to ignore the way Elias would brush against her whenever they walked side by side.
"Amanda, focus!" Elias snapped his fingers in front of her face.
"I am focused!" she protested.
"You were staring at my face for the last minute straight."
Amanda scoffed. "No, I wasn’t. I was… deep in thought. About, uh, war strategies."
Elias smirked. "Right. Then perhaps you can tell me what I just said?"
Amanda pursed her lips. "Uh… something about attacking the enemy head-on?"
Elias leaned closer, his breath teasing against her skin. "I said we should set up an ambush near the southern border. But it’s nice to know where your priorities are."
Amanda shoved him. "Oh, shut up. Let’s just focus."
The war council continued their discussion, but Amanda could barely pay attention. Every time Elias spoke, her mind wandered to the past few weeks. The stolen glances, the lingering touches, the way he always found an excuse to be close to her. Was she imagining things, or was he—?
"Amanda, look out!"
Before she could react, Elias tackled her to the ground just as an arrow zipped past where she had been standing. Chaos erupted. Guards flooded the room as the assassin responsible tried to flee. Elias was on his feet in seconds, sword drawn, but Amanda beat him to it. She grabbed the nearest chair and chucked it at the would-be attacker.
The man yelped as the chair crashed into him, sending him sprawling onto the ground. Amanda stood over him, arms crossed. "And THAT is why you don’t mess with a girl who’s had enough stress for a lifetime."
Elias blinked. "You just… threw a chair."
"Well, yeah. It was the closest thing I could grab."
Elias let out a laugh. "Remind me never to make you angry when we’re near furniture."
As the guards dragged the assassin away, Amanda turned to Elias. "So, how do you think they got in?"
Elias frowned. "Someone must have let them inside. We might have a traitor among us."
Amanda groaned. "Great. Because things weren’t complicated enough already."
Later that night, after the castle had settled down, Amanda found herself pacing outside Elias’s room. She wasn’t sure why she was here. Maybe it was the adrenaline from earlier, or maybe it was the fact that she had almost died—again. Either way, she found herself knocking.
The door swung open almost immediately. Elias, in a loose white shirt and with his usual smug look replaced by something softer, raised an eyebrow. "Can’t sleep?"
"Not really," Amanda admitted. "Mind if I come in?"
Elias stepped aside, and she entered, her eyes scanning the dimly lit room. It was surprisingly simple for a prince. A desk cluttered with maps, a small bookshelf, and a bed that looked far too comfortable for someone who spent most of his time dealing with kingdom politics.
"So, what’s really on your mind?" Elias asked, sitting on the edge of his bed.
Amanda sighed. "Today was just… a lot. I don’t know how you do this every day."
Elias gave a small chuckle. "Oh, you mean constantly dodging death, dealing with politics, and suppressing feelings I shouldn’t have?"
Amanda froze. "Wait… what was that last part?"
Elias blinked, then groaned, running a hand through his hair. "I really shouldn’t have said that."
Amanda sat beside him, her heart racing. "Suppressing feelings? Elias, what are you talking about?"
He exhaled, looking at her with something unreadable in his golden eyes. "You drive me crazy, Amanda. You’re reckless, you talk too much, and you never listen. But you’re also… everything. And that terrifies me."
Amanda’s breath hitched. "Oh."
Elias laughed softly. "That’s all you have to say? ‘Oh’?"
She swallowed, her mind scrambling. "I mean, what do you want me to say? That I feel the same way? Because—because maybe I do, but it’s complicated. We’re in the middle of a war, Elias. And I don’t even know if I’ll make it out of this alive."
Elias reached for her hand, his fingers curling around hers. "That’s exactly why I had to say it now. Because we don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. And if something happens to either of us… I don’t want any regrets."
Amanda stared at their intertwined hands. Her heart was hammering against her chest, and for once, she didn’t have a sarcastic remark ready.
"So what now?" she asked quietly.
Elias smirked. "Now, we stop wasting time."
And before she could process what was happening, Elias closed the distance between them, pressing a soft, lingering kiss against her lips. It wasn’t rushed or desperate—just a quiet promise between two people who had been dancing around their feelings for far too long.
When they finally pulled away, Amanda’s face was burning. "Okay. That was…"
"Long overdue?" Elias finished for her.
She huffed. "I was going to say unexpected, but yeah, that too."
Elias grinned, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Get some sleep, Amanda. We have a war to win."
Amanda nodded, standing up and heading to the door. Before leaving, she glanced back at him. "Don’t you dare die on me, Elias."
He smirked. "Wouldn’t dream of it."
As Amanda walked back to her own room, her mind was a mess of emotions. War was looming. Betrayal lurked in the shadows. But despite everything, for the first time in a long time, she felt like she wasn’t fighting alone.