CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & TWELVE


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    CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & TWELVE


    Talia’s POV


    The next moming, I wokete. I blinked at the sunlight spilling across my bed and realized I had overslept. My body still felt lighter than it had before, though the tiredness clung in ces.


    The door opened a momentter, and De walked in. “Great! You’re finally awake,” she said, heading straight for the bed.


    I’m not sure if I like this new Talia who sleeps until noon.”


    “Well, you’ll just have to get used to it,” I muttered, propping myself up.


    ”


    She sat on the edge of the mattress and gave me a look that could have rivaled a healer’s exam. “You’re not hung over, are you? If you are, I can send someone to make you something greasy.”


    “I’m fine,” I said. “Just a little tired.”


    That did not stop her from pressing her hand to my forehead. She let out a long breath, as if she had been holding it in. “Good. I was starting to worry you’d drift off again and sleep for another week.”


    Her fussing made me smile. “You’ve been checking on me a lot, haven’t you?”


    She gave a small shrug. “Of course. I felt awful I wasn’t there when you first woke up. So I decided to make up for it. Today, I’m spending the whole day with you. No excuses.”


    “You don’t need to feel guilty,” I said softly.


    “Toote.” She smirked. “Besides, I want to.”


    De swung her legs up onto the mattress so she could face me properly. “Do you know what irritated me most? When Father found out Leslie was the one treating you, he banned me from the hospital. He said I’d only disturb your rest.”


    I stared at her. “I don’t believe that. Beta Logan wouldn’t ban you.”


    Her head bobbed. “Well, technically he did.”


    “What did you do?” I asked, wary of the answer.


    “I snuck Nn into your room,” she said.


    “You did what?!” My voice shot up.


    “Yeah. He wanted to check on you, so I brought him in. Then your father caught us. It didn’t matter. I still snuck back in to check on you anyway.”


    I gaped as my mind tried to process what she was telling me. Nn had actually risked Father’s anger just to see me? That did not make sense. He was impossible to figure out. One moment he was cold and distant, acting like I meant nothing, and the next I was finding out he had risked himself for me more than once.


    “Why did he want to sneak in? What happened?” I pressed.


    “Solon and your Father were furious. They thought Nn had harmed you, so they banned him from seeing you until you woke up,” De exined.


    “I’m sorry I stressed everyone out,” I murmured.


    “No need to apologize. We all know you’d have done the same, and probably more, for us,” she said firmly.


    “I always felt like someone was near me, even when I didn’t hear voices,” I admitted.


    “That would’ve been me. I rotated with Solon to make sure you had someone watching over you. I cooled you down when your fever spiked.”


    IN HUNDRED & TWELVE


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    I reached out and squeezed her hand. “Then I didn’t dream about it. I felt someone near me. That must have been you.”


    Her cheeks turned pink, and sheughed awkwardly. “Well, it wasn’t easy. But I wasn’t about to let Solon think he could handle everything himself. Besides, I wanted to be there when you opened your eyes. A shame I missed it.”


    My throat tightened. Gratitude, guilt, andfort all pulled at me at once. I had not realized how much I leaned on her presence, even without remembering it clearly.


    The tension broke when my stomach growled loudly.


    De burst outughing. “Now that’s a good sign. Your stomach’s ready to make up for lost time.”


    Iughed too. “That was louder than I expected.”


    She tugged at my arm. “Come on. Enough lying around. You need food.”


    With her help, I got up and dressed. Together, we walked to the dining hall. The smell of eggs and bacon reached us before we even stepped inside.


    A man stood at the long table and put tray after tray of food in ce. He wore a clean white coat and bowed low when he saw us.


    “Good afternoon, Princess Talia. I have been waiting for you,” he said. “I am Chef Jordan. Prince Solon has appointed me to ensure you are meeting your nutritional requirements. I promise to only prepare the best to ensure you recover quickly.”


    I looked at the spread. I had expected a simple breakfast and instead there was roasted chicken, steak, warm biscuits, vegetable dishes, and fruit.


    I said to myself, “This is crazy.” I would have preferred Solon to be here. “Isn’t this a bit much?” I told the chef.


    The chef bowed once more. “You need to get better, Princess, and eating well is a part of that. I’ll make you something else if these dishes don’t meet your needs.


    Solon always overreacts about everything. Even when we were kids, if I got a scrape on my knee, he would shower me with gifts, food, and anything else he thought would help. It was annoying, but I couldn’t help but like the attention. Solon didn’t know how to hold back, but he did care, and that was what mattered.


    De sat down in the nearest chair, picked up a knife and fork, and cut into a thick steak before I could say anything. She smiled and took a bite.


    She said, “This is so good,” with her mouth full. “You really have to try this, Talia.”


    I shook my head and sat down next to her. “At least you’re getting special treatment.” I pushed one of the tes toward her. ” Eat more. You deserve it. You helped me when I couldn’t move.


    Her eyes lit up, “Sure, I’ll do it.”


    I started eating too, and I loved how sharp the vors were after weeks of nd broth and medicine. I looked at her halfway through. “Will you help me take care of my rose garden after this?” It’s likely a disaster by now,


    She smiled while she chewed. “Of course. Together, we’ll fix it.”


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