Kijani felt her heart leap as Adam kissed her back. She leaned into his broad chest, her arms around his neck. She almost felt lightheaded. Though that could have been from not knowing how to breathe suddenly. He loved her. She loved him. For a moment, everything in the universe was perfect.

Unfortunately, that moment was very fragile. Eskel’s voice shattered it like a pane of sugar glass. She pulled away and turned guiltily, Adam’s taste still warm on her lips.

“Oops.” She could feel her face burning. Embarrassment made her flinch slightly, but after a moment of thought, she squared her shoulders and looked him in the face. There would be more than enough questions with her marrying a commoner. She would not being embarrassed that she’d followed her heart. So she simply spoke as if nothing was wrong. Because it wasn’t. “Yes, you’re right, Prince Eskel. We need to put together a battle plan. What can you tell us about the layout of the palace?”