Page 266 of The Mercy of Dawn

Tired of the years Runa spent trying to wield that single statement as proof Cyril should live in Reykr, away from the only remaining thread of her family. Runa could say all she wanted about the seer who conveniently never foresaw the same daughter born under the sun of day becoming an orphan just after her second gods damned birthday.

“Is this why you invited me here, to do your victory lap? Tell me I was wrong, and you were right?” Dion scoffed.

“I invited you here because of her,” Runa said through a tense jaw. “Your niece still loves you, Dion. She may never forgive you for what you’ve done, and rightfully so, but she loves you. And I am trying to figure out how to navigate all of this.”

Forgiveness. What a laughable idea.

“You won’t have to worry about that much longer. I’ll be out of your hair in a few days.”

Runa blinked at him.

“You… Are you going back to Helia?”

“Tyr and Ren too. It’ll be a lively ride back. And don’t—” He sighed. Runa’s eyes had narrowed with her obvious disapproval. “Don’t look at me like that. I’ve been gone for nearly four months. The guild is self-sufficient, but not indefinitely. It’s not like I have business being here anymore either. Lars ended the contract, and we gave all our findings to Ezra so the guard can take over.”

“Is now the best time, though?” The queen’s expression softened at least. “Cyril is still recovering… Could you not wait a few more weeks?”

“We’ve already made our arrangements. A porter is taking our things the day after tomorrow, and we’ll depart two days after that. And Cyril, she…”

Dion glanced to where his niece still sat with Mikael. Awake now, though. Cyril stretched and turned, and—

Fuck.

She looked right at him and smiled. Then she was on her feet, pulling the prince with her on a direct course for the tables.

Dion forced a smile onto his face as he quickly said to Runa, “She’ll get better care from you and Mikael than I could ever give her. She needs space from me too, and time to do things on her own.”

The narrow look Runa gave him spoke to how little she agreed with that statement. Shocking, truthfully. Cyril and Mikael were too close now for her to argue with him, though, and the smile she plastered on for them was more satisfying than it should have been.

“I didn’t realize you were here,” Cyril said, her expression nestled somewhere between content and exhausted. “Can we join you?”

Runa gestured for the two of them to sit while Dion said, “I suppose you wouldn’t have noticed while you were busy snoring.”

Halfway to seated Cyril froze, gripping the arms of her chair. She blinked at Dion.

“Snoring? I…I wasn’t—” She looked to Mikael for reassurance, but his brows only climbed and he looked away. “You arse, why didn’t you wake—”

“You weren’t snoring, sweetheart,” Runa interjected. She shot a withering glance at Dion and Mikael before she continued. “How are you feeling? Mikael said—”

“I’m just tired, that’s all,” Cyril said, far too quickly. “But it’s fine.”

That didn’t bode well.

And neither did Mikael’s sigh or the glare Cyril cut him.

Trouble in their little bubble of paradise already?

“It’s not fine, Cyr,” Mikael said quietly, “You’re up all night, and you aren’t—”

“It is fine,” she bit back.

The prince yielded, sinking back in his chair with a sigh that spoke to just how not fine it was with him. If Dion had to guess, with how the dark circles hadn’t abated under Cyril’s eyes much in the days since the pyres…

“Nightmares?” Dion asked.

“No,” Cyril said adamantly at the same time Mikael sighed, “Yes.”

They glared at each other.