Chapter 724: The third ruler's face hovered over hers.
"Hey. Look at me." She forced her heavy eyes to his. The loud, rasping breaths in the room... were those hers? "Good girl," his voice softened.
"You can hear me?" She managed a faint nod.
"Good. I have no idea what I am dealing with here. You will help me, yes? Daemonikai will kill us if something goes wrong." Vladya sighed.
"I can feel his pheromones from here," Lord Ottai added nearby, sounding panicked.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Please, huh? Help us." "Need... to... breathe..." Emeriel gasped.
"Breathe?" Lord Ottai echoed in confusion.
Lord Vladya shoved him aside.
"Here. Breathe with me," he said to her.
"In. Out. Con. Long breaths. Deep. Con, young one. You can do this." Emeriel tried. She followed the cadence of his breathing. Slow, deep inhalations, holding the air in her lungs, then releasing it in steady streams. His voice was calm, so she clung to it.
"Oh! That kind of breathing!" Lord Ottai exclaimed, scrambling forward.
"Sure! I can do that." He joined in. His breaths were far too fast and shallow, his rhythm completely off. It was so ridiculous, so Lord Ottai, that Emeriel let out a hoarse laugh.
"You are doing it wrong." The grand lord blinked.
"I am?" "You are." She was still smiling as she drew in another breath, and this one ceasier. Her chest loosened, her lungs opening, releasing the crushing weight.
"Better?" Lord Vladya asked, concerned.
"Yes, thank you." He gave a terse nod, but relief softened the lines around his mouth. Together, they helped her sit up. Lord Ottai hovered awkwardly on one side, his hands ready in case she needed catching.
For a moment, Emeriel allowed herself to feel light. It was a strange thing, surrounded by two of the kingdom's most powerful males, both fussing over her.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmOften, the constant attention grated on her nerves-being crowded, coddled, treated like she might shatter. But in moments like this... She felt cared for. Protected.
Until she remembered why she had panicked in the first place. The lightness vanished.
С☐☐☐☐☐☐☐ ☐t glovels.☐☐ "Please, tellwhat's going on," she begged Lord Vladya.
"Do not lie to me. I need to know."
Lord Vladya and Lord Ottai exchanged glances, a silent message кет passing between them. "I would rather show you," Vladya said at last, his face stoic.
He led her from his study. They crossed through the royal residence and continued onward Deeper and deeper into the heart of Blackstone, past the familiar halls, and into the deserted corridors few dared enter. Emeriel was beyond confused. Her dread grew.
"Why are we here? What does this have to do with my beloved?"
They reached a massive iron door, stretching from floor to ceiling.
Vladya withdrew a heavy key from his enormous pocket, fitting it into the enormous ΝΟΥ lock The tumblers clanked into place with a grinding groan, and the door creaked open, revealing a dimly lit hall lined with thick, iron-reinforced doors. They walked to the very end, where Lord Vladya stopped.