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"Well, well. It looks like I'm a little late to the party."

Kel recognized the voice immediately.

The attention that she had drawn with her fiery spectacle became scattered as the Dragon Emperor strode nonchalantly into Mevani's royal hall.

After him, dozens of Serin soldiers rushed in, effortlessly subduing the rogues and knights alike. If any of them noticed the pile of rubble and strange hole in the ceiling, they ignored it. Their fear of their leader must have been stronger than their curiosity.

The scene hadn't escaped the Emperor's interest, however.

With his brow furrowed, he marched directly into the heart of the debris without so much as brushing against any of the strewn jagged blocks.

Kel let out a tiny gasp as his black boots came to a stop in front of her.

She was still crouched close to the floor, somehow unable to muster the will to push herself back to her feet.

Despite the hum of turmoil all around, Kel's ears were filled with only her own heavy breaths.

Calix was there. Right in front of her.

She'd been preparing herself for this moment, but she hadn't expected her body to react so strongly to this man. She could feel blood rushing to her stinging cheeks, and her heart thudded nervously in her aching chest.

"Ha. Just what have you done to yourself?"

Contrary to his harsh tone, Calix knelt and gently placed his arms around Kel. Slowly, he pulled her into a sitting position.

Now that she could see his face, she realized how exhausted the Dragon Emperor looked. Dark circles clung to the skin beneath his eyes, and his already thin cheeks seemed even more sunken.

She tried to speak to him, but her scorched throat couldn't make a sound.

Calix's frown grew deeper, his eyes glued to her lips.

"Mmph!" Kel flinched as he reached for her face.

"It's starting to blister," the Emperor's voice became as soft as his touch. "Just a moment."

Kel inhaled sharply as his cool lips met her skin. Moving carefully, he covered her in delicate kisses, across her cheeks and along her jaw.

By the time his lips found hers, they were warmed from her scorched skin.

"Ubbt," Kel choked as something wet and soft slid between her lips.

It was the Emperor's tongue, swirling not so passionately as methodically around her mouth.

When she ventured to return the gesture with her own tongue, she was met with a decisive bite from the Emperor.

Bewildered, she tried to pull back, but Calix's hand shot up to the back of her neck, holding her in place. Without a word, he continued his work of licking every corner of her mouth.

As he carried on, his fingertips becoming more entangled in her hair as his tongue became entangled with hers, Kel's throat began to tingle. The sensation felt like cold water being poured on fire. She could almost hear the sizzle of retreating flames.

Slowly, her body began to relax, and she slumped forward, leaning farther into Calix's kis-

Wait.

Immediately, Kel tensed again, reaching up to push the Emperor away.

Weren't they still in the middle of the royal hall? With Serin soldiers working to restrain the resistance? Or had they already restrained them all and were now just patiently waiting while their commander made out with a random girl?

"What are you doing?!" Kel screeched, using all her strength to shove Calix back.

Oh. Her throat.

Hesitantly, Kel touched her neck. "It.. it doesn't hurt?"

"That's better," Calix smiled, offering Kel a hand as he rose to his feet. "But it's still a little red."

"Huh?" Kel ran her fingers along her cheeks and lips.

Where had once been charred skin was now smooth and nearly painless under her touch.

For some reason, she was reminded of an old dream. One in which the Emperor cured the unbearable heat in her chest by kissing her.

"How-Ack!" Kel gasped as Calix tugged her against his side.

With his smile fading, he revealed a coil of rope hanging at his hip.

"If you ever take more than three steps away from me again," he hissed, "I will tie you to me. Understand?"

"U-Understood.. Sir?" Kel stuttered, suddenly realizing why the Emperor's underlings cowered beneath his authority.

Smirking, Calix bent and planted a quick kiss on Kel's forehead, causing her red cheeks to grow even redder.

"Now," he straightened up, turning to the throne. "Let's get this over with."

"Ah, Leif. Are you o-" Kel peered around the Emperor, only to see that the throne was empty.

Where could he have gone?

Kel whipped her head around, trying her best to see the hall through the large pieces of rubble around her.

Had the young king changed his mind and run away during the chaos? Or maybe the soldiers didn't realize such a clumsy kid was the king and they captured him with the other soldiers?

Bracing herself against Calix's shoulders, Kel stood on her tiptoes, surveying the room.

The council members and palace workers were all huddled together in a big timid group, headed by several Serin soldiers. On the other side of the room, the knights and rogues had been forced to their knees and were being guarded by a larger group of soldiers.

But Leif was..

"Oh no." Kel froze as she finally spied the red-haired boy.

Near where she stood, Leif was kneeling on the floor, his eyes no longer blank, but filled with tears. Close to him was a particularly large stone that had fallen from the ceiling, one side coated entirely in scarlet.

And in between the boy and rock was a mangled body with graying red hair and lifeless pale eyes.

Kel hadn't noticed until now, but when she haphazardly released her powers, not everyone was left unscathed.

The single victim of her inadvertent stone hailstorm had been running to protect the king when he was crushed mercilessly. Whether it was his fatherly instincts or those of a long-trained bodyguard, his body moved to protect Leif as soon as he saw danger.

Tearing his gaze away from his father's body, Leif's teary eyes focused on Kel and the Dragon Emperor.

"You know, I always wanted to be like Barclay…"