Chapter 49

• Magnus's POV
• The mark on my neck throbbed against the rough fabric of my shirt, a constant reminder that what was happening was all too real. I had never imagined someone like Princess Aurelia, nor did I foresee her accepting me. Guilt churned in my stomach, an emotion I was unaccustomed to. This small Princess was making me feel things I had only heard about but never truly experienced.
• For the first time, I felt genuine fear in her presence. Fear had been a distant memory, a shadow from my childhood. Back then, I had been a different person, my name different, and fear had been a constant companion. It was beaten out of me over the years, leaving no trace. But that fear resurfaced at the Princess’s Birthday Gala when her life had been on the line to save mine.