Ryophlira POV

The thick, heavy tension out in the corridor was practically vibrating through the bedroom walls. Looking past the massive frame of my completely naked Yue-Senn, I could see the crackling aura radiating from my brother.

They were seconds away from tearing each other apart. Clutching the silk sheets tightly against my chest, I sat up and threw my voice toward the open door.

"Both of you, enough." I didn’t even have time to process what happened last night.

The sharp command cut through the suffocating atmosphere. Yue-Senn paused, his shoulders shifting slightly as he looked back over his shoulder at me. The dark, sneer on his lips instantly melted into a warm, deeply satisfied smile.

"Ari, take care of the queen," he called out smoothly, his deep voice carrying an effortless authority.

Ari walked backward into the room, her gaze fixed entirely on the floor as she tried desperately not to look at him. My cheeks burned. I felt deeply embarrassed and completely shocked at how utterly unbothered my husband was, just standing out in the open hallway entirely naked like it was the most natural thing in the world.

From a short distance down the hallway, Ki-ri calmly walked up, holding a dark robe. He handed it over to Yue-Senn, who casually took it and slid his heavy arms into the sleeves, tying the sash loosely around his waist.

"Be careful, the queen had a long, hard night," Yue-Senn remarked to Riegthar, his voice dripping with an arrogant edge before he walked away, deliberately brushing his shoulder hard against my brother’s as he passed.

I buried my face in my hands for a brief second.

Why is this man doing this? Why must he provoke him at a time like this?

"Follow me to wait downstairs, Prince Riegthar," Ki-ri’s steady voice echoed from the hallway as he gestured his hand outward, guiding him away from our private quarters.

"Please go, Riegthar. I will be down shortly," I called out to him from the safety of the bed.

My brother’s gaze locked onto me through the doorway one last time. The expression on his face was a painful, heavy mixture of raw rage and deep sadness before he finally turned, allowing Ki-ri to lead him down the grand staircase.

The moment the door clicked shut, Ari whirled around and started squealing at the top of her lungs.

"Oh my God, Ry! You finally did it!" she squeaked, running over frantically and bouncing straight onto the edge of the mattress. Her eyes were wide, practically bursting with excitement.

"How was it? Did you enjoy it? Tell me everything!"

"Ari, before we talk about any of that... why on earth is my brother here?" I asked, my heart sinking as a cold, heavy knot tied itself in my gut. Something felt entirely wrong.

"Did he send a messenger ahead?"

"I don’t know, there was no letter or call. He just showed up out of nowhere," Ari said, her excitement dimming into genuine confusion.

"I’m honestly not even sure how he managed to get past the outer gates without an escort."

The cold feeling in my stomach deepened, a dark instinct whispering that whatever brought Riegthar here was catastrophic. Seeing my expression, Ari reached out and firmly grabbed my hand, her eyes blinking fast in a silent plea.

"Tell me to distract you. Please."

I let out a soft sigh, my face softening as the lingering warmth from last night flooded back into my veins.

"Yes... I can’t believe I actually let myself fall. It was painful at first really painful, because of his size but he was slow at the started and it felt less like a burning sharp pain and more... I’m not even sure how to describe it. It was incredibly sweet and good. He was so gentle with me, Ari. He talked me through every single moment until I felt safe."

"Awww, Ry! I am so incredibly happy for you!" Ari gushed, leaning forward to wrap her arms around me in a tight, careful hug. As she pulled back, a mischievous smirk played on her lips. "Though I could easily tell by the state of your neck that you had a lot of fun."

Using my hands I covered my neck, blushing. "He was just... incredibly large. I was terrified at first I wanted to run."

"Wait, you know there are smaller ones, right?" Ari laughed softly.

"Of course I know there are smaller sizes!" I spluttered, my face burning hotter.

"Well, the size isn’t entirely what matters, it’s how they use it," Ari said, giggling as she leaned back against the pillows.

"When Riegthar and I first had sex, it was bigger—"

"Stoppppp!" I instantly threw both of my hands up into the air, my eyes wide with sheer horror.

"I do not want to know about my brother and his personal parts, Ari! Absolutely not!"

Ari sulked for a brief moment, her shoulders dropping as she felt a bit bad and slightly embarrassed. She quickly pushed away the sudden, uncomfortable reminder of her own complicated past with my brother, clearing her throat to get us back on track.

"I don’t think I can look him in the eye after hearing that." She giggled, shaking her head looking towards the door where Yue-Senn was.

"Come on, let’s get you ready." Ari carefully pulled the heavy blankets back to help me out of bed. The moment my bare feet touched the cold floor, there was a sharp, deep ache shooting through my lower abdomen and inner thighs.

My body was feeling the heavy, throbbing after effects of taking every single inch of Yue-Senn’s massive size multiple times. Walking felt incredibly uncoordinated, my knees slightly shaking from the lingering exhaustion of the climaxes.

Ari held me firmly by the waist, guiding my slow, limping steps into the attached bathing chamber. For the next forty minutes, the warm water felt like absolute heaven against my aching skin. I thoroughly scrubbed and washed away the dried, sticky evidence of our wild night, letting the heat soothe the tension in my muscles.

Once I was clean and dried off, Ari helped me dress. She chose a elaborate flowing, off-the-shoulder cream sleeves, intricate floral embroidery along the bodice, and a heavy, cascading emerald-green overskirt tied at the waist with a massive, structured bow.

She left my hair down, styling it into two loose, elegant braids framing my face to hide the dark marks on my neck. Even with the bath, walking down the grand stone steps was a slow process. Ari stayed glued to my side, her arm securely wrapped around my waist and her hand holding mine to support my weight as we descended into the lower levels of the palace.

She led me straight to the private meeting room. The doors were guarded by Ki-ri, who stood perfectly upright. As I walked in, I saw my brother sitting at the long oak table, his large fists balled so tightly there was blood. The moment the door creaked, Riegthar stood up instantly.

Despite the fury still simmering in his eyes we both stopped and offered each other a formal, solemn bow to greet one another, with Ari still holding onto my waist to keep me steady. I looked at his disheveled clothing and the dark circles under his eyes.

"Riegthar... why are you here? What happened?"

Riegthar looked across the room at me, his voice dropping into a hollow, devastating whisper that made the blood in my veins run cold. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"The war is already here, Ry. You and Ari are at the absolute center of it all."

"Wait, did she attack? Are Mom and Dad okay? Are the people okay?" I asked frantically, the words tumbling out of my mouth in a panicked rush as I felt Ari’s hand begin to shake beneath mine.

Riegthar’s expression darkened, a hollow, haunted shadow crossing his features. "She hand-delivered Kenny’s body pieces to me... saying it was a message from the East."

"That can’t be," I stammered, my head spinning as I tried to process the sheer horror of his words. "The East are not violent people. That is exactly why they waited so long before joining the last war."

"Exactly. I think she killed him herself and is setting everything up to force our hand," he said, rubbing his face with his trembling hands. "We need to go to the East. Personally."

A sudden, chilling realization washed over me, making the ache in my body completely vanish under a wave of pure adrenaline. "Riegthar... what if none of our letters ever actually reached the East? What if she has been intercepting them, killing the messengers, and taking them all this entire time?"

He froze, shaking his head in utter disbelief before he sank heavily back down into his chair, looking completely defeated. "Ry... this is about so much more than you simply taking the man she loves."

"Be serious!" I snapped, the frustration and grief tearing through my throat. "I knew absolutely nothing about any feelings being involved before all of this started!"

"She hinted that the contracts were all fabricated," he murmured, staring blankly at the table.

"By who?"

"Who do you think, Ry?"

I gripped the back of a chair to keep my balance, my vision blurring. "None of this makes any sense."

"I am just as confused as you are," my brother admitted, his voice cracking as he looked up at me. "Our sister has a misplaced anger that is driving her straight into the darkness."

"She is already lost," I responded, my voice dropping into a cold, terrifyingly tone.

Ari let out a soft, frightened gasp beside me, but I couldn’t stop.

"So now, what are we going to do about this?" I asked, staring directly into my brother’s eyes as a single, hot tear finally spilled over my lashes and rolled down my cheek. "Because at this point, there is only one inevitable end... and it is for her to die."

Riegthar looked up at me, his breath hitching as he stared in absolute shock and terror at the unyielding, tear-filled gaze of his younger sister.