Casteel shot me a look, which I ignored.

“This won’t take very long,” Eloana said, a thread of weariness in her voice. It had been a long day for them, too. “And then you two can retire…or do whatever you please.”

“A bed would be nice,” Casteel said, and I really hoped he didn’t elaborate on that thought.

“Will you two remain in the palace?” I asked. “I hope you will.”

“As do I,” Casteel agreed.

Valyn looked at Eloana before nodding. “We plan to stay—at least until you have returned from Iliseeum and your meeting with the Blood Crown. We figured you would want us as your surrogates until then.”

“They will handle minor issues that arise during the time we’re absent,” Casteel explained quickly. “Usually, the advisor, or in rare cases the Council, steps in.”

I nodded.

Eloana’s gaze moved between us, and I knew it was time. Hisa and another guard stepped forward, each grasping the handle of a door. Kieran’s gaze met mine and then Casteel’s. He grinned as he joined Emil and Naill.

My heart started pounding as the doors began to inch open. The sound of the crowd grew louder as the last of the sunlight shone through the ceiling and seeped through the opening in the doors.

The balcony was rounded and long enough that each of the Elders stood to the left and right, against the black, stone railing. Willa had been waiting toward the back of the balcony, but now she walked forward, her curls a blue-black in the faint sunlight. She spoke, and a hush traveled throughout the crowd. I couldn’t be sure what she said because my blood thumped in my ears, and my chest hummed. All I was aware of was that Casteel’s parents had moved to stand on either side of us, and the utter surrealness of Miss Willa—the Miss Willa—about to introduce us to the kingdom as King and Queen.

Never in a thousand years could I have ever dreamt up this moment.

A laugh bubbled up, but I managed to squash it. Now was not the time for hysterical giggles.

Casteel reached between us and took my hand. My gaze snapped to his. Those eyes of his were like endless pools of warm honey, and when I breathed in, all I tasted was chocolate and berries.

“I love you,” I whispered, tears stinging my eyes.

Casteel smiled. Two dimples appeared, one after the other. I saw a hint of fang, and a wholly inappropriate twist started up low in my stomach.

And then we were walking forward, out into what remained of the evening sun and the breezy air, to stand above a crowd that nearly stopped my heart.

There had to be thousands—tens of thousands. There was a sea of people in the courtyard below the Temple, some standing on the rolling green hill and beyond, on the nearby buildings’ balconies, and in open windows. People even stood on the roofs of the shorter buildings. As far as I could see, the streets of Evaemon were filled.