Lanling became a frequent visitor to Twilight Castle.
His family was utterly baffled. The queen herself was speechless.
"What happened to keeping little to no contact? I vaguely remember you saying that was the only time we would meet."
"Did I?" Lanling took a slow sip of tea. "Since I have no memory of it, I suppose that never happened."
Liliana slapped the thick obsidian table, laughing, her fangs glinting in the dim light.
Lanling merely drank more of his tea. It surprised him, the way he had the mind to marvel at its taste, at its richness. It made him realize how much steadier he had become.
And all of it was thanks to the periodic discussions he had with her.
She never said how old she was, but Lanling suspected she was ancient. The many romance stories she shared—tales of herself in different places, with different men—had opened his mind to the saying it's complicated.
"Tell me, honestly. How many breakups have you had?"
