I stopped outside my bedroom door. It was late.
All the palace had already gone to bed.
I'd spent the whole evening thinking and planning, only to abandon the plan and start again.
I opened the door.
She wasn't there.
Good.
More time.
I ran a boiling hot bath, undressed, and climbed in.
The water stung my skin. I didn't mind.
I lay back and looked at the ceiling.
I knew what the problem was. She was a goddess. She knows everything in the universe. She knows what's supposed to happen every second of every day.
What could I show her? Where could I take her that she hasn't already been?
- You're overthinking it, Lukas." Ilargia said from his usual corner.
"I need to make it perfect," I told him. "It's the very least I could do for her."
- She doesn't care about perfection.
"Yes, but I do. I need to do this right."
- Right for her? Or right for you?
I didn't reply. I heated the water with magic, and closed my eyes.
