**Xavier**
I stormed into her ward without bothering to knock.
She had passed out right after the encounter with Trisha.
"How’s she?" I asked, eyes flicking to Nick before landing on her.
She sat up slowly. "I already told you... I’m fine."
That didn’t soothe me. Not even a little.
I turned to Nick, refusing to take her word for it. "Let him speak for himself, my queen," I said as I moved closer.
Nick let out a soft chuckle. "She’s perfectly fine, Your Highness. No internal injuries, just some exhaustion."
But something felt off. I inhaled sharply…and froze.
His scent. It was all over her.
The faint trace of peppermint mixed with cinnamon, stronger than it should have been from just a routine checkup.
Did he…hug her?
Nick gave a knowing smile, like he could feel the shift in
