“Happy birthday, Your Highness. May you have a long and joyful life!”
“Thank you,” Kassian replied with a reserved smile as yet another noble gave his greeting and moved inside the residence to join the festivities. He had been receiving those well-wishes for the past half an hour and his face was stiff from smiling. He kept looking at Sarea, who was standing by his side, but she seemed perfectly composed, as always. Almost like she wasn’t dying.
He still couldn’t believe she had hidden it from him. There wasn’t love between them and it could hardly be called friendship, but they had been married for almost eight years and she was one of his people. Her life was important to him, even if she didn’t believe it. To hear she was dying and there was nothing he could do about it — that wasn’t
