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I hurried away, leaving the embarrassed man I had just clumsily rejected standing in the remains of our romantic evening. So much for my diplomacy training. I scurried down a path overgrown with weeds and brambles snaking out to tangle themselves in my hair, and I pulled the hood of my cloak over my head in an effort to ward them off. Marching footsteps followed me, but I didn’t bother to look at my guard. He wasn’t Keane, and I felt Keane’s absence like a physical pain. I’d never hated my role as much as I did in this moment, trapped by my title, confined by Talador and expected to behave a certain way for the good of my people. Unable to be with the man I wanted. I turned the corner of the path into an area out of sight of anyone but my guard. A flurry of emotion burst from me, and I
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