GRACE OR RATHER KING QUICKE, KISSED PARKSTON

CHAPTER 42

Meanwhile, Parkston had been silent and motionless since the meeting that was held with Queen Jonah. He didn't talk much or came out often. He simply existed as a normal person within his chambers.

Grace had tried to ignore the weight of his presence in the castle, but she couldn't. No matter how much she buried herself in duties, her mind always drifted back to him, his voice, his warmth, the way he used to look at her before all of this.

She found herself walking toward his chambers, her footsteps slow and deliberate.

When she arrived, he was standing by the window, his hands tucked behind his back, his posture rigid. He turned his head slightly at her presence, but he didn't greet her.

"Good day, Parkston," she said, her voice steady despite the turmoil within her.

A pause stretched between them before she added, "I long for you now, and you could learn to love this place." She gestured toward the chamber as if it could ever be a home.

Parkston hesitated ,his lips curling into a smirk. "So I see. You seem to be eating well." He responded, changing the subject.

Grace let out a soft, amused breath. "Yeah, right," she said, playing along.

But then her tone shifted, turning more direct. "Come with me to my chamber. I need your help with something."

Parkston studied her for a moment, then nodded.

She led him through the hallways, her mind racing, but her posture remaining composed. She could feel his presence behind her, still familiar after these years, but he was different, now distant .

Grace pushed the door open and stepped inside. Parkston followed but stopped close to the door with his arms crossed.

She turned to face him, trying to steady her nerves. It was foolish, to hope that he could see beyond the deception she was trapped in. But in the solitude of her chamber, with no prying eyes or scheming nobles, she allowed herself this moment of weakness.

"I need you to help me," she repeated, her voice softer now.

Parkston raised an eyebrow. "With what?"

She hesitated. What was she going to say? She wasn't sure anymore. She had led him here with an excuse, but the truth was, she just wanted him close.

Grace took a step toward him. "You don't have to fight this place, Parkston. I know it's not home, but" She trailed off, swallowing hard.

He tilted his head slightly, studying her. "But what?"

"But you could try." Her voice was barely above a whisper now.

Grace inhaled sharply. And then, before she could second-guess herself, she closed the space between them, her hand lifting to his chest as she leaned in.

Parkston tensed. For a split second, he didn't move away. His breath was warm against her lips, and her heart pounded with the impossible hope that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't push her away.

But then he did, his hands came up, firm but not rough, gripping her shoulders as he put space between them.

"Grace." His voice was steady, but there was an edge to it. "No."

She blinked, her heart twisting at the rejection.

"No?" she echoed, her voice softer than she wanted it to be.

Parkston let out a breath, running a hand through his hair as he took another step back. "You're not yourself."

She stiffened. "What does that mean?"

"You know what it means." His eyes met hers, sharp and unyielding. "You might still be Grace deep down but you don't appear as her, you now appear as King Quicke. You wear that crown, you give orders, you speak like him", he paused before continuing. "You are now a man Grace, and whatever we shared in the past, can't work, because i possibly can't imagine myself being intimate with you as a man".

Her jaw clenched, she ignored everything he said and simply responded. "It is me."

"No." His voice was firm now. "It's not."

The words hit her harder than she expected.

She turned away, folding her arms, trying to hold onto whatever dignity she had left. "I thought you'd understand," she murmured.

Parkston exhaled. "I do. That's why I can't."

She didn't face him, she couldn't anymore.

Silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating, then, without another word, Parkston turned and walked out, the door clicking shut behind him.

Grace stood there, her hands gripping the edges of the table.