Helena sniffled, her head pounding, and leaned into her mate. She needed his touch so much.

“Why are you under house arrest? What happened at the trial?” she asked, not moving away from him.

“There's an old clause in our laws, saying if an heir in the royal family sees his parent as a threat to the society and not able to rule anymore, he could challenge him in a duel to the death. It's almost archaic, but it's still valid. And after my father started drinking and not doing his duties properly... He fit the criteria.

“But I still hurt people on my fourteenth birthday. Even if Herbert had...