Verelia was quiet, her jaw set. "I don't sulk."
"Then stop acting like your entire worth was determined by this one outcome."
"Easy for you to say. You weren't the one publicly rejected by—"
"I was a king who lost his entire kingdom and died in a crumbling room." The words came out before he could stop them.
Verelia's eyes widened fractionally. "What?"
Alaric blinked, realizing what he'd said.
Shit.
"I... nothing. Forget it."
"You just said you were a king."
"I was being metaphorical."
"No, you weren't." Her mind latched onto the inconsistency immediately. "That was too specific."
Damn it.
"Verelia—"
"What did you mean?" She stepped closer now, her cold demeanor cracking slightly with genuine curiosity. "You lost a kingdom?"
He could deflect. Should deflect. But something about her direct stare, about the vulnerability he'd been trying to address...
"In a past life," he said quietly. "Theoretically speaking."
Her eyes widened.
"You believe in reincarnation?"
