"Have you brought me here only for this?" Max asked softly.
He could feel that she was holding something back, something hidden behind that gentle smile and those sorrowful blue eyes, but he could not be sure what it was.
A soft smile rose on her lips.
"Perhaps yes, perhaps not. It all depends on whether you can sit on that throne or not."
She softly took his hand, her fingers caressing his with a tenderness that made his eyes lower for a moment.
"Are there any requirements?" Max asked.
He could feel how much his heart was drawn to the throne, but also to her. Both of them pulled at him in different ways. One promised power, authority, and an army of immortal spirits. The other carried beauty, mystery, and a sorrow so deep that even his greed wanted to understand it.
But why would he need to choose? He would simply have both. That was the kind of man Max truly was.
"A heart true to itself," she said as she pulled him closer through the tall hall.
