More and more parties were happening at the palace, most which I didn't attend, but from what Damon told me, the parties were the final hurrah of the emperor before he stepped down.

It was weird, an emperor stepping down, most cases being they die before passing the torch, but the emperor really didn't want all that.

He was a rather unorthodox leader, and each day, I appreciated his wildness.

Especially so with the hands on training he asked me to do with Damon. It gave us excuses to see each other more often at my place, secluded from most prying eyes.

We did train seriously, I can promise you that, but where we stood at that moment was no where near our training equipment.

My home help a collection of natural beauty, including, but not limited to towering trees. Such trees holding treehouses that Damon and I loved since we were children.

They still held our weight plenty and were sturdier than ever. So we found ourselves in the towering trees, for even more privacy. We'd hear someone coming from miles away.

That was how I ended up with Damon straddling my lap, my hands cupping his ass, my own back pressed against the wall. His thighs caged my own, with his head tucked into the crook of my neck.

Nothing dirty was going on, we just decided to share in a close, romantic intimacy.

I watched as he took breaths, his body slightly rising, sometimes shifting his hair. When that would happen, I'd move my hand to run my fingers through his hair before returning it to its rightful place.

It was a peace I hadn't felt since Liam passed. And to think Damon would be the one to share it with me was something I never thought I'd get.

Our relationship wasn't perfect. I knew that. I knew Damon feared I'd compare him to Liam, I knew that. We fought, however rarely that was.

Our last fight was actually a month ago, when it came to becoming a public couple. I wanted to wait until he became emperor so nothing stood in his way, and he wanted to do it much, much earlier.

Then he accused me of being embarrassed of him...

It was a huge mess. We didn't talk for three weeks.

We still hadn't actually made up. We needed to talk about it.

"I love you. And I know you just want to be transparent about our relationship, I'm sorry for getting mad at you for wanting that."

He sighed into my neck, "I just want to let everyone know how wonderful you are."

"I know. But I worry we'll have a repeat of the past. I want people to focus on you, when you become emperor, not me."

"You just too spectacular apparently," he joked, and I could feel his smile against my skin. "I'll wait. We can figure out the perfect time to tell everyone later. We've been together for a year now, we can wait."

A year.

It wouldn't be too long until he became declared emperor. He found out a year ago and was counting the days until he got it. And it had been a year since we started dating. Two years since Liam passed.

So much had changed in that time.

I was obviously doing much better, but every year I got mournful when the Anniversary of Liam's death rolled around.

It wasn't that long ago, just two months ago, and I couldn't bring myself to talk to anyone for a solid week.

I still missed him. And while I was happy, that didn't change the part of my life he played a part in.

I was pulled from my thoughts when Damon moved. He faced me and moved to cup my face, "when I'm emperor, I'll make sure you are treated the way you deserve to be."

"Oh? And how is that?"

He smirked a bit, dragging my face to his own, diving into a deep kiss as his hands slid. One reached up into my hair, the other fisting at the fabric on the back of my shirt. He shifted his weight to pin me to the wall of the treehouse, and I couldn't help but gasp at the shift in power.

I slid against her wall, not even noticing until my head hit the floor, his hands had shifted again, pressing at my chest. I melted into him, my hands falling by my head, which he seized with his own hands, pinning them to the ground.

I had never been the submissive party, but I enjoyed it. If this was how it was at least.

I shunned into the kiss, and he pulled away, "you'll be the emperor's husband, and you'll be living in lavish luxuries only you can afford."

He let me come down from my temporary high from that fucking supernova of a kiss, and I met his gaze, still dazed. "Is that a proposal?"

"You'll know when it's a proposal."

"Well, when the time comes, expect to be spoiled right on back your highness."

He groaned falling on me, "you pull the honorifics out just to tease me, don't you?"

"Possibly. You do like when I call you by it, so why not use it?"

He groaned again, "you are so going to regret being a giant tease when we get married."

I chuckled, using my strength to flip us over, "I'm looking forward to it your highness."

He yanked me down into another kiss.

I honestly didn't know how long we stayed up there, kissing, laughing, enjoying each other's company, but apparently it was quite awhile.

Before I even saw it coming, the sky turned from pastel blues to a deep shade of midnight. The stars scattered the sky and the two of us were still in the treehouse.

"We should eat."

"Probably."

We finally got off of each other and headed back to the manor, holding hands as we did so.

Both of us forgetting that only Leon and Finn knew.

When we got inside, I noticed some staff look confused and glancing at our hands and then I realized what was going on. Damon did too, and seemed to try and pull his hand away, but I gave an affectionate squeeze which made him relax completely as we continued in stride.

As we got to the dinning room, my family had already seated, not eating yet, but talking about recent events and whatnot.

Our entrance drew their eyes, kind smiles on their face. Damon and I were standing closer than usual though, which seemed a bit odd, but nothing too strange.

Then they glanced down. Damon was holding my hand just as tightly as I was holding his, our fingers intertwined tightly together.

Jackson bolted up, hand slamming in the table, "you didn't tell us?"

"Oops?" I said jokingly, Damon snickering a bit at that.

He did address it, "we've both been busy, so we just forgot."

"Well congratulations," my father started. "Just know your highness that if you hurt my son again, there will be hell to pay."

"I wouldn't dream of hurting him, you don't have to worry."

"Good."