Page 74 of Mermaid on Heels

The moment those words left her, Liriya realized he had already stolen her heart. And she didn’t want it back.

Chapter 16

“Liriya, wake up.”

Liriya stirred beneath the silken covers, her eyelids fluttering open as she became aware of the presence in her room. The first soft light of dawn filtered through the curtains, casting a gentle glow across the room.

A warm hand came to rest gently on her shoulder and her eyes snapped to the side. A tall, silhouetted figure stood at her bedside, leaning over her slightly. Before the fright gripped her, Liriya’s vision focused on his face.

“Luke?” Liriya blinked and sat up, her sleep-addled mind slowly catching up with reality. “What are you doing here?”

“I tried knocking but you didn’t hear it. So I had to let myself in.” Luke smiled at her, his blue eyes filled with tenderness as he extended his hand to her. “Come with me.”

“At this time? To where?”

“For my surprise.”

Liriya placed her hand in his and he helped her out of bed. Clad in her nightgown, she reached for her robe to wrap it around her and peeked at Luke’s appearance. He was in simple sleeping attire too, and looking rather handsome in his disheveled state.

She slipped into her bedroom slippers and let Luke lead her out of the room. They made it out of the guest wing and meandered through the lit corridors of the castle in silence, the only sound being the faint echo of their footsteps.

They ascended a winding staircase. The stairs seemed to last for eternity and Liriya failed to catch up with Luke’s pace, even though he was incredibly slow. She stumbled when she tried to match his pace and greatly envied the grace of his feet when she fell forward.

Luke caught her arms in time.

“Whoa, easy,” he breathed, steadying her.

“You really have to teach me how to fly up the stairs.” She clung to his arms until her feet found proper grounding. “But I guess I have to learn torunon thesteadyground first.”

“We’ll get on that, I promise.” Luke flashed her a half-smile, rubbing his hands up and down her arms, warming her even though she wasn’t cold. But she didn’t protest, it felt too good. “But for now, I need you to let me carry you up, or we will be late for the surprise.”

“Is your surprise located that high?” Liriya looked up the winding staircase, wondering how long they went for.

“It’s in the tower, yes, so itishigh.” He confirmed with a nod. “So, may I?”

“Looks like I have no other choice with my feet so jelly.”

“Hey, don’t say that.” Luke swept her off the floor into his arms. “One day you’re going to run through these staircases up and down like the rest of us, you’ll see.”

What he didn’t say was that he was planning on keeping her at his side. Liriya thought. He sounded so confident about it and Liriya knew it was because of her words from last night.

He had stared at her in astonishment after she told him that, and then he said, “Then I won’t stop fighting until I conquer it.”

Liriya only smiled, holding back her words that there was no need for any big effort when the simplest of gestures alone won her little by little.

When they reached the top of the tower, Luke put her back on her feet and pushed open a heavy wooden door. They stepped out onto a circular balcony that overlooked the castle grounds. The sight that greeted Liriya stole her breath away.

The sky was painted in hues of pink, gold, and lavender as the sun began its slow ascent above the horizon. The world below was bathed in a soft, ethereal light, and the distant treetops glistened with morning dew. Liriya couldn’t help but gasp at the sheer beauty of it all and felt as though she were witnessing a moment of pure magic.

“Surprise,” Luke crooned in her ear from behind.

“Oh Luke,” Liriya gushed, “I had no idea—the sunrise!” She walked over to the edge of the balcony in exhilaration, hands gripping the railings. Eyes fixated on the horizon, she whispered, “It is breathtaking…”

“I know, and I wanted to share this with you.” Luke came beside her.

Liriya turned to him with an awed, soft smile. His eyes were already on her and there was undeniable warmth in his expression that melted her to the core.

“Thank you.”