SEVENTY FOUR: Until You
"Perhaps you should go to bed then?" Kel suggested, awkwardly patting the emperor's dark hair.
She had little experience dealing with children.
It's not that she didn't like them, she just hardly had the chance to come in contact with them. Her occupation, both as a soldier and fake princess, rarely lent occasion to meeting youngsters.
So, naturally, she had no idea how to console the giant infant cuddled against her body.
Out of the many faces of the Dragon Emperor she'd been exposed to lately, this childlike one was by far the most bizarre.
"Should I?" The emperor let out a breathy laugh.
Reaching up, he caught a piece of Kel's hair and began twirling it gently.
"I'd have to sleep forever," he whispered, "to be free of this exhaustion."