I Was Always Yours

I WAS ALWAYS YOURSRoyal Crown Academy Book ThreeKHAI HARAI Was Always Yours Copyright © 2023 by Khai HaraAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual personas, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. TRIGGERS!There’s lots of ‘em. They’re everywhere. They come when you least expect them. Phoenix reaches breaking point and loses all self-control.He’s insane like that. If that appeals to you, I got you.If that doesn’t, now’s the time to return the book and I’ll see you on the next one!AUTHOR’S NOTE I Was Always Yours is the third installation in the Royal Crown Academy series. It is a standalone novel and can be read as such, although for a better understanding of the world and characters, it is recommended to read the other two books first.Also, the Sistine Chapel is called la chapelle Sixtine in French. Six’s name is intentionally spelled that way, it is not a typo. PLAYLIST What Once Was – Her’sLocksmith – Sadie JeanSoldier, Poet, King — The Oh HellosSaturn – Sleeping at LastFix You – ColdplayStyle – Taylor SwiftDrown — Boy In SpaceBeso — ROSALÍA, Rauw AlejandroScott Street — Phoebe BridgersOver The Love — Florence & The MachineBitter Sweet Symphony — The VerveLovers — Anna of the North Joli Bébé — Naza, Niska Tous Les Mêmes — StromaeFor all the first loves who turned out to be forever loves.And for my friend, Michele, fellow word nerd. Her eyebrows will hit her hairline when she reads all the smut I’ve written, but she’s the one who said to me, “you’re a writer, you know” and started this whole thing, so she has no one to blame but herself, really. PART IThe Past PrologueSixtineI fell in love when I was nine years old. I know what you’re thinking – what can a nine-year-old possibly know about love? – and the answer is nothing. Not one thing. In fact, at the time I thought I was having a heart attack. The year before, I’d seen my Granny have one right in front of my eyes. She’d stood up from the couch in our Paris home where she’d been reading and had fallen dramatically to the ground in the middle of our living room, her hand frantically clutching the area above her left breast as she’d croaked at me to call for help.I didn’t go back into that room after I ran to get my dad and Granny never walked out Chapter 1Phoenix, age 10August“Who are you?” The girl is crouched low to the ground, picking wildflowers from the field at the edge of my family’s vast property as she hums softly under her breath. I’m not sure how old she is or what she looks like because her face is hidden behind her hair. It falls in shiny waves to the bottom of her back and my fingers itch to comb through the thick, silky strands. And it’s red. So red that it reflected the sunlight and caught my eye from across the field, pulling me away from the party and guiding me straight to its owner like a beacon. I was transfixed by it as I got closer to her. I’d never seen hair that