Thirty Two
Lady May and I trained for a while. When the sun reached its highest point, plunging the gardens into an unbearable heat, the Sorceress created a dome around us, using her powers to cool the temperature inside it.
The demonstration of her prowess was also for my benefit since she wanted me to learn how to control the element of air first. To my surprise, the training session didn’t end in my failure.
I was able to harness the breeze and redirect it as well as conjure a little burst of wind in the palm of my hand.
“You have done well today. We will keep working on your magic tomorrow. For now, go get some rest, and consider coming down for supper,” Lady May said in the late afternoon.
I nodded, wiping my forehead with the back of my hand. Even in the cocoon of her magic, I had worked up a sweat. I knew that I wouldn’t join the rest of the household for dinner, but I didn’t bother telling her that.
“Thank you for taking me to Emeraldia this morning, and for, well, everything else.”
“You can thank me by coming to dinner. Adrian would love your company. And did you know that Theadelle and Tomlison have moved into the castle?”
Who? I almost asked before I realized that she meant Thea and Tom. “They have? I didn’t know that.”
“They have, and rightfully so. Tomlison is the king’s adviser, and Theadelle is yours, for when you finally decide to embrace your new title.”
“The title I’ve only had for two days,” I pointed out, trying not to sound exasperated.
“The longer you delay it, the more difficult it will be to adjust. There is no going back. You might as well jump in with both feet. These early days are of great importance. The Fae are waiting to measure you up, to see what kind of a ruler you are going to be.”
“A ruler? Adrian is their ruler; I’m simply his consort.”
“While that is accurate as far as titles are concerned, Adrian wants you two to be equals.”
“What about what I want?”
“You have chosen this path. You might as well walk it with dignity.”
The only path I’ll be walking now is the one straight to my room. “I need to freshen up. Will you please glimmer me to my chambers?”
She pursed her lips but reached for me. After she had deposited me in my rooms, she said, “I do hope to see you at dinner,” before she strode out of my quarters.
I didn’t stay by myself for long, summoning Inara by ringing the silver bell Thea had left.
Upon her arrival, the diffident maid helped me to bathe and don a pale-blue dress with white, lace overlay.
The sleeveless gown with thick straps and a square neckline came down to my mid-calf, and was rather comfortable, especially paired with simple cream flats.
“You’ll look radiant at supper tonight, milady,” Inara said in a quiet voice as she brushed my hair.
I was relieved to see that the red streak was completely gone. It was as if the prior night had never happened.
But it did. I rubbed my bare ring finger. I would have to find a way to contact Finn to get my ring back.
“I’m not coming down for dinner, so you don’t need to do anything elaborate with my hair,” I told the maid.
“I’ll pull a few strands up and secure them with a bow. I found a pretty cream one in the dressing room.”
That was the most words we had exchanged so far tonight, and I wanted to keep the conversation going. “How long have you served the royal family?”
She looked quite young, but since faeries lived for a very long time, her appearance might not be the true reflection of her age.
“I’m new to the household. My mother, who had served the royals all her life, had recently retired, and I took her place.
It was a relief to be assigned to the West Wing of the castle.
I hear terrible stories about the North Wing.
” I frowned—Celestina and Tarn lived in the North Wing.
Inara caught my scowl in the mirror and paled.
“My apologies, milady, I shouldn’t have said that.
I’m loyal to the royal family. As loyal as they come,” she said in a shaky voice.
“It’s all right,” I assured her. It wasn’t difficult to imagine the former queen and the prince being cruel to the help. “I’m also glad that you’re assigned to me.” I smiled in the reflection, hoping to put her at ease. “My hair looks wonderful, thank you. Please bring up some dinner.”
“Yes, of course. It’ll be right up.”
After she had slipped from the room, I rose from the chair and walked to the balcony. The sky outside was painted in pink hues of sunset. Would Finn call on me tonight? I wished he would because I needed to retrieve my ring, but was that the only reason?
Inara returned a few minutes later with a tray of food.
The roasted duck and vegetables smelled divine, and were accompanied by a glass of red wine.
I thanked the maid and sent her away before enjoying a quiet dinner alone with a book from the shelf in my room.
The collection must have been curated by Adrian because it contained an array of my favorite novels and a few titles that sounded like something I would enjoy reading.
Though curious about the new books, I picked one that I had read before, seeking comfort in the familiar story.
The cozy predictability of it combined with the wine relaxed me to the point that I began to nod off after I had finished eating.
I was almost asleep on the sofa when a tapping on the balcony door jolted me awake.
Sitting up from my slumped position, I rubbed my eyes and listened.
Was Finn’s feathered messenger back or had I dreamed it?
When another tap, tap, tap followed, I jumped up and ran to the balcony, where the white-winged dove from the previous night was waiting for me.
“Hello!” I happily greeted the bird. “What do you have for me tonight?”
The dove fluttered up and perched on the railing, patiently waiting for me to approach it. I reached for one of the twig legs and untied the note secured to it.
Good evening, Emelin, my beautiful queen, if you wish to see my handsome face (because who wouldn’t), meet me by the fountain.
“He’s so cheeky.” I chuckled.
The bird released a short chirp in response before flying away.
Finn was so confident that I would come, he hadn’t even asked for a reply.
He had still drawn a map to the fountain for me, and even though I was fairly confident that I remembered the way, I took the note with me anyway.
I couldn’t leave it in my room where it could potentially be discovered by others.
Down the hallway, turn right, down another hallway, left, down the staircase to the first floor. I navigated the castle a few minutes later. When I had reached the first floor, I stepped outside into the gardens and started down the path that led to the fountain.
With my gaze not glued to a map, I was able to admire my surroundings as I walked in the warm night air under the silvery moonlight.
I was almost to my destination when a copse of trees to my left caught my attention as a subtle orange glow cut through the trunks.
The light was barely noticeable, and I would have missed it if I hadn’t turned my head to the left at the exact moment I was passing by it.
I halted by the spot, unsure if I should investigate.
Who knew what I would find in these woods.
I looked in the direction of the fountain.
Finn was waiting for me. But what lay behind the trees?
Curiosity getting the best of me, I entered the tree line.
The orange glow grew brighter as I carefully walked a few steps.
As I was about to break through on the other side, I froze, hiding in the shadows as I took in the sight before me.
A massive sycamore tree sat in the middle of a glade, its broad, irregular crown reaching for the faint stars, that were being washed out by the nearly full moon.
The tree’s sturdy, heavy branches spread out over the clearing, and from one of them—the one that was almost parallel to the ground—hung a rustic, wooden swing.
It was illuminated from below by two oil lamps sitting nearby on the forest floor.
The swing wasn’t empty as Adrian was occupying it, with an open book in his lap.
His gaze was on the pages, his thick raven lashes shielding those striking silver eyes.
Stars, he was beautiful. Finn was beautiful, too, but his beauty had a superficial sheen. He knew that he was handsome and used his looks for his advantage. Adrian’s beauty was different. It was timeless. He didn’t need to flaunt it.
Beauty doesn’t have to be loud to be exquisite. He had spoken the words about me, but I could say the same about him.
Finn weaponized his looks, and I had no doubts that many girls fell for the shiny facade. I was on the verge of becoming one of those girls—I glanced at the note in my hand. But I had a choice to make. Did I want to be one of those girls, or did I want to be the one?
When I looked back at Adrian, one side of his mouth turned up, even though his gaze didn’t stray from the book.
For a second I thought that what he was reading had caused the reaction until he said, “Are you going to join me? I would love it if you did.” He lifted his eyes from the pages and immediately found me in the shadows.
Give him a chance. My mother’s words floated up from the recesses of my mind.
They guided me as I crumpled the note, hiding it in my palm, and stepped out of the trees.
When I approached the swing, I realized that the lamps on the ground didn’t burn oil.
Flickering fire orbs danced inside them instead.
A look of relief flitted across Adrian’s face before he schooled his features. “What are you doing out?” he asked as I perched beside him on the swing.
“Just getting fresh air,” I replied, the lie souring my throat. “You?”