Thirty Four
I spent most of my day splitting my time between the art room and the library. Lady May did collect me for training, interrupting my solitary bliss, but after she had released me, I was quick to return to my new sanctuary.
Another interruption occurred in the afternoon when my brother’s voice drifted from the entrance to the art room. “Em? Thea said I might find you in here.”
“Bastian!” I abandoned the painting I was working on and ran to him as he walked in.
Only a few days had passed since I had last seen him, but it felt like ages.
Here in Aubrielle, I was in another world, cut off from everyone I held dear.
Well, almost everyone… “What are you doing here?” I asked him after we had embraced.
“Miri brought me, so she and I could spend some time together. She wants to show me the area.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful! It’s good to see you.” I smiled at him.
“You, too! How have you been? Have you forgiven Adrian yet?” His tone was light-hearted and teasing.
I wished I had the same lightness about me, but I didn’t. “No. It’s only been a few days.”
“True, but you also had two weeks before then.”
“Still not nearly long enough to forgive him for his betrayal.”
“Maybe not, but you don’t want to miss out on what little time you have together.”
“Little time? We have our whole lives.”
“And your life span is a fraction of his. If I were you, I wouldn’t want to waste another second. That’s what I plan to do with Miri—spend as much time with her as humanly possible.”
My ears perked up. “What are you planning?”
Sebastian quickly looked around, even though it was only he and I in the room. “I’m going to propose,” he said low. When I squealed in excitement, he shushed me, barely stifling a laugh. “Be quiet. It’s a secret.”
“Have you talked to Father?”
“I have. He approves. His only stipulation is that I wait until my twentieth birthday to get married.”
“That’s only a few months from now,” I pointed out, my excitement growing. My little brother was getting married. I had no doubt that Miri would say ‘yes’. “When are you going to propose?”
“Soon, but first I need Lady May’s blessing. Do you know where I can find her?”
“I don’t, but when she and I meet for a training session tomorrow, I can ask her to glimmer to Claireborne Palace to find you.”
“That would be great, thank you.”
“Of course. I’m beyond excited for you.”
“Reserve your excitement until she says ‘yes’.”
“I have no doubt that she will.”
We simply stared at each other for a few seconds, grinning with joyous anticipation, until the door to the art room opened and Adrian and Miri walked in.
“There you both are,” Adrian said, his silver gaze immediately ensnaring mine. “Miri was looking for Sebastian. We checked your quarters, Emelin, but you weren’t there.” He looked rather pleased by the fact.
“I’ve spent most of my day here, with the exception of the few hours spent training with Lady May in the gardens.”
“I take it you find the art room to your liking?” Adrian asked when he and Miri stopped before Sebastian and me.
For a split second, I considered lying and saying something derogatory about the room just to hurt his feelings, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. “I do, I love it. It’s perfect.”
“You deserve perfect, and so much more.”
I didn’t want perfect, I simply wanted us from before. We couldn’t return to that, but maybe we could build a new foundation.
“I agree, the room is lovely,” Miri chimed in. “And to think it didn’t even exist two weeks ago.” By saying that, she inadvertently confirmed my suspicion that Adrian had made the new addition to the castle specifically for me.
My heart warmed. “Thank you,” I told him, looking into his eyes to convey how much the gesture meant to me.
“You’re welcome. Are you almost finished in here for the day? I’d love to give you a little tour of the province now that it has cooled down in the afternoon.”
I opened my mouth to turn him down, but Sebastian’s earlier words echoed in my head. You don’t want to miss out on what little time you have together.
“Yes, I’m finished. I just need to put away the painting supplies. Miri wants to show Sebastian the area as well. Why don’t we all ride together?”
Adrian’s face that had lit up a moment ago dimmed. “I would love for them to join, but what I have planned accommodates only the two of us.”
“I thought we were going for a ride?”
“We are, but not in a carriage.” He gave me a sly smile.
Intrigued, I hurried over to the easel to clean up the paints and brushes.
“We, on the other hand, are going in a carriage, and our coachman is waiting on us. Are you ready?” Miri asked my brother.
“I am.” He beamed at her as he offered her his arm. When I peeked at them from behind the easel, Sebastian looked at me. “I’m sure I’ll see you again soon, Em.”
“I’m sure you will. You two enjoy yourselves.”
“We will, and same to you and Adrian. I hope you’ll take what we discussed to heart.”
“I will.”
After he and Miri had strolled out of the art room, Adrian inquired, “What did you discuss?”
“Nothing,” I told him as I finished cleaning up.
I was nervous about spending time with him, only the two of us, because I wasn’t sure how long I would be able to keep my distance.
I stood by what I had told my brother—two weeks wasn’t long enough for me to forgive Adrian—but with each remorse-filled apology and thoughtful gesture toward me, he rattled the walls around my heart.
Frowning, I looked down at my chest to inspect the invisible wound. It was still there.
“What is it? Are you all right?” Adrian asked, stepping closer to me.
I looked up at him. “When I learned about your betrayal, it felt like a hole opened up in my chest. The pain was excruciating, unbearable. It has dulled over the past two weeks, but I feel it still, and the wound…it’s still there.” I lifted my hand to my heart.
His gaze dropped to my chest before returning to my face.
His eyes were glimmering with tears. “If I must spend an eternity atoning for what I did, for the pain that I caused, I will do it. There is no one else, Emelin. There will never be, my star. If the wound never heals, and I have to spend the rest of my existence being unable to touch you again, I will accept that as my punishment and suffer alongside you.”
The walls around my heart shuddered. “I don’t know what the future will bring. Why don’t we take it one day at a time?”
“Of course.” A tentative smile spread on his face. “Are you ready to go?”
“I am.”
“I need to glimmer us somewhere first. May I?” He lifted his hand.
When I nodded, he gently clasped my forearm.
After a brief magical conveyance was complete, we stood in a flat, open field.
The castle lay a considerable distance away to my left.
To my right sat what looked like a wicker basket, only it was tall and spacious enough to fit a couple of people inside.
“What is that?” I asked Adrian as excitement surged.
He replied with a word in Stellian that I wasn’t familiar with.
Cued by my puzzled expression, he explained, “The literal translation is ‘a balloon filled with air’. Let me show you.” He let go of my forearm, and together we walked closer to the curious contraption.
“We’ll ride in the basket. It’s attached to the envelope, which is the balloon part.
” He pointed to the long stretch of lightweight, tightly woven material laid out in a line extending from the basket.
“I’ll inflate the envelope with my magic until it rises above the basket and eventually lifts the basket off the ground. ”
“We’re going to fly?” I breathed in awe.
“We are.” He beamed at me. “You’re going to see your domain from a bird’s eye view.”
“Is it safe?” I asked, even though nothing he could say would deter me from going for a ride in the balloon.
“It is. Let me help you get inside. Do you see that built-in opening on the side of the basket? Place one foot in it and then swing your leg over the edge, much like mounting a horse.”
For a moment, I wished I were wearing leggings under my dress for modesty, but I quickly shook off the silly thought.
Adrian and I were the only ones here, and he had already seen my bare body.
Still, my cheeks flushed as I stepped into the hole with one foot and grabbed onto the padded, leather-covered rim of the basket.
Adrian’s hands gripped my waist for support, which only added to my already flustered state.
Acutely aware of his proximity, I hiked one leg up and swung it over the edge.
When I did so, my skirts rode up to my hips.
Now, I wasn’t the only one flustered. Adrian’s fingers flexed on my waist as he made a sound low in his throat.
Fighting a smirk of satisfaction, I lowered myself into the basket with his help.
He climbed in next, effortlessly swinging himself over the rim.
“Now that we’re inside, I’ll start inflating the balloon,” he said as he extended his arm toward the long line of fabric.
The air rippled slightly in front of his outstretched hand, and a few seconds later, the envelope started to grow and expand.
“I’m using cold air to get it partially inflated, and then I’ll switch to hot air to make it rise above the basket. ”
I watched in wonder as he did what he had described until the navy balloon floated above us.
“Will you have to use your powers for the duration of the flight?” I asked, looking up.
“No. Do you see those things directly above the basket that look like two oil lamps? I’ll conjure fire in them, and they’ll continuously heat the air in the balloon to keep it afloat.”
“Fascinating,” I murmured, lowering my gaze to him.
“Ready?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.
“I think so?” Still facing him, I grabbed onto one of the four vertical leather-covered poles that connected the basket to the envelope.