Four #2
I knew our history well. The Kingdom of Emeraldia and the Fae Kingdom of Aubrielle had coexisted peacefully for centuries until one hundred years ago, when the Fae King Oberon had invaded our realm and slaughtered our Queen Estelle.
Estelle’s brother, who upon her death had become King Elias, had defeated Oberon and had been able to push the enemy forces out.
After he had prevailed in the war, he had erected powerful wards in the Enwyld Forest on the demarkation line between the two domains, thus sealing Emeraldia away from Aubrielle.
Since the Fae could still attack by way of water, the barrier had been extended to protect all our boundaries surrounded by the Celestial Seas.
My brows pinched as I flipped several more pages until I found the chapters that talked about our powers.
Magic had existed in Emeraldia since the onset of the kingdom.
When our people had first settled on the continent, they had found a harsh climate and soil too dense for agriculture.
Queen Rosalie, our first monarch, had prayed upon the Stars to grant her people prosperity, and the Stars had answered by bestowing on her the gift of magic.
Known as the Star-kissed Queen, she had been the first one to transfer her powers into the land, thus turning Emeraldia into a flourishing agricultural kingdom.
What she had given to the land, the land had given back, and over time, everyone in the realm had developed magical abilities.
I stopped reading when I came across the Clairborne family tree featured on one of the pages.
Queen Rosalie was depicted at the top, with five generations flowing down, spanning over two hundred years until King Elias and Queen Estelle.
My gaze lingered on the miniature portraits of my ancestors.
With golden hair and eyes, Estelle was known as the Golden Queen.
Many called me the Golden Princess because of how similar we looked.
I turned the page to find the next three generations.
Queen Estelle had never married or borne any children before her untimely death.
King Elias and his wife, Queen Seraphina, had a son—King Silas, my grandfather.
Silas and his wife, Queen Agatha, had begotten my father, Adelard, and his sister, Lorraine.
Lorraine and her husband had a daughter, Luna, and from my parents were my brother Sebastian and I.
When the sound of the patio door opening snapped my attention from the book, I looked up at the same time Gray stepped outside.
Dressed in a white shirt and black pants, he appeared relaxed, carrying a book in one hand and a coffee mug in the other.
He tensed when he noticed me, and his dark brows knitted as his gaze locked on mine.
“Your Highness?” he asked in his deep voice.
“Please, call me Emelin.” I offered a small smile. “Good morning.”
“Morning.” He didn’t return my smile. “You’re up early.” His tone was almost accusatory, making me wonder if he enjoyed his quiet time on the patio every morning, and I was infringing on that.
“I couldn’t sleep,” I admitted.
“I’m sure being in an unfamiliar place didn’t help,” he muttered, eyeing the wicker chair close to where I was sitting.
He looked as if he was unsure about joining me, but after a moment of hesitation, he closed the distance between us and took a seat.
“What are you reading?” he asked, his gaze dropping to the open book in my lap.
“The War of Two Worlds.”
His brows lifted in surprise as he set his coffee cup on the table before him. “The book is written in the old language. You can read Stellian?”
“And speak it, too. All royals are strongly encouraged to learn it to honor the long-standing tradition. Though some of us take the task more seriously than others.”
“I doubt there is anything in that book that you don’t already know,” he pointed out.
I suddenly realized that it might seem strange that I was reading about the Great War. “I was just refreshing my memory. How much do you know about our magic?”
“As much as anyone else. Our powers were bestowed on us by the Stars.” He looked up at the sky.
I followed his gaze to the ominous gray clouds above us. “I wish we knew more about its origin.”
Gray arched a brow. “Your Highness.”
“Emelin,” I interjected.
“Emelin.” He pressed his lips in a thin line as if he didn’t like calling me by my name. “You’re a royal. You should know our magic better than anyone else. Besides, it doesn’t matter where it came from. It’s what we do with it that counts. Or don’t do.” He gave me a pointed look.
“What are you implying?” I demanded in a cold tone.
“Only that I find it strange you haven’t tried to unlock your powers until now,” he replied calmly.
“I did try when my powers first awakened, but then I became consumed by something else…” I trailed off, feeling heat creeping into my cheeks.
“Which was?” Gray prodded.
“I fell in love,” I said simply.
The excuse sounded weak to my own ears. I couldn’t believe that I had lost myself in the relationship, deciding to focus on my fiancé instead of my magic.
Casting his gaze down, the lord chuckled, shaking his head.
Is he laughing at me?
“Have you ever been in love?” There was a challenge in the question.
He tensed, and a muscle flexed in his cheek as he lifted his gaze to mine.
“I have,” he admitted reluctantly.
“Then you must know what it’s like,” I remarked, pulling the blanket tighter around me.
“Yes, I do know what it’s like. I also know that it’s no excuse to disregard your duty to the kingdom. As a royal, your magic is stronger than most. You should have started helping with agriculture long ago. Seeing how the weather is changing, we need all the help we can get.”
Taken aback by his boldness, I gritted my teeth and averted my gaze, feeling like a scolded child. I couldn’t deny that he was right. After all, that was one of the reasons why I was staying at Bradford Manor.
Taking a steadying breath to regain my composure, I forced myself to meet Gray’s gaze once more. “Well, I can’t go back and change the past, but I’m here now,” I told him, making sure my tone was less icy. There was no point in being angry with him as I had only myself to blame.
His gaze softened a little as he took in my expression, which was a mix of regret and determination.
“Very well, we will begin your training after breakfast,” he said before shifting his attention to the book in his lap.
“What are you reading?” I asked in an attempt to lighten the mood.
His gaze lifted back to mine, and he held up the book to show me the cover.
My heart dropped when I read the title: ‘The Fae: Myths and Facts’.
“Why are you reading about the Fae?” I asked in a hollow voice.
Gray shrugged. “It’s wise to know your enemy.”
A scratchy lump formed in my throat, and I forced it down before asking, “Does it bother you? Being this close to Aubrielle?”
The lord studied my face for a moment before he replied, “Why would it? The wards your great-grandfather erected are there to protect us from the Fae.”
My heart squeezed at his words. Gray trusted in the wards as everyone else in the kingdom did. The weight on my shoulders suddenly felt heavier than before.
“Why do you ask?” His brows pinched in confusion.
Realizing a little too late that my question may raise suspicion, I scrambled to come up with a good explanation for my inquiry, but before I could, the patio door opened, and Thea’s head popped out.
“Good morning.” She beamed at Gray and me. “Breakfast is served if you two would like to join us inside.”
Grateful for the opportunity to leave the conversation we were having behind, I swiftly rose to my feet, letting the blanket slide off my shoulders. I grabbed it and the book I had brought with me.
“Let me help you.” Thea stepped out and picked up my coffee cup. The two of us walked inside the house, with the lord trailing behind. When we entered the dining room, Tom shot me a look of annoyance from where he stood by his seat at the table.
“Good morning,” I told him, attempting to be civil, while Killian took the blanket and the book from my hands and pulled out a chair for me.
The adviser grumbled his response as everyone took their seats. Gray read the morning paper while Thea went over his schedule for the day. I plucked a croissant from the mountain of pastries on the platter in the middle of the table and thought about my magic.
My powers had first awakened around my eighteenth birthday when they had sparked to life in my chest, the sensation strange but exhilarating.
Once the spark was there didn’t mean that I could wield my magic at will.
To come fully into my abilities, I had needed to coax them out, to make the flame of the powers inside me burn brighter.
I hadn’t lied to Gray—I had tried unlocking my powers before—but the truth was, I hadn’t put in too much effort.