Chapter 29
Broken
Evelyn and Damien stayed under the tree even after the wine ran out. They were quiet, lost in their own thoughts. Evelyn was pretty sure Damien fell asleep briefly.
She spotted Leo walking up from the beach and waved him over.
“Is there any wine left?” Leo asked when he reached them.
“Nope,” Damien said. “That’s what you get for abandoning your own party.”
Leo rolled his eyes and sat beside Evelyn. “Why are you out here, anyway?”
“Evelyn was going to burn the palace down,” Damien lied.
“I was going to burn one person, not the whole palace!” she corrected.
Leo raised a brow. “Who?”
“Lord Stuart,” Evelyn grumbled.
“And you actually stopped her?” Leo asked Damien.
“Too many witnesses,” Damien said.
“Hmm. Maybe another time.” Leo plucked a daisy out of the grass and tucked it behind Evelyn’s ear. “You’re beautiful.”
“Oh, fuck no!” Damien jumped up. “I’m not going to listen to the two of you being cute. I’m not a zookeeper for godsdamned lovebirds.”
He snatched the empty wine bottle and walked in an almost straight line toward the palace.
I didn’t want Damien to leave… but I guess Leo and I have things to talk about.
She leaned against Leo, and he put an arm around her shoulders.
“I don’t hate you,” Evelyn whispered.
Leo went still. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”
“I want to hate you,” she admitted. “I’m angry, and I don’t totally trust you, and I’m a bad person for even bringing it up right now. But I can’t hate you.”
“Evelyn, I’m—”
“Don’t say you’re sorry! I know you’re sorry. Just be here with me.”
“I can do that.”
She rested her head on Leo’s chest and listened to his heartbeat.
We need to talk about our fight. We have to figure out what comes next. If Leo wants to be with me, I need more than an invitation to stay in the kingdom. But it’s not fair to ask him to make that decision today, not after his father died. I also don’t know if I’m ready to say yes.
“I fell out of this tree when I was a kid,” Leo recalled.
Evelyn cleared her thoughts. “You did? How?”
“I was playing hide-and-seek with Damien. I thought it would be so smart to climb a tree and use an illusion so he couldn’t find me.”
“A flawless plan, obviously. Then what happened?”
“Damien used his magic to imitate the sound of a lion’s roar.” Leo laughed at the memory. “It was deafening. I got scared and lost my balance on a branch.”
“Were you hurt?”
“Not from the fall. But my magic held and the illusion stayed in place. I was invisible on the ground. Damien accidentally stepped on my wrist and broke it.”
“No! Did you get in trouble?”
“My mother was mad and we got a lecture about our stupidity. But my father was impressed with our magic, so he didn’t tell Damien’s parents what happened.” Leo’s eyes darkened at the mention of his father.
Evelyn steered them back into safer territory. “So you and Damien have always known each other.”
“Yeah. He’s like a brother.”
I want to ask about Prince Christopher, but this isn’t the right time.
“Why did you follow me onto the beach that first night?” she asked instead.
Leo winced. “You’re going to hate my answer.”
Evelyn twisted to face him. “Why?”
“I’d just gotten back to the palace and saw the fire you started—”
“The tiny, inconsequential fire.”
“That one, yes. Then I spotted your silhouette on the beach. I figured you were a newly arrived princess and I…”
“You what?” Evelyn prompted.
“I… wanted… to introduce myself.” Leo’s whole body was tense while he waited for her reaction, like he was expecting to be punched.
“You followed me,” Evelyn repeated, “so you could introduce yourself, and then immediately started lying about your identity?”
Leo ran a hand through his hair. “It sounds really bad when you say it out loud.”
Evelyn surprised them both when she laughed.
I know it’s not funny. It’s not even okay! But after days of being angry and crying and missing him, I’ve reached my limit. That is the most ridiculous story.
“You’re right,” she said. “That was a truly terrible answer.”
Leo smiled tentatively. He brushed Evelyn’s hair out of her face and cupped her cheek.
“I know I messed up. There is so much I would change if I could go back in time. But no matter how many second chances the gods gave me, I would always follow you onto the beach that night. I will always want to be with you.”
Evelyn’s lips were on his before he could even blink. A current of magic pulsed between them. Leo pulled Evelyn onto his lap, kissing her eagerly. She forgot the rest of the world.
This is what I want. This is what we’re supposed to be. Laughing and kissing and being us, together. Why aren’t we spending every moment like this?
When Evelyn drew back, it was only because she needed to breathe. “Can we stay right here forever?”
“That’s all I want, Princess. In this whole world, that’s all I want.”
“King Alexander! Princess Evelyn!” Damien yelled from the front door. “Get your asses back in here! We have shit to do!”
Leo sighed. “It never ends.”
“You’re a king now,” Evelyn said, though the words felt strange on her tongue. “That will keep you busy, I suppose.”
Leo held her hand as they returned to the palace, but dropped it before they went inside.
I guess if he hasn’t talked to Hannah yet, he wouldn’t want her to see us holding hands. That can come later.
They entered the ballroom. Everyone who had witnessed Leo receive his crown was there, minus Queen Camille. Leo picked up his pace, separating himself from Evelyn, and moved to the middle of the room. Damien took his usual spot at Evelyn’s side.
Leo has to speak with the lords. That’s why he walked away from me. That’s all.
“What now?” Leo asked.
Lord Grégory smiled apologetically. “We didn’t finish everything earlier. You still need to accept the kingdom’s magic.”
Leo nodded, and the four lords made a small circle around him. Lord Nicolas stood in front this time. Lord Stuart and Lord Robert stood at Leo’s sides and put one hand each on his shoulders. Lord Grégory stood behind Leo and put a hand on his back.
“King Alexander,” Lord Nicolas said. “Your bloodline has already blessed you with Vision magic. As king, you have the right to magic from all four courts. Will you take magic from the lords who serve you?”
“Yes,” Leo said.
“Lord Stuart Fontaine of the Auditory Court. Will you freely share your magic with your king?” Lord Nicolas asked.
“Yes,” Lord Stuart said.
Leo inhaled deeply. Gold light flowed out of Lord Stuart’s arm and into Leo’s shoulder. The sound of chimes circled the ballroom like a song. Evelyn was surprised to be able to hear it.
But this isn’t an illusion. It’s pure magic.
Leo let out his breath. The light and chimes faded away.
“Lord Robert Barbeau of the Taste Court. Will you freely share your magic with your king?” Lord Nicolas asked.
“Yes,” Lord Robert said in his gruff voice.
Leo breathed in again. This time, green light flowed into him. Evelyn could taste the flavor of an apple. Leo released his breath and it went away.
“Lord Grégory of the Aromatic Court. Will you freely share your magic with your king?” Lord Nicolas asked.
“Yes,” Lord Grégory agreed.
Leo’s breath was followed by red light and the scent of roses. He wrinkled his nose and exhaled.
“Thank you, lords of the Kingdom of Gryon, for your faith in me,” Leo recited.
The three lords removed their hands from Leo, then stepped back and bowed to him.
“Use your magic well, King Alexander,” Lord Nicolas said, ending the ceremony.
Hannah rushed over to Leo. “That was amazing! I saw my father gain magic, but the ceremony is so different with illusions instead of elements.”
“No shit,” Damien whispered. “It’s almost like they’re completely different kinds of magic.”
Evelyn snorted, but Leo smiled at Hannah.
“Will you tell me what it’s like in Carrowmore?” he asked, gesturing toward the patio.
“Of course!” Hannah beamed.
They left and Evelyn’s heart sank. “Did I miss something?”
Why is he wandering off with Hannah like he wasn’t kissing me ten minutes ago?
“He’s being nice,” Damien replied. But he was distracted, keeping an eye on his father.
“You stink of wine,” Evelyn said.
“And you smell like Leo.”
She blushed and scowled at Damien.
“I never get to see you happy,” he complained.
“What are you talking about?”
“I get Angry Evelyn, Crying Evelyn, Scared Evelyn, Jealous Evelyn. Leo is the one who sees Happy Evelyn.”
“It’s not like I planned any of this.”
“I should hope not.”
“Are you upset with me?” she asked.
Damien finally looked at her. “Of course not, Princess. I just wish the past eight days had made you want to smile instead of set fires.”
“Have I only been here for eight days?”
“Yep. Seven nights and hundreds of deaths later, here we are.”
“You sure know how to cheer a girl up.”
“My usual methods don’t work on you, remember?” he said flirtatiously.
Evelyn cocked her head. “Do they work on Lord Nicolas?”
“You’re wrongly assuming that I’m the one who charmed him.”
“Are you ever going to tell me that story?”
“Nope.”
Lord Nicolas glanced over at them curiously, like he could sense he was being talked about. But he was stuck in a conversation with the other lords.
Damien threw an arm around Evelyn. “Let’s go annoy your sister.”
They sat on a bench on the opposite side of the large patio from Leo and Hannah. Leo watched Damien stretch his arm over the back of the bench behind Evelyn’s shoulders.
Hannah tossed her hair and stared up at Leo while telling a story. Suddenly, she swatted at something in the air. A few seconds later, she did it again.
Damien is using his magic.
Hannah rushed inside the palace to get away from the invisible bee circling her head.
Leo approached their bench. “That wasn’t very nice.”
“It was hilarious,” Damien argued, casually resting an ankle over his knee.
“You interrupted us.”
“Was Hannah’s story about Carrowmore’s unseasonably late snowstorm that compelling?” Evelyn asked.
Leo’s expression told her that she had correctly guessed the new topic of conversation.
“I like hearing about your kingdom,” Leo said. “You don’t talk about it much.”
“So ask me.” Evelyn’s voice didn’t stay as relaxed as she wanted.
“I don’t think I’ve ever talked to Hannah,” Damien commented. “It’s enough trouble dealing with you.”
He tugged on a lock of Evelyn’s hair and she smacked his hand.
Lord Nicolas came through the open doors. “If you’re done causing trouble out here, dinner is about to be served.”
Damien winked at him. “You wouldn’t like any of us if we didn’t cause trouble.”
Nicolas grinned. “Barbeau has more wine for us.”
“Fucking start with that next time!” Damien jumped up and grabbed Leo by the collar, dragging him unceremoniously into the palace.
Nicolas rolled his eyes, then held out a hand to Evelyn. “Princess?”
She took his hand and they went inside.
Is Leo going to pretend like nothing happened? He can’t possibly be back to courting Hannah. He just said he wants to be with me!
Each of the lords was given a suite on the third floor in the west hallway, near King Tristan. Damien crashed in an empty room. Two other guards replaced Rory and Simon for the overnight shift.
Leo went for another walk after dinner, and Evelyn was the only one downstairs when he came back. She had been reading in the sitting room, hoping to catch him.
“Leo?” Evelyn called out when she heard the front door close.
Leo followed her voice. He looked so, so tired, like he had aged a thousand years in a single day.
I can’t be mad at him. His father died and now Leo is a king. This might be the hardest day he’s ever had. So what if he was nice to Hannah earlier? He’s a kind person and I care about him. I don’t want him to go through this alone.
Evelyn took Leo’s hand and led him upstairs to the little library on the second floor. He offered no resistance. She lit the fireplace with her magic to warm the room.
In Leo’s eyes, Evelyn could see his father’s death, his mother’s anguish, and the weight of a kingdom.
“You’re safe,” she whispered.
Those words were enough to break him. Leo sobbed into Evelyn’s hair. She simply held him, and they lost all sense of time. The rest of the world could wait.