Chapter 2
Two
Lizette
My jaw falls slack as I watch him walk away, nerves turning into butterflies in my stomach. I can't believe my luck—the fact that Oryx found me lost in the halls is chance enough—but now I'll be able to steal a few moments alone with him.
I swallow down the giddy energy bubbling through me and hurry after him.
Heart slamming against my ribs, I fall in step just behind him, the way servants are instructed to.
If we are accompanying a royal, we must never walk at their side, because we’re not their equals.
We can only walk in front of them if we’ve been instructed to lead.
Directly behind is preferable, but I want to be able to hear the low rumble of his voice if he speaks again, so I stay back and just to his left.
“What's your name?”
It takes me a second to remember that there’s no one else in the hall. Oryx isn't talking to another royal or a guard. He's talking to me.
Nerves make my throat tight. “Lizette. But Irissa calls me Liz.”
He stops and turns, and I stumble to a halt. I should avert my eyes or keep them low, but they wander up to his face instead. “What should I call you?”
“Whatever you prefer, Your Majesty.” I dip my head a little without breaking eye contact. It feels dangerous, like I’m breaking the rules, but I can’t help myself. If this is my only chance to be this close to him, I plan to soak in every detail that I can.
It’s better to ask forgiveness than permission.
“That isn't what I asked.” He pauses for a beat, and I swallow hard. “And please… call me Oryx. I'm not one for titles.”
“Oryx,” I repeat softly, trying to keep a smile off my face. I’m being silly.
How would he react if he knew a servant girl was fawning over him? He’d probably order me away and make me find the kitchen on my own. Hopefully he’ll mistake my smiles and hesitancy as anxiety and not what they truly are: hints of my absolute captivation.
I clear my throat, trying to untangle my web of thoughts that only seem to grow more confusing by the second. “I prefer Liz, but it's really not—”
“Liz, then.” With a quirk of his lips, he turns and continues down the hall with me on his heels. The silence sits heavy between us as we walk, interrupted only by his heavy footsteps, and I fight the urge to say anything. To my surprise, he asks, “What do you think of the kingdom so far?”
The fact that he’s still attempting casual conversation has a small smile tugging at my lips, because he doesn’t have to say anything at all. I’m beneath him, meant to make my presence as unnoticeable as possible, while still performing my duties. Meant to exist and serve, nothing more.
But the way he speaks to me, his tone warm and free of condescension, makes the severe social difference between us feel a little less… stark.
Delusional. I’m being delusional, and it has everything to do with the warmth swelling in my chest. Oryx is royalty, forbidden to people like me, and it would do me well to remember that.
Even if the thought of him seeing me as an equal gives me unrivaled stomach flutters.
I’m so caught up in my thoughts, that I forget he asked me a question, and I hurry to answer, “It’s lovely. Your people have been very kind to us.”
He grunts a noise somewhere between a laugh and a cough, and my eyes instinctively narrow on him. I'm suddenly glad he's two steps ahead of me.
“You don’t believe me?” I dare. I know I'm walking on thin ice by accusing the prince of anything, but Oryx’s carefree attitude makes it too easy.
“No, I do.” He shoots a look over his shoulder that has my insides wiggling. “I just expected you to be a bit harsher, that's all. Humans aren’t the fondest of my kind.”
That doesn’t surprise me, considering a rogue group of them is terrorizing nearby kingdoms. And while they fly the flag of Ulleh, it’s becoming harder and harder to believe the royal family has anything to do with them.
More delusion.
I shake my head, fighting another smile as I debate my response—seriously, why can’t I stop smiling?
I could keep pressing my luck, joking with the prince the way I desperately desire, or I could keep my mouth closed.
Irissa might be a little more lax with the rules, but Oryx isn’t just a random noble.
He’s a prince.
A prince of our rival kingdom.
We turn down another hallway, and I have no idea how much longer we have until we reach the kitchen. This might be the only chance I ever get to speak with Oryx privately like this, at least for a very long time, so I have to decide how I want to be remembered.
As the quiet servant with good manners?
Or someone who can take his playful comments and throw them back at him?
The decision makes my throat tight, the possibility of repercussions weighing heavily on my mind.
What’s the worst that could happen? A strong warning and some kind of punishment?
It’s not like they can demote me any further unless they kick me out of the castle, and I have to hope Irissa would fight to keep me here.
Surely, they won’t have me drawn and quartered for toeing the line a little… right?
I steel my nerves, my mind made up. Consequences be damned. “I meant what I said, your kingdom is lovely, but your brother leaves much to be desired.”
A bellowing laugh erupts from Oryx, echoing through the hall and making me jump. “Well, you’re not wrong; Nor is an asshole. I’d say he’s nicer once you get to know him, but I’m afraid I’d be lying.”
Pride swells in my chest at his laughter, and I decide to keep going. “The queen is very sweet.”
“Right again,” he says, shooting me a look over his shoulder. “She’s a saint, that woman. She puts up with all of us with more grace than anyone should.”
I have no idea how she does it—I certainly couldn’t—but I keep that to myself.
We make another turn, and the hallways start to change slightly. The decorations are spread further apart, and there are less gleaming accents. Somehow, I know we’re getting close to the kitchen, and my stomach sinks.
I’m not ready for my time with Oryx to end. Not yet.
Scrambling to find something to fill the silence, I ask the first thing that comes to mind. “Is there a library?”
He slows his steps, shortening the small space between us, and looks back again. “Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Some of the other servants mentioned there was one, so I decided to try and look for it. I was too nervous to ask any of them to show me.”
“You like to read?” he asks, sounding surprised. I try not to take offense; most servants don’t have the time or the want to learn, but I’ve been reading everything I can get my hands on since I was small.
I nod eagerly. “I read all the books in our castle’s library at least twice. I even brought a few with me because I couldn’t leave them behind.”
He makes a soft noise that almost sounds like a grunt. “You are very interesting, Lizette.”
“As are you, Your H— Oryx.” His name makes my tongue tingle, a shot of adrenaline racing through me at ignoring his honorifics. I take a shaky breath, hoping he doesn’t notice. It’ll probably take me the rest of the day to completely settle from this conversation.
We stop in front of a set of glossy black doors with ornate golden handles, and I recognize them immediately. It’s the kitchen entrance.
Disappointment drags my shoulders down, but I try to keep the emotion off my face. I want a few more minutes alone with Oryx, to ask him questions and pick his brain, but it seems my time is up.
“The kitchen,” he says, gesturing to the doors with a wave of his hand, though he makes no attempt to turn and leave.
We stand there for a long moment, staring at one another, like neither of us is sure what to say. Heat creeps up my neck, spreading across my face, and I force a breath into my lungs.
“Thank you.” I curtsy awkwardly, and my cheeks scorch even more.
“Of course.” He nods, his eyes shifting between me and the doors. “If you want, I can show you where the library is sometime.”
“You would do that?” My lips part in surprise.
“Of course.” He scratches between his horns thoughtfully. “What about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?” The thought of seeing him again so soon has my head spinning. “That would be amazing. Yes, please.”
He nods once, and I can almost swear I see the hint of a smile tugging at his mouth. “Meet me here after breakfast.”
I blink and nod, words failing me completely, and he turns to walk away, leaving me staring after him.