Chapter 12 #2
“Apologize,” Emyr says in a surprisingly calm voice, though the sharpened glare he gives his cousin is full of malice. “That’s not the way you treat my employees.”
Silva stares at him with a slack jaw. “What has gotten into you?”
“Apologize, or I will have you escorted out. You wouldn’t want to make a spectacle, would you?”
“She truly does not have to—” I start.
“I am sorry.” Silva doesn’t look at me as she delivers the apology. “Perhaps I’ll see myself out. This isn’t the brilliant event I believed it would be.”
“No,” I exclaim. “You must stay. Allow me to apologize, my lady—”
“Go on, then.” Emyr sneers. “Before I tell the others how cruel you’ve been. Sleep off your inebriation, lest you wake up ill.”
Silva trails away, muttering under her breath.
Emyr turns to me, and I’m still frozen in my spot, watching him with new eyes. Helena said he was kind to the workers. Is he standing up for me because I am a friend, or would he defend another employee the same way?
“Apologies,” he says. “She isn’t usually so cruel, but the drink… it does that to some, I suppose.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” I mutter. “She’s right. You shouldn’t be speaking with me tonight.”
“I can speak to whomever I please. This is my party, and I’m the prince.”
“That’s right. It is.” Finally, I uproot myself, turning away. “Enjoy yourself. I must return to my work, Your Highness.”
“Ophelia!”
I fight the urge to turn, to get one last look at his bright eyes, forcing myself onward instead.
“Remind me never to do a favor for you again,” I mutter, closing the door behind us.
It is three in the morning when Helena and I are finally allowed to return to our bedchamber. We have cleaned as much as possible, the party has ended, and the palace is as peaceful as ever.
Though I’ve not stayed at the Sun Palace long, this room is a welcome respite. My body begs for rest, and I give in, not bothering to undress before I slouch into my little bed.
“I’ll give you no such reminder,” Helena says. “Besides, it seemed as if you had fun. Did my eyes deceive me, or did you spend several moments chatting with the prince?”
“Your eyes may be going bad, my dear. We spent a few meager seconds together, and only because he was searching for a drink.
“Hm…” She squints at me. “That’s not what it looked like. I heard whispers, you know. Something about him fighting with one of his kin.”
Heat rushes to my face. I hide my expression behind a pillow and groan into it. “That is not the case.”
“Of course. I’ll pretend I heard nothing, then.”
Lying to Helena is useless. She’s already seen through me with great ease.
I sit up and hug the pillow to my chest. “He defended me quite valiantly. That’s something I am unaccustomed to.”
My stepsisters never spoke up for me, and how could I have expected them to? Their mother was a terror. Even Ethel, my first love, didn’t stand up for me in the end. She chased me away. My father, though… he was always on my side, and I’ve not had someone like that in a long time.
Her expression softens. “I’d defend you, too. But why did he have to? What happened?”
“His dreadful cousin poked and prodded him for speaking with me—with a maid.”
She sneers. “Disgusting. Elitist. Typical of royals.”
“Is it?”
She nods. “Most of them are like that.”
I play with the frayed ends of my pillow and look away. “Is Emyr the same?”
How embarrassing it is to ask, but I must know. Would he stand up for the other maids the way he did for me? What about the cooks and the gardeners? If he only protects me because of our friendship, it does not matter. That wouldn’t make him the caring man I wish to paint in my mind.
He lives there now, a daydream of something I could have had in another life—one where I was truly a lady at his ball.
“Hard to say. I never knew much about him before. He spent much of his time in school and traveling. The other maids have nothing but nice things to say about him. Friendlier than the rest, they say.”
“I suppose he is…”
“You do have feelings for him, don’t you?” Her expression softens. “You poor thing.”
“Exactly. I’m a poor, pathetic woman who allows the prince to occupy her mind, and it doesn’t matter what I feel for him. He’s betrothed. They seemed happy together.”
“Even if that’s true, you can still feel for him. There are no rules against that.”
I open my mouth, unsure if I mean to deny the accusation or confirm it. Helena is correct, but acknowledging my feelings does little good.
“Perhaps in another lifetime,” I murmur.
There is a gentle knocking at the door, not loud enough for me to startle, but enough for it to get my attention.
“Who could that be?” Helena whispers.
“I don’t… I don’t know…”
Rather than answering it myself, I allow Helena to do the honor. She opens it a crack and then the rest of the way. “Allow me to venture a guess, Your Highness… you’re here to see Miss Ophelia?”
“Who is it?” I hiss.
But I already know. Who else could she greet that way?
White strands of hair appear before I note the face they belong to.
The prince is truly in our shabby bedchamber.
The jacket he wore to the party is unbuttoned, enough that I see a sliver of his fair, warm skin and the whisps of snowy hair sprouting on his chest. His hair is a mess, falling from where it’s tied at the nape of his neck.
He leans against the wall, perfectly in place even though he shouldn’t be.
I grip the pillow hard. “You must leave. Whether you are here for my companion or me, you do not belong.”
“I know this is a risk, but I wish to speak with you.” His fingers flex at his sides. “I must speak with you. It can be brief.”
“Shall I leave you two alone?” Helena asks, with an innocence I know is not genuine.
Emyr and I answer at the same time. “No!”
Helena holds her hands up in surrender and returns to bed. “Just an offer.”
Even with Helena here, being alone in this capacity is inappropriate. We’re no longer running into each other around the palace. Now, he’s seeking me out, and my heart cannot take it.
“What have you come to say, Your Highness?” My attempt at sounding strong fades into nothingness when he looks at me with such a soft expression.
Emyr shouldn’t look at me like that, especially not with Helena able to see every passing glance. If anyone finds out he’s visiting me like this, we’ll all be in trouble. The fate of this palace rests delicately on his betrothal.
But Emyr is only here as a friend. Surely that’s allowed, even if I am a maid, isn’t it?
I’ve never seen him look more ill at ease, not even in the small village tavern where we first spent time together, and not even in the shabby inn where we first touched hands. Nothing compares to the way he looks at me now, with a pleading expression I can’t place.
“I wanted to apologize properly,” he murmurs. “Silva was imbibing in too much wine, but it doesn’t matter. She shouldn’t speak to you that way—to anyone, truly.”
Not only did he stand up for me, but now he is seeking me out to apologize. He must stop this behavior—it will only cause me to fall harder. Deeper. “Why in the realm are you apologizing for her actions? You’re not her.”
“She’s my kin.”
“Regardless, I don’t require remorse from either of you. I’m fine, as you can see. I’m ready for slumber—and you are as well, I’m sure.”
“I am.” He glances at Helena. I nearly forget she is in the room until he turns his attention to her. “I apologize for intruding on your slumber as well.”
“That’s just fine by me.” Helena smiles deviously. “Always happy to have you visit, Your Highness. I only wish we had time to clean up.”
“Ah…” He sputters. “It’s fine as it is. There’s no need—”
“Haven’t you seen his room?” I chuckle. “It’s a wreck.”
“He doesn’t usually allow the maids in,” Helena says.
“Because I don’t need anyone to clean up after me,” Emyr says.
“Yes”—Helena looks at him flatly—“you do.”
“He doesn’t wish us to be in his bedchamber, yet you pushed me in there.” I shake my head. “It truly seems you hoped to get me in trouble, dear friend.”
Helena fluffs up her pillow and lies down, muttering under her breath, “Quite the opposite.”
Before I can ask what she means, Emyr steps back and opens the door. “I must go, but this was… well, thank you for allowing me into your lodgings.” His gaze lingers on me. “Sleep well, Miss Ophelia.”
I open my mouth to return the sentiment, but he’s gone too soon.
Helena hardly lets the door shut before she flies toward my bed. “You wretch!”
“What?” I whisper urgently. “Did I do something terribly wrong?”
“No, no… unless you consider stealing the prince’s heart to be wrong.”
“I do!” I shake my head and clutch the pillow, desperate to ground myself. “Of course, I do. He has a betrothed—and I’m a maid. Heavens above.”
This can’t be happening. If my feelings are discovered, I’ll surely be banished from the palace. I can’t lose another home. That’s more important to me than whatever I may feel for Prince Emyr.
“I don’t want to hear it. That man desires you.”
“Perhaps I don’t desire him. Have you ever considered that?”
I am the one who left him at the ball, after all—but Helena can’t know that.
She tilts her head to the side and fixes me with a look of disbelief. “All right. When you’re ready to speak with honesty, I’ll be waiting.”
“You’ll be waiting for quite some time.” Despite my denial, my face is still hot when she finally stops pestering me.
Why, in the realms, did he come here? Just to speak to me? It is impossible.