Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
OPHELIA
The ticking grandfather clock tells me we slept in. That’s one failure of this palace, I suppose—the lack of sunlight means there’s nothing to wake me. If I had a choice, I would remain in Emyr’s bed for the rest of my days.
The thing that finally rouses me is a reminder of who I am and the duties that accompany it. I’m supposed to be cleaning and preparing for breakfast. Rolling around with the prince doesn’t give me an excuse to avoid my work.
I sit up and peer down at him. His white hair falls over his face, and his lips are parted, with soft breath coming through them.
I’ve never seen the prince look so restful. Even during the night we shared in the Mercury Palace, he didn’t look this at ease—he was still upright in the armchair when I woke.
That night, I wanted to be with him like this. I wanted him to kiss me, take me, and hold me. But even with the drink I’d consumed, I was too nervous to ask for what I desired. In the end, I didn’t have to make the request at all. He’s happy to give me what I want.
Sometimes, it feels as though our minds meld, and he knows what I want before I can speak my desires aloud.
I push the stray hairs away from his face and try to memorize the shape of his angular nose. I rub my finger along the bump and smile. Can we truly be this close? Can I touch him like this?
“What are you doing?” he mumbles. “Go back to sleep. It’s too early. If you’d like me to bring you to the brink of pleasure again, I’ll need another hour or so of rest.”
I roll my eyes. “It isn’t early, unless you consider half past ten early.”
“I do.”
“Oh, to live like a pampered prince. Alas, I’m late for my cleaning duties.”
I retract my hand, but he captures it and holds me close to his chest.
“You’re not to leave,” he says. “That’s an order.”
“Emyr!” Surprised laughter escapes my lips. “I must go.”
“I’m the prince. You’ll do as I say.” He opens an eye and gives me a cheeky grin.
We both know his power is overstated, and not something he often takes claim of. He seemed to be perfectly happy doing as I said the evening before, but I’m not bold enough to say it aloud, even now that I’ve felt him filling me.
“I’ll be in trouble if I’m later than I already am.”
“You can’t be in trouble if I say you have been taking care of me.” He yawns. “They don’t have to know to which needs you are attending…”
“You’re impossible.”
“Stay for breakfast, my love.” He lifts my hand and kisses my knuckles. “That’s all I ask. Once you’ve eaten, you can do whatever you please. Go to work. Go to your bedchamber and read a book. Walk around the garden. The choice is yours.”
“You mean…” I look around and tuck my hair behind my ear. “Shall we eat breakfast in here?”
“We must, I’m afraid. I can’t yet parade you around the palace, no matter how much I wish to.”
He inadvertently brings up a topic I’ve been trying to avoid. We’ve been together now, and I’ve given my heart to him, but there’s still much that may keep us apart. If anyone knows we are entangled, they’ll have the ammunition to end us.
It’s a threat. Everyone is a threat.
I offer a tentative smile. “Is that what you wish to do with me?”
“Yes.” He sighs softly. “But for today, we’ll have a private breakfast. I have much to take care of, I’m afraid.”
“Oh?” I lift a brow. “Would you like to tell me what your day entails?”
His expression softens. He tangles his fingers in my hair, draws my face closer, and kisses my forehead. “I must speak with my parents and Princess Minetta. I want to do right by you—and by her, no matter how she treated me and the secrets she kept.”
I struggle to feel bad for Minetta, considering her lies… or at least her avoidance of the truth. Emyr is a good man; I don’t wish him to see himself as anything less.
“Breakfast, then,” I say, though his cushioned bed threatens to swallow me whole and keep me here forever. “And you’ll assure me that I won’t be in trouble for being late.”
“I promise.”
My worries for the future will have to wait. For now, I’ll eat breakfast with a handsome prince and prepare for the many questions Helena will pester me with next.