Three #3
I shook my head at her words. “I will have to see for myself then, won’t I?”
“Tha—”
“Are you fawning over High Lord Calix again, Aradia dearest?” Neil interrupted.
Aradia’s face went from lively to ghostly pale to bright red in a matter of seconds.
She stopped in her tracks. I slowly turned around to find Neil looking down at me with a knowing smile, amused by Aradia’s reaction.
I lifted my hand to cover my mouth, trying to hush the sincere laughter that parted from my lips.
Aradia stuttered, flustered as ever, “I-I-I-High Lord Neil, you see, I—”
He cut her off. “You don’t need to explain yourself.” He rolled his eyes, pushing himself between the two of us to offer his arm, which I graciously accepted. “He is rather popular with the ladies.”
I nodded. “So I have heard.” My laughter dissolved. I smiled, feeling the warmth of the sun against my freckled skin.
“You are dismissed,” Neil said to Aradia while she attempted to regain whatever little composure she had left. Poor thing, she was so frazzled over mere childish teasing.
“High Lord.” She curtsied. “Miss.” She turned and took the path in the direction we came from, leaving me alone with him.
“What were you discussing with Acheron that was so private?” I asked. Neil smiled as we began walking side by side.
He clicked his tongue. “Curious thing, you are. Always asking questions.” He paused. “I promised I would take care of you and keep you safe. You can breathe freely. I am not them…”
I stopped breathing for a moment at that comment.
It stung, but I didn’t let it show. Or at least, I tried not to let it show.
‘I am not them’. The image of Prince Adrian crossed my mind, as did Samael’s smug expression.
Gelia’s lifeless body sprawled across her pink sheets.
I pushed that imagery aside, nodding at his words.
“You cannot blame me for being curious, Neil.”
“I suppose I can’t now, can I?” he replied.
The gardens were filled with lush and luminous flora and fauna of all kinds.
White butterflies fluttered about, and there was a sense of peace and tranquility.
Harmony and balance within nature’s many gifts.
Being here was a gift, as was me standing there with my arm linked around his.
There was a comfortable silence between us, one I had grown to enjoy.
Neil plucked a single white rose off the luscious bush beside us. Delicately, he held it between his pointer finger and his thumb. I watched him admire the rose before he offered it to me with a smile.
“Thank you.” I lifted my right hand to take it, twirling it between my fingertips. “It’s beautiful,” I murmured, admiring the iridescent glow of the petals.
“She is.” I looked up at him.
His eyes were already on me, and I smiled, feeling a blush rise to my cheeks. As we briskly strolled through the gardens, silence lingered until High Lord Neil spoke again. “You’re not going to let it go, are you?”
I shrugged.
He rolled his eyes. “Alright, fine, if you really must know. There is tension between the Realms, and Acheron and I are doing our part to prevent further escalation… And I am only telling you because if I don’t—” he reached for my forehead and gave it a singular tap, “that pretty little head of yours will find a way to overanalyze your thoughts to the extent they derail to something far from the truth. But I cannot emphasize enough: there is nothing to worry about.”
Mmm. He knows me so well, but what tensions is he speaking of? What is it he knows that I don’t? Usually when someone says not to worry, that alone should be reason to worry…
I nodded, despite his words bringing more questions to mind. Questions I did not dare to ask for the time being. We continued our walk through the gardens.
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
“Always,” I replied.
He smiled softly, his violet eyes twinkling in the sunlight. He squeezed my arm gently. “Good. I will always protect you, Aerilyn. No matter what.”
His words sent a shiver down my spine, and a mix of fear and comfort washed over me. What was happening in the Realms? What secrets were being kept from me? I couldn’t dwell on those thoughts for long, though, not when I had High Lord Neil by my side.
We strolled through the gardens, the beauty of Lapitah surrounding us. The flowers, the trees, the gentle breeze that carried the scent of sweet nectar. It was a paradise unlike any other, and I felt grateful to be a part of it.
“And I am still diligently trying to find the answers to how you wound up here… I do believe you possess magic, but it seems to be repressed for reasons I am unsure of. But I promise you, when I figure it out, I will be here to help guide you.”
I smiled. “Thank you. For always being good to me.”
He tilted his head. “Thank you for allowing me to show you the kindness you deserve, Little Dove.”
My heart swelled, and walking hand-in-hand with High Lord Neil, I knew that no matter what challenges or dangers lay ahead, I had him by my side. And for now, that was more than enough.