“Oh, I’ve found that to be utterly untrue,” he admits with a grin. But then his expression turns more serious, and I can see he needs some time to prepare himself for what he’s about to say.
We walk for a few moments more before we come to a bench and he gestures for me to join him on it. As I settle my skirt around me, he drapes his jacket around my shoulders.
“Always the gentleman,” I tease him.
“No, I just was too warm and got sick of wearing it myself,” he jokes. “Just kidding, reach into that right pocket.”
Intrigued, I slide my finger into his coat pocket and pull out a folded piece of parchment.
He tilts his chin to my hand, “I meant to show you that the night my cousin was waiting for you outside your door. And we haven’t had another moment since,” he says, his voice soft, almost hesitant. “It’s from the queen... my aunt. She left it for me. There’s a part in there where she talks about you.”
I blink, taken aback. The queen wrote about me? My heart stumbles for a moment, and the parchment, cool and delicate in my fingers, shakes.
“She thought very highly of you,” Caelum adds, his voice steady but filled with warmth. “I just thought you should know. Please. I’d like you to read it.”
I unfold the letter, my eyes scanning the familiar script of the queen’s handwriting. Between reminders of her love for him and some none-too-vague words to take care of his cousins, my name appears, and I feel a slight tremor run through me.
“Continue your friendship with Eirabella. She is someone truly special, warm and kind, and her unique perspective is one you’ll dearly need in this difficult, sheltered life of yours, my dearest nephew. A friend who will tell you the truth is a gift we do not all receive. Your joint love of puzzles will be beneficial to you both. Don’t let go of that. Which is why I've left one for you. Perhaps you can ask our future Aquilith to help you. And maybe you will think of me and my own love of puzzles as you two figure it out together.”
The words hit me like a soft wave of warmth and sorrow all at once. The queen, in all her wisdom and grace, had thought of me in her final days.
“She saw things in people that othersmissed,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper, tinged with sadness. “Or at least, she saw things in me when no one else bothered to even look.”
“She really did,” I reply, my voice thick with emotion. I reread the letter, my heart swelling with both gratitude and curiosity. “A puzzle?”
Caelum chuckles at my obvious piqued interest. “Apparently, she left me something to solve. And she seemed to think you’re the one to help me. I haven’t found it yet, but when I do, I’ll be looking for you.”
Leaning over, I press a soft kiss to his cheek, my hand gently touching his arm when I simply say, “Thank you,” my voice quiet but sincere. “For showing me this. It means more than you know.”
He just nods and is about to say something when I hear footsteps coming toward us. I turn to see Mathis approaching, a warning look on his face.
“There you are, Eira,” he says, his eyes trying to signal something to me. “Apparently,someoneis looking for you.” His tone suggests he knows exactly who.
Before I can pull back from Caelum, I see Rylan striding toward us, his expression dangerous and brooding. There’s no mistaking the outrage in his eyes, and my heart skips a beat, the relaxed atmosphere shattering in an instant.
“Caelum, maybe you’d like to join me for a drink inside? I hear Lord Banbury’s daughter is looking particularly fetching tonight,” Mathis suggests, clearly trying to diffuse the tension.
Caelum, ever the antagonist, smirks and casually lays one hand on the small of my back and the other on top of my hand still resting on his arm. “Actually, I think I’m already with the most fetching woman here.” He stands and takes my hand, helping me to my feet. “Now, if Eirabella would like to join me for a drink…”
Rylan steps forward, danger surging from every inch of hisbody as he menacingly glowers at his cousin. “She’s not ‘fetching,’ you complete clod of a man.” His gaze sharpens, and the words that follow are drenched in raw emotion. “She’s a fucking goddess. Can’t you see that? Do you even have any idea of the absolute privilege you have of knowing her?” His eyes lock on mine, and I stop breathing. His voice lowers as he says, “When she looks at you, it’s like she cradles the light of the stars in her eyes and the intense fire of the sun in her heart. With every word she utters, she pulls the world closer, and it holds its breath, awaiting the addictive pleasure of her sweet smile. She’s divinity itself, something mere mortal words could never capture.”
His eyes refuse to move from mine, as if I am the only thing that exists. And for me, all else but the look in his eyes, falls away. “But beyond her unearthly, herungodlybeauty, she embodies a kind of strength that forever bends but never breaks. There is more courage infused in a single twinkle of her eye than is needed to lead an entire kingdom’s army into battle. Her laughter is a song that could heal even the most wretched, shattered soul, and her unending kindness is a benevolent force so rare it humbles anyone fortunate enough to experience it. You don’t just see her, youfeelher”—his eyelids flutter closed—“ineveryheartbeat, in the space between breaths.” He opens his eyes again and their dark depths become bottomless “She iseverything. And if you think for a second I’d let you tarnish her with your touch, you’re more foolish than I thought.”
Rylan’s voice drips with warning as he stalks closer, his eyes moving to Caelum’s hand on my back. “So, leave us. Now. I’m not going to tell you again. And if you want to keep your hands, I suggest you remove them from my discipleright now.”
Caelum’s smirk falters slightly, but he doesn’t let go immediately. Instead, he glances at me, raising an eyebrow as if to ask if I’m okay. I give him a small nod, and finally, he lifts his hands away, stepping back with a resigned sigh.
“Fine. No need to break out the sonnets just to say you wanted to hog the woman of the hour for yourself,cousin,” Caelum concedes and presses a kiss to my cheek which elicits a snarl from Rylan. “Stumpy, my dear, it was a delight, as always. I look forward to further conferring with you on the…” he gives me an exaggerated wink, no doubt for Rylan’s benefit, which makes me bite back a smile. “And on that note, Captain Corvane, a drink you say?”
Mathis nods, giving me a brief, sympathetic look before following Caelum back towards the ballroom.
I stare at Rylan, his words still echoing in my ears, the breath barely filling my lungs. “Rylan… your words. I…” I exhale.
Rylan’s gaze flick back to me, and I can see the storm brewing in his eyes. “Are you trying to drive me insane? Because it’s working.”
I blink, his tone instantly putting me on the defensive. Well, that truce didn’t last long. “Wha—”
He doesn’t even let me finish. “Why did you run off with Caelum? I asked you to wait for me.”
