Before I can stop her, she’s already halfway across the room, leaving me staring after her, stunned and reeling. I need to follow her, to say something—anything—to make her understand. But before I can move, a voice interrupts.
“Your Highness,” one of the king’s councilmen approaches, his tone respectful but firm. “The king has requested your presence in the assembly room.”
I clench my jaw, the familiar weight of duty settling over me like a shroud. There’s no escaping it, not even tonight. I stare in her direction for another second, even though she’s long gone. And maybe it’s all for the best.
She wants someone who could prioritise her. And I can’t.
She deserves someone who could chase after her. And I won’t.
But as I make my way to the meeting, my mind is consumed with thoughts only of Eirabella and the growing realisation that I may have already lost the best thing I never had.
“You’ll goon the road the day after tomorrow,” my father says, as the rest of the council leaves the room after the impromptu meeting. I simply nod. “I suggest you conjure up some more excitement by the time you get to Larethia, or else the negotiations will go nowhere.”
I grit my teeth. There’s no point in arguing, there’s no winning with him, ever. I turn to leave.
“Remember to organise for one of the other trainers to takeover your disciple’s training while you’re gone,” he calls after me. “It’s not like she can afford to take any more days off.”
I swing around, temper snapped. “I can take care of Eirabella’s training without any input from you. You forcibly designated me her trainer after all, remember? Or would you prefer to take over for me? Please, be my guest. Take it off my roster of duties. I have enough as it is.”
He waits for a moment for the assembly room door to slam closed before he narrows his eyes at me. “You’ll watch your mouth when you’re speaking to your king. Or no begging by you, your mother, or even your little disciple will save you.”
“What are you talking about?”
That smug grin slides over his face. “Oh, you don’t know about that? The deal I made with your precious Eirabella that involves you? Well, well, well. Far be it from me to tell you. Just know that no amount of deals that these women you have wrapped around your finger is going to get you what you want. Onlyyoucan guarantee that. So, don’t forget what it is you’re wanting so badly.”
“I think we both know that what I want so badly is for us to never have to speak again,” I hiss, without hesitation.
He lets out a cold laugh that hurts my ears. “I could easily arrange that, son. Just step out of line again.”
And it’s only the image of my mother mourning me that stops me from opening my mouth one more time before I storm out of there.
THIRTY
Eirabella
There’sa knock on my door much earlier than usual, and I fling it open to be greeted by the sight of Rylan standing there, his expression flat and detached. While he’s rarely just handing out smiles for free, recently there's been a warmer, softer look in his eyes. One I’d secretly imagined, and hoped, was just for me. It’s nowhere to be seen this morning. His unreadable eyes search my own veiled ones briefly, revealing nothing.
“I was just on my way to the training grounds,” I say. No need to bother with a “good morning.” He doesn’t deserve one.
Evidently, he feels the same about me as he simply says, “We’re going somewhere different today.” His tone is clipped and business-like, as if we’re nothing more than strangers discussing a matter of routine. It reminds me of those first few days on our trip to the capital.
“Where to thistime?”
“Somewhere quiet, where we can focus,” he answers curtly, avoiding my gaze.
I nod, keeping my face impassive. The memory of his overheard words from yesterday afternoon—how he said I’m not someone he’d ever choose—still stings, and it takes all my willpower not to lash out at him now.
As we walk through the castle corridors, the unresolved feelings between us create a growing, invisible chasm. I can feel him watching me, his gaze occasionally flicking to my face as if he’s trying to figure out what I’m thinking. But I refuse to look at him, my eyes fixed straight ahead.
The path he takes, though, is unfamiliar, leading us deeper into the woods than we’ve ever gone before, and it feels like we walk forever. The trees grow denser and darker, their branches intertwining to form a canopy that blocks out the morning light. The sound of rushing water grows louder as we approach what I assume is our destination.
With each step, it’s harder for me to stay silent. The cold distance I craved yesterday has made way for a roiling fury, and I long to lash out at him. To make him share this hurt with me.
Finally, I speak, but my words are clipped, sharp. “So, what’s so special about this place?”
He glances at me, his eyes unreadable. “Waterfalls have untapped power. They are water sources at their most pure, most powerful. They can cleanse, they can erode, they can carve out entire valleys over time. If you learn to harness that power in your magic, you’ll be unstoppable.”
I fail to bite back the sarcastic retort, “So poetic. Are you secretly a bard?”
