Page 15 of Iris of the Crowned Flame
They glanced around, noting the amount of people still in this great room.
“Thank you, Princess Lyla. Your generosity knows no bounds.” Egan is certainly more polished now. I wonder if drinking accented some of his bumbling and nervousness. “I must wonder, though, are we going to have opportunities for more intimate conversations and outings as well? Chaperoned,of course, but time spent without these other, likely fine, gentlemen?”
“Yes, of course, Prince Egan. I’d like to arrange for plans for each of us to get to know one another on many levels. I look forward to it, even.”
Egan and Frederick nodded, satisfied with the conversation. Spencer still hadn’t spoken, but it seemed like they were ready to leave. I left a few heartbeats to allow him to talk, but he seemed distracted, or perhaps he simply didn’t have any other concerns, at least at this moment. I spoke before the silence drags too long. “Again, gentlemen, I appreciate you accommodating me through these unusual circumstances, but I think the reward of getting to know each other at a more personal level will pay off. If you excuse me, I do have to prepare for my afternoon meetings.”
I stood to leave, and Ivy and Amyra rose as well. The three princes stood up and bowed. Spencer finally spoke up. “Princess Lyla, the honor is all ours, I assure you. Would you like an escort of three back to your chambers?”
I briefly imagined the spectacle that would be the six of us walking to my room, and the sordid rumors that could start. I smiled at the silliness of the thoughts as I gently shook my head no.
“Thank you for the offer, but I believe we will be capable of finding our way safely. I look forward to seeing you this evening.”
I hoped all three understood I meant all of them, but my eyes stayed on Spencer only as I spoke. I partly wanted to arrange more private time with him, though the idea equally horrified and thrilled me.
Ivy, Amyra, and I made it back to my chambers, and as soon as the door closed, I could almost hear all of us shedding our proverbial masks. Before I even realized what I was doing, I reached for Amyra’s hand, and I held it like it was the only thing keeping me alive. In a way, that was true.
Ivy, as always, was the first to speak. “The Councilors andthe King and even Ethan made it in with plenty of time. So why were you late?”
I smiled a bit. Ivy had such a knack for knowing where the juicy story is.
“I worried I was too close to losing my composure after the meeting with the Council, so I had ducked into a room to gather myself. I thought it was empty but…”
I trailed off. I needed to figure out how much of this I wanted to share with them, and especially with Amyra. It’s one thing to know that this relationship must happen. It’s another to know it was already happening.
“But what? Who was in the room with you? Oh goodness, what happened? Are you ok?”
“I’m fine! Nothing untoward happened… much, anyway. It turned out to be Spencer’s room. Someone must have given him a small leftover room upon his arrival, not his regular one. I need to find out who’s in his normal room and get that changed. It won’t do for the long term for him.”
“Excuse me, you were alone in a room with Spencer and you’re just going on about how you’re going to switch rooms for him?” Ivy’s golden eyes sparkled with excitement.
I felt Amyra’s hand squeeze mine. I glanced at her and noticed she’s using the hand language we used to use all the time to talk in public spaces. She was telling me it’s ok to share it all. I offered a little smile of gratitude to her as I tell them about the kiss. I told them all about how it started because I was so upset at how this entire process could force an end to what Amyra and I have, especially if whoever I ended up choosing finds out and felt jealous. How I just wanted a moment alone to work through those emotions threatening to overtake my poise before I had to perform for that crowd. Then I found out it was Spencer’s room, and he was there, and how I wanted to tell him about all these fears but couldn’t trust him. In the moments of deciding whether I could trust him, we instead kissed. I could tell that Ivy wanted to push more details on that kiss, but held back for Amyra’s sake. Amyra clenched my hand, letting me know sheunderstood. She would be ok. I hated that I had to put her through this.
“There’s one more detail. Just before the kiss, he promised me he would put my happiness as his focus, as my husband. That he wants me to feel free if we were to be married.” I look at Amyra and really see her.
“I think I genuinely believe him. I think he would protect us. I know you two don’t know him like I do. But I don’t want to confide in him until I know you are comfortable, too.”
I stopped here. I wasn’t sure what I’m looking for, what Amyra needed to do or say to allow it. Or what allowing it even meant.
Amyra placed her other hand on mine, raising my hand to her face. She planted a gentle kiss on my knuckles while staring at me. Her pale blue eyes showed all the love we’ve built. I saw hope, and I knew that hope. I also hoped for a future where we could be ourselves. Maybe not fully in public, but at least we can have our moments, and she didn’t have to worry about being sent away permanently. Finally, she spoke. “He is Ethan’s friend, right? Is Ethan able to speak to his trustworthiness, too? Could he help you decide?”
Amyra raised an interesting question. I hadn’t considered talking to Ethan about this. He didn’t know about us outright, but he had hinted at his suspicions in the past. Neither of us had been brave enough to speak about it. Perhaps it was time to find the courage. “I can invite him to my chambers this evening, after dinner. We could ask him tonight.”
Amyra smiled. “I suspect he will tell us what you already know. I think that if you were to choose a husband based on how he would allow you to live happily and freely, to love freely, Spencer would be the only choice.”
Ivy squealed. “Did we just decide on the future king?” She jumps up and dances a little around the room. Amyra and I laugh at her excitement.
“I wouldn’t say that yet, Ivy! I must consider the impact the other two men might have on our kingdom. Both in making the choice to have them, and in making the choice to shunthem. I couldn’t make an informed choice until I know what they may do with that decision.”
Ivy giggled.
“Lyla, we know you’ll choose Spencer. It’s ok, we can pretend like you will deliberate hard to balance this out. Maybe we can enjoy a bit of sport.” Ivy shared with an eyebrow wiggle.
Amyra squeezed my hand, showing me her silent love and support again. I returned the gesture, locking eyes with her for a moment.
“Speaking of sport, I must get to my meeting with the event planners. We need to come up with a competition now, and I have no idea where to start.” I stood up, smoothing my dress out. “I will see you two at dinner. Hopefully, I’ll have a plan for the competition.”
CHAPTER 12
