After their encounter in the empty tea room, Ella avoided Ryu for the rest of the day.
The princess from Sunvaara was another matter.
Princess Nitya cornered her at dinner, eschewing her normal place and sitting next to her.
The princess, ever the diplomat, chose her words carefully. “Ella, forgive me my asking,” she said with a gentle smile, even as Ella wished she could say to her:then don’t ask, please!
“You and Lord Ryu seem quite close,” Nitya went on, her tone tinged with a hint of intrigue. “I saw you when you both exited the tea room after your private…conversation in there. Is there more than meets the eye between you?”
Ella bit back a sigh. Damn the woman and her love for gossip. Over the few weeks that she’d known the princess, she’d realized that the other woman had a love for ferreting out little-known gossip.
Ella took a moment to gather her thoughts before responding. “Ryu is my guardian and I am his ward,” she lied, hiding the tremble in her voice with effort.
Nitya leaned forward slightly, a spark of curiosity gleaming in her brown eyes. “Is that all? I was sure that there is something more intimate between you two? Something deeper?” she inquired gently.
Ella shrugged uncomfortably. “Ryu and I share a unique bond,” she replied, trying her best to dodge the question even as she ate faster, almost being rude in her haste. The sooner she was done with her meal, the sooner she could escape the princess’s questions.
At her obvious distress, Princess Nitya’s expression softened, her voice filled with caution.
“Forgive me for asking, Ella, but Isawyou two together. I know there is something between you two. So, I must warn you. Be careful, Ella,” she said. “The Elves…” she trailed off. “They are not like us. Living for so long makes them…moreheartlessthan we would like.” She laid a gentle hand on Ella’s. “If you do not mind me giving you advice, one woman to another, it’s best not to let your heart get entangled with one of them.”
Ella’s heart raced, knowing that she couldn’t reveal the full truth of her relationship with Ryu. Not when she didn’t even know it herself.
Yet, somehow, the princess knew everything. She stared at Ella, waiting patiently for a response.
Finally, Ella shrugged. “Ryu and I have a connection that defies easy explanation,” she offered. “But it doesn't change the fact that we have no future together.”
Her eyes involuntarily flicked to Ryu, only to see him looking at her. Hiroshi, seated at Ryu’s side, continued to speak to him as Ryu ignored him to meet her gaze instead.
His gaze suddenly dropped to her mouth, and back to her eyes, and she was caught in those bright blue eyes. There was something in his gaze that made it difficult for her to move, to think…even to breathe.
And then his eyes moved back to Hiroshi, and she felt the breath enter her lungs in a harsh inhale as theweightof his gaze was removed.
She could have sworn she saw a ghost of a smile cross his lips.
Princess Nitya sighed softly, drawing Ella’s attention back to her. She looked at Ryu, then back at Ella.
“Just remember, the path you tread can be treacherous,” she murmured, her voice concerned. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
So do I, Ella thought.So do I.
~
Ella managed to avoid Ryu for the next day, too, before he finally snapped, and cornered her in her room.
He appeared at her door after dinner, standing there like a shadowy nemesis that would wait outside her door forever until she let him in.
Ella’s maid’s stared in surprise as she slid open the door to Ella’s room in answer to his knock.
“Leave us,” he said tersely, and the maid bowed, before her eyes flicked to Ella’s in enquiry.
Ella nodded. “Please leave.”
“Goodnight, Ella-sama.”
After the door slid closed, leaving Ryu and Ella alone in the room, she looked across at him, separated by the width of the room.
“Why are you here?” she asked, wetting her suddenly dry lips.
