I started making my way towards the door but looked back over my shoulder before I walked out of the room. Eloisa continued to rock herself while humming softly. I considered waiting until Lance arrived, to see if she would act any differently towards him but then decided I’d rather not. Shutting the door softly, I stood outside the room for a moment, unsure what to think.
“Are you all right, Your Majesty?” Rhen asked.
“Of course.” I shrugged it off. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Chapter 6
Cai
The silver cutlery practically sparkled on the dining table.
Dinner was laid out on a white tablecloth with a cup of wine next to each plate. There were slices of roasted pork glazed in a honey sauce, along with some vegetables, and some fruit on the side. I stared at the food in front of me but didn’t have much of an appetite.
Elara had requested I join them for dinner this evening. So far, I had mostly dined in my rooms. I wondered how many nights Elara had sat at this dining table alone. The thought created a pang in my chest.
I knew she’d been doing everything alone these days, running the palace, going to council meetings. I couldn’t recall the last time I’d left my rooms. I didn’t really want to come down tonight either, but Elara’s eyes were so pleading that I didn’t have it in me to break her heart any further.
Instead of taking her seat at the head of the table, she’d walked into the dining room and taken a seat next to me.
Elara was looking beautiful again. The upper part of her hair was pulled back, and she wore a dark blue dress, one of my favourite colours on her.
Gwen and Anesta sat next to each other while Lance took a seat on the other side of Elara. It was strange to think that, despite everything he’d done to me and his sister, he was not the person I despised most in the world.
My eyes travelled to Gwen. She took a sip from her cup and met my gaze across the table.
“It’s good to see you out and about, Cai. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
I forced a small smile for her sake. While Thatcher had been like a brother to me, he was actually Gwen’s older sibling. She must have been equally, if not more, devastated, though she did a much better job of hiding it than I did.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Lance spoke up, meeting my gaze. “We haven’t seen you for quite some time. I do hope you’re feeling better.” There was no sincerity in his tone, but I gave him a nod anyway. I didn’t have the will or the energy to deal with Lance’s games tonight.
Gwen shifted her attention to Elara. “This supper is delicious, Your Majesty. Thank you for inviting me to join you.”
“Of course. You are always welcome to join us. I hope you know that.”
I used my knife to cut a piece of meat. It was warm and juicy, but everything tasted bland in my mouth.
The table was awkwardly silent until Anesta spoke up. “I must say, I adore your dress, Lady Gwen.” Gwen often wore green or teal dresses, which complemented the colour of her eyes. Tonight’s dress was forest green with gold trim on the bodice and sleeves.
“Thank you.” Gwen used a napkin to wipe the corners of her mouth. “There was a wonderful seamstress back home.” Her expression grew sad suddenly and she must have been wondering if she was ever going to go back. But Gwen quickly recomposed herself. “She always knew exactly what I liked.”
“Perhaps, one day, the three of us should go into town,” Elara suggested. “We could look at materials and dresses and make a whole day of it.”
“That sounds lovely, Your Majesty,” Gwen said.
Lance cut in. “As long as I don’t have to tag along on this little day trip.” He grabbed a nearby jug and refilled his cup. “It sounds positively dreadful.”
Elara opened her mouth to respond but Gwen beat her to it.
“Very well. But then we won’t bring you any cakes or tarts from the bakery either.” Lance shifted his gaze to Gwen and his expression changed to intrigue. I couldn’t remember them interacting much when Lance had come to Norrandale a few years ago, but since we’d arrived, it looked like Gwen wasn’t overly fond of him. And she appeared in no hurry to change her mind. Not that I was complaining. She should stay as far away from Lance as possible, as far as I was concerned.
“Lucky for me, I don’t like cakes,” Lance responded, and Gwen’s brows lowered into a near glare.
“I don’t know how we’re related,” Elara muttered under her breath.
“You know, there’s a new bakery in town that just makes the most exquisite desserts, Your Majesty.” Anesta attempted to prevent the tension in the room from growing.
I took a sip of wine and sat back in my chair. There was a tiredness creeping onto my eyelids. I wasn’t sure why — I spent most of my time sleeping the day away.
