I could see that Lance was burning to make some kind of comment about the towel, but he was smart enough to simply get up and leave the room in search of one.
I started by removing my other shoe and stocking, my feet absolutely frozen.
The dress was a little more complicated. The outer skirt I could loosen and slowly wriggle out of, and the top of my dress was easy enough to undo at the front. Then there was another skirt for warmth. I tossed all the layers on the ground, already feeling better now that the icy material was no longer sticking to me. The corset was a different problem.
The library doors opened and closed, with Lance carrying the much-needed towel.
I was surprised that he did not bring one for himself, as droplets of rain were still on his face, tendrils of his dark hair sticking to his forehead.
“Thank you.” I immediately went about pressing my hair with the towel, trying to remove as much of the water as possible. I longed for a hot bath and the warmth of my bed. Thunder rattled the windows, and I winced a little.
“Not a big fan, are you?”
“I’m not overly fond of the loud noise and deadly lightning, no.”
I reached behind me to start undoing my corset, but it was laced all the way up my back, and I could only reach so far. Perhaps I should have gone up to my room to undress and change, but something kept me in front of the fire, with him.
“Need some help with that?”
“No.”
He continued to stare at me, challenging me to admit defeat.
“Yes,” I sighed. I would have been happy to leave the corset as it was had it not been for the fact that it was also soaked through. I was so tired of this wretched weather.
Lance took a seat behind me, moving my hair so that it lay over one shoulder. He must have seen my hesitation as he started to undo the knot of the corset strings.
“Don’t tell me I’m the first man to take off your corset too.” It was intended to be a joke, but I had no idea how to respond. Aslightly awkward silence fell over the room. The fact that I didn’t immediately laugh it off with denial caused Lance to curse under his breath. Every second felt like an eternity as he pulled at the strings.
Despite the pouring rain and rolling thunder, the room suddenly felt too quiet, the air too dense. A tension hung in the atmosphere, though I struggled to identify why. Most likely because of our somewhat compromising position. If Mother had seen me like this, she would have had a complete and utter fit. In fact, the knowledge alone would be enough to put her to bed rest for at least a week. Maybe she would have been right.
Despite it being a merely circumstantial matter, I had no business sitting on a library floor with the Prince of Everness while he was unlacing my corset.
I felt his hands through the material of my shift as Lance loosened every string one by one. Perhaps I was only imagining it, but it felt as though his breathing quickened. I could feel it against the back of my neck. His breath was warm against my cold skin.
When the corset was finally undone, I pulled it off and wrapped the towel around my shoulders to better cover myself.
“Is your ankle still in pain?” Lance shifted so that he was facing me again.
“Not much.” Maybe I was simply too cold to feel the pain.
“Still, you should probably keep it elevated.” Before I could offer any comment, he’d pulled a pillow off one of the nearby chairs and propped my ankle on it.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” I muttered, unsure what to make of all his kind acts.
“We’re friends, aren’t we?” he said it softly, gazing into the hearth as the flames created a warm glow about the room.
“Yes, we’re friends.” Still, I was seeing a different side to him from the cruel, partying prince with his lack of empathy andresponsibility. I mean, it was still there, but underneath it all, there was more to him. It reminded me of the boy I had met in Norrandale all those years ago. Someone I thought was long gone.
His lashes were coated with water as he stared into the fire. It took me a moment to realise that it wasn’t just the rain, but that Lance was crying again, given away by the fact that a tear escaped his eye, which he quickly wiped away.
Now that the adrenaline rush of getting everyone and everything safely inside was over, the undeniable truth had settled over him again, covering him in his grief. Eloisa was still dead, and nothing was going to change that.
“We’ll make sure she gets a proper burial in the family crypt, even if everyone else isn’t here,” I reassured him. We’d have to send a messenger to Norrandale with word of the princess’s death as soon as possible. Queen Elara needed to know too.
“So few people truly knew her.” His forehead crinkled a little, forming a frown. “Father wanted it that way.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t get to know her better.” It felt like the right thing to say.
