“It varies. Sometimes there’s ten or twenty. I’ve heard that some Darkfalls only have two or three.” She picks up the teapot and refills both our cups. “What you really want to watch out for is the absinthe. I swear there’s an entire night I can’t remember after I tried the stuff.”
I listen and laugh as she recalls the funny moments and happier parts of the celebrations. For those not going to the temple, it sounds like it’s a joyous occasion. I understand why everyone is so excited.
We finish the tea and most of the cakes by the time there’s a knock.
“Enter,” Juliette calls.
Brevan steps inside the room. “Your Highness, the prince has requested your presence.”
“Thank you for the tea and the company,” I tell Juliette.
“I’m glad you’re here,” she says. “Maybe being stuck in this castle won’t be such a terrible thing for either of us.”
Fifteen
The prince’squarters are on the upper levels of the castle. A formal sitting room and dining room lead to a sprawling balcony that spans across the two. You can see the entirety of the city below. Cold wind whips around us, and I’m a little dizzy from the height, but I can’t take my eyes off the little houses and winding roads far below us.
“It’s even more beautiful at night,” Caiden says as he approaches. “Sorry for making you wait.”
“Your Highness, Princess.” Brevan bows, then retreats from the balcony.
I watch from the corner of my eye and notice that he leaves the rooms entirely. Once again, I’m alone with the prince.
Caiden holds up a narrow box. “This arrived, and I had to make sure you received it right away. The council can wait. It’s not like anything ever gets done in those meetings.”
He opens the lid, revealing a silver chain leading to the large blue stone I chose. The chain shimmers and the stone sparkles even in the obscured, cloudy light. A pair of earrings with smaller blue stones glitter on either side of the necklace.
“It’s beautiful,” I say, meaning it. I was glad the jeweler had kept it simple.
Caiden lifts the necklace from its black velvet pillow, then sets the box down on a small table. “May I?”
I turn and lift my hair so he can fasten it around my neck. His fingers brush against my skin, and it sends an uncomfortable crawling sensation down my spine. How can he be so gentle with me while being so horrible to everyone and everything?
“There.” He moves so he’s facing me. “It’s beautiful. And tasteful.”
I touch the stone. “Thank you.”
“Thank my father,” he says. “It was his idea to test you this way.”
My brows furrow. “Test?”
“Don’t worry, you passed,” he says.
“I’m confused.” I slide the stone along the chain, anxiously toying with it.
“That’s unfortunate,” he says. “Here I’ve been telling him how you’re much smarter than I thought you’d be.”
I drop my hand to my side. “Was it because I chose something simple? Or was it the specific stone I picked?”
“So you do understand.”
“Sort of,” I admit.
“It was both,” he says. “The fact that you were drawn to the only stone in the selection that belonged to my late mother and the fact that you didn’t just ask for everything as some might.”
“This was your mother’s?” My stomach twists, and bile crawls up my throat. I’m wearing something that belonged to a dead woman. I don’t know enough about the late empress to tell if she was anything like her son or husband, but I’m not sure I want to. The few things I have gleaned tell me she was likely just as interested in power as they are. And she stood by doing nothing to rein in her son.
“It’s a good color on you,” he says.
