“Witty indifference will get you nowhere. You agreed to help me instantly. You were hysterical with elation over it. You could easily claim to help and do nothing and not a single elf here would be able to know if you were truly failing or faking. Tell me the truth.”
He had her cornered. Literally.
“If you insist… Maybe it was just desperation from you, but you believe I'm capable of this. I'd like to prove you right.”
“That's all it takes to soften your steel, mechanical heart? A little bit of faith?”
She grinned, pushing off the wall slightly and flush against him. “Look all you like, but I warned you. The heart's just an organ, and if it wasn't, I'd have it in a jar where it can do me no harm.”
Taiyo’s breath stuttered, brushing her cheek as he whispered, “You... I cannot comprehend what you are.”
“Now, don't flatter me too much. My ego is already inflated enough from you needing my help.” She tilted her head, his sunlight weaving between them. “I hope in the decades and centuries after me you tell everyone I was beyond your comprehension, your alchemist.”
“I can promise you now, that will not happen.”
“We'll see about that.”
Chapter 12
Apparently, Hellebore’s husband wasn’t content to let her remain beyond his comprehension.
At least, Hellebore could think of no other reason as to why the next day Phoebe delivered a note to her from Taiyo, asking if she would join him for dinner.
Hellebore supposed a change of scenery might do her good, and it could be entertaining. Hopefully she’d escape this encounter without being cornered up against something.
She arrived in a small private dining room, not having bothered to change out of her Chymesian clothes. They’d fared well enough that day in the lab, and whatever Taiyo was hoping to get out of this, she would not let him forget what she was.
Taiyo sat at the head of the table as she walked in, rising from his seat to greet her with a respectful nod. She took the only other seat with a table setting, the one directly beside him, and asked, “What is this about?”
“Even alchemists eat, don’t you?” Taiyo took his seat again and the servants began filling their glasses.
Hellebore stamped down the instinct to smile at his quip. “Not with elves.”
“Then why did you accept?” Taiyo took a sip from his glass, but she could see the faint curve to his lips.
“If I answer that, I spoil your fun.” Hellebore picked up her utensils and began cutting the venison on her plate.
Taiyo shifted back in his seat, moving for his own dinner, but keeping one eye on Hellebore. “How was your work today? Any progress worth noting?”
Hellebore easily fell into her role as the King’s Alchemist, updating him on the project. She had to slow down more than usual, but thankfully her Iubian had improved substantially since her arrival. The daily practice and full immersion were smoothing out the rough edges and had made it easy to recall her old studies in the subject. She still wasn’t as natural at it as a native speaker. That combined with the fact that she had to explain to Taiyo her reasoning behind why she was pursuing certain lines of examination and what exactly the techniques were since he had no background in the fundamentals of alchemy like a Chymesian king would made the debriefing slower than usual.
Taiyo asked a lot of questions. Not in any hostile or demeaning way, but there was a hesitancy in them. She didn’t hold it against him. It was natural that even if he needed alchemy, he wasn’t very comfortable with it. Still, he was making an effort. She hadn’t expected that.
As dinner came to a close, he asked, “How is the iris?”
She set her empty glass back down after finishing it off. “Watered, enjoying the sunlight, and perfectly healthy. I haven’t poisoned it… yet.”
She braced herself for an outburst, but it never came. Taiyo just shook his head, leaning his chin into his palm, letting it cover his mouth, but there was a light in his eyes that reassured Hellebore she hadn’t overstepped with her joke.
After that first dinner, every few days she would receive an invitation from Taiyo to join him again. When she asked what his reasoning for continuing to invite her again and again, he replied, “Honestly, while I know it’s necessary for me to engage with my court and be seen, it’s exhausting.”
“If you wanted a companion for dinner who isn’t exhausting, you shouldn’t have chosen me. All I do is bring you more work to discuss.”
“You’re not exhausting. Not to me.” Taiyo smiled. “Besides, it’s important work. Your dedication is commendable and your passion enviable. I don’t know if I’ve ever cared about anything the way you care about alchemy.”
She narrowed her eyes at him.
“Wait, let me guess—care is too emotional a word for you, sunshine?”
