I laughed softly. “You do have a clever way with words.”
He stepped closer, so near I could see the gold flecks in his eyes. “You make them come easily, Lady Isca.”
Then his fingers found mine again—intertwining gently, like we shared a secret. If my heart had given me a choice in this, maybe Nisien would’ve been the right brother to set my eyes on. He truly was a good man.
“Come,” he said with a mischievous smirk. “Let’s walk a little longer. Eyes are still watching.”
I followed because maybe, just maybe, clever Nisien had a reason for this charade. But even as I leaned into him for the show he was having us put on, I felt it again—that spark under my skin, reaching out for a firestorm.
And I felt eyes watching. I didn’t need to look to know whose eyes they were.
Chapter 31
Isca
The moment I returned to my apartment that evening, I fell immediately into a deep sleep. When I startled awake, it was still the middle of the night. My room was dark and silent but for the slow crackle of dying embers in the hearth.
I was groggy, mouth dry, limbs aching with the kind of fatigue caused by not resting enough after using too much magic.
Since I’d only eaten lunch the day before, Catrin had kept her promise to bring me food. The untouched dinner plate she’d left was now cold on the table. I nibbled a few bites of bread and cheese, more to settle my stomach than anything else.
I wanted to return to sleep but my mind was abuzz with the memories and sensations of the past two days. Being in front of so many people on display. My big show of magic for the audience, the little displays for the children. Nisien’s kiss and the performance he’d dragged me into. The fact that Emrys had likely seen all of it. It was enough to keep me awake…if I didn’t find something to distract me.
The library, with its towering shelves and quietude, beckoned to me, promising solace and enough words to lull me back to sleep.
I dressed hastily in a soft daygown, not bothering with shoes, and left my hair unbound. Surely no one would be awake at this hour to see me. I brought Tegil’s wooden osprey along with me because I thought he’d rather enjoy the idea of sneaking out in the middle of the night.
The flame of my candle caught the silvery flecks in the stone as I traveled through the corridors on silent feet.
I’d only left my room once at night—that first night when I’d used magic on Emrys through the door. I’d been too timid to try to explore the castle by candlelight up to this point, so I didn’t expect to see a pair of watching eyes at the end of the hall. Nor did I expect to see several more on my journey. Each guard inclined his head in a silent greeting as I passed, though their eyes never reached my face.
No questions, only some curiosity emanated from them. It was as if my wandering presence in the heart of the keep after midnight was entirely ordinary. Like they’d been told to expect me, to watch me.
It was warmer inside the library than expected—a servant must’ve forgotten to bank the fire before retiring—but the scent of parchment and aged ink greeted me like an old friend.
I wandered the shelves slowly, brushing my fingers over the spines until I found an epic tale made lyrical. The rhythm and structure would work like nothing else to allow my mind to settle into rest.
I brought the book to the table with the embroidered chairs and made myself comfortable. Even after being here for over a month, it still felt strange that I was probably sitting in the queen’s chair right now. Sleeping in her quarters. Was that the Assembly’s doing? Had they requested it, not-so-subtly messaging their desires? Or was it simply the only place they could imagine placing a rare female political representative?
Now I was even wearing her jewelry.
I set Tegil’s osprey on the table next to one of the granite chunks. Then I reached into the neckline of my dress and pulled out the letter I’d read too many times already.
Chancellor Maeron’s hand was unmistakable: precise and always careful.Good work. Your ability to soothe Emrys is promising. Focus your efforts on him… But keep what you have growing with Nisien. Your family will receive a small bonus.
My throat tightened.
Except everything I’d had growing with Nisien was surely dead now. And Emrys would barely look me in the eye when he wasn’t growling.
The letter might as well have been scrawled in blood. Neither prince had asked to be used, but I found myself with little choice but to consider it at this point. The thought nauseated me.
I crossed the room to the hearth. With a poker clasped in shaking fingers, I stirred the embers and fed in a piece of shaved wood to coax a flame. Without giving myself time to hesitate, I dropped the letter into the fire and watched as it curled black at the edges. The flames licked upward, greedy and bright, devouring my inked orders as though they’d been waiting for them all along.
A wave of dizziness hit me. I couldn’t discern whether my fatigue stemmed from my magic use, from the emotional toll of the day, or even from the last few weeks. I braced a hand against the hearthstone until the world steadied.
The warmth of the stirred fire heated my skin, but something colder brushed the edge of my awareness from behind.
Emrys.
