I looked down at my palms, ashamed of myself. "I cannot leave the castle grounds. I am terribly sorry."
"Why not?"
I opened my mouth to respond, yet nothing came out.
Why not? Why indeed? Why did I feel an innate sense ofwrongnessat leaving the castle grounds? Was this part of my curse?
Who had done this to me, and why?
"I do not know," I admitted, half to Florian and half to myself.
Florian gazed at me almost pleadingly. "Come with me."
The guards did not react. Had they heard? Would they care if I left?
Flooded with a sudden rush of courage and determination, I stepped closer to Florian.
The guards lowered their spears in an X-shape in front of me, cutting me off from freedom. From Florian. Despair came crawling back.
"We can't allow it," one guard said in a stoic, flat tone.
That was it. No explanation, no reasoning given. That simply was the way things were.
Florian looked guilty for asking. "I'm sorry."
"Do not be," I said. "My state is no fault of yours. I will not allow you to take the blame."
He smiled sadly. "All right. Well... I'll be back, okay?"
"I look forward to it," I said with sincerity.
Florian waved goodbye before taking his leave. I watched from behind crossed spears as he limped away. When he was out of sight, the guards eased the gate shut and left me to my own devices. They said nothing to me. It was as if I no longer existed.
But I did not care. The only thing on my mind was Florian.
7
Florian
On the wayback to the orphanage, I was in such a curious state of happiness that I didn't notice my pain as much as I usually did. My body felt lighter, like a cloud floating in the sky without a care in the world. My concerns no longer weighed on me as hard. I wanted to replicate this feeling. I knew I had to return to the fountain and meet that mysterious man again.
Devereaux.
The name sent a little thrill through me. It was a nice name, one that was pleasant to think and to say out loud. But who was he? Everything about him was so strange. He wore odd clothes, but it wasn't the outfit of a royal. Anyway, what would a blindfolded royal be doing roaming the courtyard at night helping a weary interloper? It didn't make any sense.
To make things weirder, there was the interaction with the guards. They listened to him when he instructed them to open the gate for me, so Devereaux must've had some kind of power, yet they refused to let him leave. Surely if he was a proper royal they wouldn't dare block his path. Was it for his own safety? Now that I thought about it, royals never left the castle grounds at night.
But I didn't want to make assumptions. For now, I was just glad to have met Devereaux, whoever he was.
I arrived late. The orphanage was as dark as the surrounding buildings, but a single candle flickered in the second-floor window. Pascal was waiting for me.
I climbed the stairs with leaden legs and felt a rush of relief when I finally reached the top. My body was one giant, pounding ache. I tried to be quiet, but thankfully Headmaster slept like a rock, so the tiny creaks in the old wooden steps didn't wake her. Honestly, I was envious of her ability to sleep so soundly.
"Florian!" Pascal whispered loudly when I entered our shared room. He ran to me like an eager puppy and helped me to the lower bunk, where I happily collapsed with a sigh.
"You were gone forever! I was starting to worry you'd never come back. Are you okay?" Pascal asked.
I caught my breath for a moment before answering. "Yes, I'm fine. More than fine, actually."
