“I apologize, Lady Sania.” I tried to smile charmingly, despite having the taste of Jacinth still on my lips. “I plan to spend a bit of time with each of you over the next couple of days while you’re with the children.”
The tension around her eyes softened, as did her smile. She sauntered closer to me, and I fought the urge to back away so she wouldn’t smell another woman on me. It would just be tacky to rub her face in it, potentially literally if the way she was looking at me was any indication of her intentions.
“I’m happy to hear that.” She placed a hand on my chest and looked up at me with twinkling orange eyes. “I feel like I can never get enough time with you.”
“A tragedy I’ll see about rectifying immediately, my Lady,” I promised with a smirk. “Unfortunately, I do have a meeting I need to get to, but I’ll be sure to stop by tomorrow.”
“You better.” She smiled saucily, running a finger from my chest up to my neck as she leaned in to whisper in my ear, “I’ll be waiting for you.”
She backed away slowly before slipping around me, leaving me with the odd feeling that she somehow knew what I’d been up to. She hadn’t been so direct before, and it felt like she was purposefully upping her game. As if she were feeling threatened.
I shook my head at myself. There was no way she could’ve known. Still, the thought wouldn’t leave me, even as I sat through our planning meeting and Arianell’s lecture about showing favoritism.
She wasn’t exactly wrong either. I needed to focus on giving equal attention to each lady in the competition. Even if Iwasdreading spending time with a few of them.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Jacinth
Ididn’t think I could feel more conflicted, but Azurill had managed to prove me wrong.
His answers about what happened to my family left me uncertain. While his guilt regarding it was clear, his words left me in doubt about the reason why. He acted like he thought it was terrible, which wasn’t what I’d expected of him at all.
Or perhaps itwaswhat I expected of the man I now knew, and not the idea of the High King who loomed large in my mind all these years—the villain who orchestrated the downfall of my entire world.
Since Lord Carnelian’s slip-up, my mind was in constant turmoil. Thankfully, Fiala needed watching, giving me something to divert my attention. She was such a sweet girl, and taking care of her gave me a glimpse of what having a child might have been like. The way my heart ached as Azurill and I had put her to bed was wretched. It was too easy to imagine a future that would never exist.
And then, he’d surprised me all over again.
Despite all of my doubts and conflict, knowing he felt the same way was a beautiful torment. It could never be, but he left the taste of temptation on my tongue and my heart a desolate shell, hollowed out of my rage and pain, leaving only an aching desire and a longing that could never be sated.
I put a smile on my face and pretended like my entire world hadn’t shifted, but Faiza and Amatista were too easily able to see the truth. More people that I’d let slip beneath my skin and into the heart of me. It was foolish. It was irresponsible. But it was thetruth, nonetheless. Azurill might havebeen asking for himself alone, but I couldn’t deny that my heart ached for everything I’d found here.
“Something happened,” Amatista said, watching me with shrewd eyes. “You’re trying too hard to keep that facade of yours up, even around us.”
I sighed deeply, hanging my head as Faiza snickered, “Well, she and Az did disappear together yesterday.”
“That’s true.” Amatista’s eyes lit up. “Did something happen between you two?” She smiled teasingly, nudging my shoulder.
“Shh, little ears are listening.” I narrowed my eyes at them, waving a hand to indicate the three children playing before us in the garden.
“Oh, come on, they aren’t paying us any attention.” Faiza laughed. “You can tell us.”
“What’s this?” Another voice interrupted, and I turned to face Zumra, who walked up to us with a sneer already on her lips. Her emerald-green hair was perfectly curled and shone brilliantly against her white dress. So pure and unstained, even though we were supposed to be taking care of messy little children.
“Does Jacinth have some gossip to share? Perhaps where she truly came from?” Zumra asked haughtily. I narrowed my eyes at her, but realized something very important was missing.
“Where’s the child you’re supposed to be taking care of, Zumra?” I demanded, standing to face her.
She scoffed, shaking her head, “I don’t see how that’s any business of yours.”
“And yet, you keep trying to insert yourself into mine,” I countered with a raised brow.
“That’s because I know you have something to hide,” she hissed, getting right in my face. I raised my hands and, using just the tips of my fingers, dug them into her shoulders to push her back out of my personal space.
She staggered backwards, gasping dramatically in shock. The area went deathly silent as she stared back at me with her mouth gaping open. “How dare you put your hands on me?”
“What is going on here?” I recognized the man with icy-blue-green hair who walked up to us as the head of the royal guard, Balthazar. Azurill’s best friend. I nearly groaned, but managed to keep it contained.
