It tore her heart to hear him say those words. How quickly this man was turning from someone she’d despised, to someone she only wanted to make feel seen.
Swirling the wine in her glass, Adalia eyed the prince. “Tell me about your family.”
Matthias shrugged his shoulders. “What is there to tell? My father is a joke. The end.”
“What about your mother? Do you ever speak to her? Do you have any siblings?” she probed him further.
“I don’t know my mother. Father never talks about her and any time I try to ask he usually responds with violence, so after the second time of him hitting me over it as a young boy, I gave up asking,” he replied, swirling the wine in his glass.
“I am so sorry, Matthias. No one should ever have to live with abuse.” Adalia whispered.
Matthias softly shrugged and shook his head. “You get used to it. As for siblings, it’s just me. And thank goodness. Fewer people for him to torture.”
The pain she saw flash in his eyes was gut wrenching. Before she could question him further, the green-eyed server appeared with two steaming plates of pasta. She placed them on the table before retreating to fetch the accompanying garlic bread. Adalia’s mouth watered at the sight of the food. “Take a bite. Tell me what you think?”
Matthias lifted his fork and placed some pasta on the end, giving it a little twirl before eating it. “Wow, that is fantastic. Better than what you cook.”
Adalia’s eyes widened at his remark. As she held her fork in mid-air, a small noodle slipped off and fell back into the bowl. “Take that back right now or you can sleep outside when we get home.”
The prince chuckled as he ate another mouthful. “Ok, little dove. I take it back. It’salmostas good as your cooking.”
Adalia rolled her eyes at him, but smiled. “Tell me more about yourself.”
“I’m not sure what else there is to tell . . .” His voice trailed off.
“Well, tell me what it was like for you growing up in the castle.”
The prince shifted in his chair, black wings brushing against it. “It was lonely.”
“Come on, Beast, I’ve seen your little book of secrets. I know you have words. Why do you keep them from me?” Adalia questioned softly.
There was a lock upon the door of his heart, and Adalia was determined to find the right key to open it.
Resting her chin on her hand with her elbow propped up on the table, Adalia knocked on the cage inside his chest with her eyes. “Let me in,” she whispered.
Matthias fiddled with the white napkin in his hand before running his eyes over her face. “It’s not pretty in there,” he warned.
“I don’t mind.”
Sighing softly, Matthias placed the napkin on the table. “It truly was lonely. I spent many nights crying alone in my room. I used to sneak out under the cover of darkness and wander the forests, usually ending up at the ocean, walking along the shore for hours. That’s where I found Bones.” He smiled at the mention of the hound. “My father never noticed my absence, or he never alluded that he did. Sometimes I wondered why he even kept me around. As I grew, my coping mechanism became more obvious. Hiding away from the world as much as I could only appearing when summoned. I would retreat from large parties the king threw. The noise and activities were distasteful to me and I was never wanted there, anyway. Snake would always make fun of me, and the courtiers would laugh . . . even my father joined in. That’s when I started street fighting. It was something that was mine and no one made fun of me there.”
Holding back the tears that threatened to spill over, Adalia reached across the table and squeezed Matthias’s hand.
A sorrowful smile was his only response.
“No wonder you’re the silent type. I can see it now.” Adalia spoke quietly.
Sipping his wine, Matthias huffed softly.
“Have you thought about looking for your Mother while you are here in Lucius?”
“Why the sudden fascination in my mother?” Matthias murmured with a smile.
Adalia shrugged. “I guess if it were me I would want to know, is all.”
“I mean, of course I would like to know, but I wouldn’t even know where to start. I do not know what she looks like, nor do I know her name. Then there’s the issue of knowing which kingdom she is in. On the other hand, the fear of rejection keeps me at bay. What if she didn’t want me, just like my father? Maybe she left me with him for a reason and doesn’t want to be found,” the prince answered, the last words filled with a touch of bitterness.
Nodding, Adalia sipped her wine, a touch of guilt at the back of her throat each time she swallowed. She could just tell himeverything she knew about his mother right now. It was wrong of her to keep it from him, but that last remark of his kept her mouth shut. Maybe she could seek Hadassah and find out some more information before she shared what she knew with him. The last thing she wanted was to put him through more pain.
