Before she could reconsider, she left the two of them.
Jasyn watched Esi and her guard disappear into the trees, and he was left standing there. Alone.
“You did good today,” Mych said.
“Don’t mock me,” the words came out sharp, and he sighed at himself. “Apologies. That was uncalled for.”
Mych chuckled. “I’m serious. The way she was looking at you tells me she’s smitten.”
“I panicked in front of the people,mypeople. I doubt she is looking fondly at me. She’s likely laughing at me now, wondering how I’m meant to be king.”
“Stop pitying yourself,” his guard said. “You were not trained for this role like Jaymes and Dahlia. You’re learning.”
Jasyn should have been learning long ago with his siblings. No one had expected him to need to, though, and it left him in a vulnerable position. He wasn’t guaranteed the throne, but he wanted it. He wanted to win the Undertaking, to have his father give him the crown. But what if the people didn’t want him? What if Esi didn’t want to marry him? He was beginning to feel something towards the lady. She was different. They had only known each other a few days, but she seemed to understand him in a way no one else did.
“I see your mind spinning. Perhaps, like Lady Esi, it’s time for bed,” Mych reasoned.
“I’m going to visit her,” Jasyn said.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
He didn’t listen to his friend. He went to the garden to pluck an arrangement of flowers and headed to her room. He knocked twice and waited. In those few seconds, doubt creeped in, but he didn’t want to lose his momentum.
The door opened, and there she was. She was in a different dress from earlier, and he eyed it with narrow eyes.
“Good evening, my prince.” She curtsied, the movement fluid and easy. Had she been practicing since they parted?
“Good evening. I know you mentioned you were headed to bed, but I wanted to give you these.”
He passed over the flowers. She didn’t seem excited about them. Then, he realized there were a few in the bouquet that hadn’t bloomed.
“I wanted to give you them tonight because those,” he pointed to the bulbs, “will sprout in the morning. They’ll close again at night when the sun is gone.”
Esi blinked, like her mind was elsewhere, barely taking in his words, but she quickly adjusted herself back to the present. “They’re lovely. I’ll make sure to put them in the vase.”
They stood quietly, both staring at each other, and Jasyn’s stomach dropped. There was something off. He didn’t feel the tug like he usually did around Esi. He rubbed at his chest, as if that would fix it.
“I also wanted to say I appreciate that you have kept what you have learned about my power private.”
Esi’s mouth opened and shut, and he could read the confusion. Esi had rambled about his powers when she witnessed them in the garden that one morning, so he was concerned by her lack of memory of the encounter.
“This.” He opened his palm, and a faint light glowed from it.
Her eyes widened, like she was seeing it for the first time. He closed his palm again. Instead of the usual delightful pull, there was an eerie nagging starting to form. Something was wrong.
“I’ll let you rest now, Lady Esi. Apologies for the interruption.”
She smiled, and it wasn’t the same. The pattern of her freckles seemed to have shifted. What was wrong? “No apologies required. Good night, Prince Jasyn.”
He turned to go, but right as he did, he heard the click of Bron’s door. Had he been listening? Maybe he was just overprotective. Jasyn shook it off. It was likely just the exhaustion finally catching up to him. He needed sleep.
Seven
Iskra blew the feather fan in the bright—very early—sun. It beamed down on her like a spotlight, and even in the thin, linen dress, her body was coated in sweat.
She and Bron were seated next to each other within what the royal family deemed ‘The Weather Gods garden,’ which described the location perfectly. Large wooden gates surrounded them, with wisteria and vines enclosing the crowd. At each corner was a statue of one of the Weather Gods, and in the center was a statue of Goddess Slone. All the chairs circled the sun goddess.
Jasyn sat with his parents in the front while a few other guests also joined them, though Iskra did not have a clue who they were.
