“What’s the name of this one?”
He shrugged. “I’m actually not sure. Only two names were given to me.”
I eyed the flesh of the yellow fruit suspiciously. It was nearly the same color as its skin, almost indistinguishable even in texture. Avoiding the strip of fuzz where Ryder had dug into it, I adjusted and bit into a different section. The moment the juice hit my tongue, I was overwhelmed with a sickening flavor similar to bile. Immediately, I spat the contents of my mouth into my hand, saliva a steady stream from my lips. My jaw tingled from the sick in the back of my throat.
“Not worth the experience,” I mumbled out as I continued to spit the remaining remnants from my mouth.
“Here.” Ryder held a palm under my mouth, but I refused to spit into the hand of a royal.
I shook my head and swallowed down the foulness as my stomach clenched and threatened to give. In a swift move, he scooped the half-chewed food from my hand and strode to the door. Fisher stood at the threshold, ready to fend off whatever threat the prince had thrown open the door for. What he hadn’t expected was for the handful of mush expelled from my mouth to be placed into his hand.
“Fetch a bottle and two glasses,” Ryder demanded, unnecessarily harsh toward the guard holding scraps of regurgitated witch produce. Fisher was unaffected by the request and marched away.
The guard returned minutes later—so fast he’d had to haverun to get back so quickly. The last selection of fruit was uneventful, lightly sweetened with an indistinguishable flavor.
Conversation flowed as Ryder told me about the fight at the gates and we drank a deep red wine. With so many killed, he had to have been underplaying the severity of the actual incident. Surprisingly, he shared the strategy the guards took, which I would promptly pass on to Jaspar the moment I saw him again. The local resistance wouldn’t be so careless to attack during the day. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t something they couldn’t use from the newly obtained knowledge.
As Ryder poured the rest of the bottle into his glass and I finished my first, he stood. Unsure what the proper goodbye might be for a prince, I followed him to the door.
Ryder leaned forward slightly before he stopped himself. “It was a pleasure to spend the day with you, even if we were rudely interrupted for a time.”
“Thank you.” My breath hitched. “I actually enjoyed myself.”
“Actually?” he said and let loose a deep laugh from his belly. “I hope next time you are not so surprised to find yourself enjoying time with me.”
20
AUDRYN
“Breakfast, Miss Audryn,” Roark said with a smile, “it’s in the garden.” The prior battle mask was nonexistent, and he’d returned to his old self.
“Thank you.” I hurried past. It didn’t matter how hard I tried; I was always running behind, and in doing so, I’d forever remain on Leanna’s bad side.
After breakfast, I’d try to get to the royal library again. Each day I’d attempted to gain access to the private corridor but continuously fell short. With a guard stationed at every hall, there was only so much progress I could make without making my intentions obvious. They likely thought me an idiot since I’d found myself lost multiple times a day, each time ending up at the corridor to the royal quarters.
With a slow jog, I moved through the complex network of halls, finding the glass-paned double doors leading to the garden.
Over the last few days, I’d had every meal with Maris and Allura; Ryder was nowhere in sight. Leanna had explained he was busy with matters that took precedence, which I assumedwas the aftermath of the attack. His sister assured us she’d keep us busy in the meantime, and she had.
Countless hours of painting, strolling in the garden, and sitting in the common room occupied most of our time. In addition, we’d spent endless hours learning the formal etiquette required for royal events, whether a dinner or a ceremony. The two women performed perfectly during each task while I floundered. As if that weren’t enough, Leanna’s personal ladies placed our hair in torturous designs, tugging and twisting our strands into appalling compositions. Aside from her forcing her personal style upon us, Leanna had become more tolerable. She forgave my missteps during activities and lessons, and gradually became easier to converse with.
Taking a moment, I drew in a deep breath and quietly urged my heart rate to slow before I interrupted breakfast. My hands raked down the olive green material as I straightened out my skirt. I had only a handful of day dresses to wear and had exhausted my last one. Either I needed to figure out where I could launder my clothes or switch to pants.
Straightening my back, I plastered a smile across my face and prepared to exit. The guard standing at the door carefully eyed me, waiting for my cue to proceed. I dipped my chin and stepped toward the doors right as they were pulled inward. Before I realized what’d happened, I’d fallen on my ass, and my forehead splintered with hurt. Expecting the doors to push outward, I’d walked into the thick pieces of wood, rattling the embedded light-blue glass panels.
“Audryn!” Ryder ran to where I sat sprawled on the ground. “Are you okay?”
I nodded and accepted his hand, staggering to my feet. If it weren’t for the pain soaring across my forehead, I would have laughed at my gracelessness. A headache formed behind the bump beginning to decorate my face.
“Here, sit.” Leanna pulled out a chair for me, immediately to the left of Ryder’s seat.
“Thank you.” My words faltered, more stunned by her kindness than the hit I’d taken. I gathered the cloth napkin and set it down in my lap and glanced up. A small gasp escaped from my mouth the moment I saw King Grave seated directly across. A smirk formed on his lips as he watched me recoil.
“Grave and his sister, Amalee, are staying for a few days.” Ryder’s tone was dismissive, as if his guests were more of an inconvenience than anything else.
“Splendid.” I straightened the silverware next to my plate and responded exactly how the lessons instructed. “I look forward to getting to better know those of Kuroden.”
The white iron table held a large glass top, which was delicately set for each of us. Despite arriving late, the plates in front of everyone remained empty. Realizing it was only the five of us, Allura and Maris absent from the meal, I looked around to see if I’d missed them roaming among the flowers.
