We enter the castle and walk down the hallway toward the library in silence. She breaks the silence by asking, “Do you want to talk about what happened with Asmo last night?”
I sigh outwardly. “No. Yes.”
She laughs and says, “I have no idea what that means, Mae.”
Now I groan. “It was a disaster. I lost my cool. He gets under my skin.”
She smirks and says, “Like, in a good way? Like in a way that challenges you?”
“I don’t know…” I say, taking a second to think about that. He doesn’t challenge me unless you count challenging the limit of my patience. What is it about him that makes me tick? He just gets under my skin. He says things that poke. He deliberately tries to piss me off. But I guess, in a way, he’s teaching me to have a backbone, especially with people in power, which I didn’t have before and I need now. “Maybe,” I finally settle on.
“Is it worth continuing to get to know him? Or have you completely ruled him out?” she asks me.
“I kind of told him he could go home last night,” I say with a grimace.
She groans loudly. “You didn’t, Mae. Not again,” she says, exasperated.
“Hey! I didn’t the first time. The first time, I told them anybody could leave if they didn’t want to be here,” I argue. I shrug and say, “Guess we’ll see if he shows up at dinner tonight.”
“I guess. Seriously, listen to me when I say this. He and Marik are the most powerful princes in the kingdom. Even if you don’t choose them, they are good allies to have,” she says, her tone serious.
“It’s not even like that. It’s not like we’re becoming enemies, Elle. It’s more like…It’s more like we’re frenemies.” I cringe at the word.
“What are we? Eight years old? Come on,” she says.
I wince. She’s right. I don’t know why I can’t just control myself around him when he pokes at me.
“What happened on the date last night?” she asks me for a third time.
“It was a thoughtful date. I could tell he put a lot of effort into it. It was beautiful, but when I asked him why he would even go through the effort, given our…explosive chemistry, and not in a good way, all he said was that he found me intriguing. I basically insinuated that he wasn’t taking this seriously.”
She stares at me. No, sheglaresat me. “I think you should give him another chance. It sounds like he’s trying, and I think you’re being sensitive.”
“Sheesh, Elle, don’t hold back.”
“You need to hear it. If anybody had chosen a husband for you, they would have chosen Asmo. I think maybeyouneed to take this seriously.”
I look at her. She seems frustrated. Normally, this would piss me off, but she’s right. She’s one of my advisors. As much as I may hate to hear it, I need to be used to hearing the hard stuff. So instead of sending back a retort or trying to defend myself, I say, “You’re right. Thank you for being honest with me.”
She nods once, stunned at my response. She’s right. I’m not doing this right.
“What about the others?” she asks me as we enter the library and head to our usual seats by the open wall.
“Barrett’s out,” I say simply, shocking her a little. I think about the other princes, then say, “Koa and August are amazing. I think Marik might be my number one, though. August was fun, but it just feels very surface-level right now. Koa is also great, but Marik seems like he’s taking this seriously, whereas August and Koa aren’t. I don’t know, I can’t explain it. So, I guess Marik is in the lead right now, but I still don’t fully know him.”
She nods, considering the options. “Okay, so you need more time then.”
Now it’s my turn to look shocked. “Well yeah, it’s been aweek.Of course, I need more time.”
She puts her hands up in surrender. “Sorry, sorry. I know. I think we were all kind of hoping you’d be able to decide sooner. The quicker we have a High King on the throne, the more secure the kingdom and our court are.”
“I thought I had three months,” I say.
She hesitates but says, “Yes, you do. Technically. The law says you have to be marriedwithinthree months of your coronation. We were hoping it would be…much sooner.”
I collapse in my usual chair. “Come on, Elle,” I groan. “I’m choosing a life partner. And a partner for ruling an entire kingdom. You can’t seriously expect me to decide within a week.”
“I know, I know. I’m speaking as one of your advisors here. As your friend, take your time. Make the decision that’s right for you,” she says, placing a hand on my arm softly. I needed that. “Just sleep with each one and figure it out already,” she says with a laugh.
