Twisting through the party, I make my way to the acolyte. “Pink or blue?”
She turns to me slowly, raising a brow. “Excuse me?”
“Which color is your favorite? Your dress would say both.”
“Oh,” she says, and her full lips curve into a smile. “Black.”
“Black?” I echo.
Wrenley’s smile grows further. “Yes. It is during the darkest night we can most clearly see the light of the Above. The light of our blessed Queen.”
I almost catch an air of sarcasm to her words, but she’s an acolyte. Perhaps it’s a practiced phrase.
“We haven’t been properly introduced.” I hold out my hand. “I’m Rosalina.”
Wrenley looks down at my outstretched palm before delicately shaking it. “You helped with the goblins.”
“As much as I could. I’m glad you’re all right.”
She picks at one of the flowers on her dress. “The Summer Prince’s appearance was truly fate.”
Fate?“Yes. Your necklace is beautiful. Dayton told me your father collected the shells for it.”
Her blue eyes widen. Such a bright color, distinct and familiar at the same time. “My father,” she murmurs. “Yes, he had a market stall selling trinkets in Hadria. It’s where my mother met him. Convinced him to move to Spring, but he brought a handful of shells to always remember Summer. That’s what my necklace is made of.”
There’s a hitch of pain in her voice, the same hitch of pain that catches in mine when someone asks me about my mother. “My father is an archeologist,” I explain, “so he had trinkets from all over the world.”
“What realm did you say you grew up in again, Lady Rosalina?”
Right. My childhood must be very different from hers. Wrenley looks about my age, but with fae, you can never really tell.
“Is Ez’s lavender wine strong enough for me to see double?” Dayton waltzes up, holding two goblets. “Or are there truly two fae beauties standing before me?”
He’s dripping in charisma and charm, the same way he was when I first met him. He hands us both a drink. A part of me is thankful for the interruption in my awkward conversation. Another part of me feels sick to my stomach.
“Are you enjoying the party, Wrenley?” he asks.
She turns her full attention to him, voice breathy and soft. “Oh yes, it’s wonderful. Prince Kairyn was very kind in giving us the night off. Rosalina was telling me of her childhood.”
“Right,” I say. “You said you grew up in Spring?”
“Yes,” Wrenley replies. “But we spent much time in Summer. I particularly enjoyed my trips to the Byzantar Isles.”
Dayton smiles, a genuine one, remembering his home, and launches into a tale of the place. I take the opportunity to make an exit and let the conversation continue between them.
Every part of me aches to look back at Dayton, to see if he’s watching me. But I don’t turn around.
I need to let the Summer Prince go.
44
Rosalina
Looking around, I search the grounds for Farron. Last time he disappeared at a party, he ended up destroying an entire library of priceless literature. Though I’m not surprised he hasn’t returned yet; he’d seemed fascinated with the plants around the clearing, and I don’t doubt he’s wandering around with an armful of samples.
I catch sight of someone else, though. Marigold twirls under Eldy’s arm, her face completely lit up. Their love deserves a second chance.
I take a moment to glance up through the treetops to the starlit sky.Are you looking at the same stars as me, Kel?Our bond brought us together earlier. Surely, there will come a day when our separation—be it physical miles or emotional—will be a thing of the past.
