“What was he like?”
“Probably like Hannah, if she didn’t have a stick up her butt. He was responsible and took his position seriously. But he was funny, too. Did Leo tell you about when we burned the stables down?”
Evelyn cocked her head. “No! What happened?”
“Lord Robert was visiting the palace and snuck Leo a bottle of wine.”
“Not surprised.”
“Leo and I hid in an empty horse stall, which was our usual routine for drinking. It was hardly even a secret. King Gerard was probably the only one whodidn’tknow. Chris joined us onenight with an extra bottle. He started doing an impression of one of the former guards who startled really easily and would jump a foot in the air at any loud noise. Like, including someonesneezing. That guy didn’t last very long as a guard. Anyway, Chris jumped and accidentally kicked the open bottle of wine, which knocked over a lantern, and suddenly everything was on fire.”
“Oh, shit!”
“None of us were hurt, and we managed to get all the horses out. But the whole place went up in flames. Illusion magic is really fucking useless in an emergency.”
Evelyn clicked her tongue. “I assume the king noticed a building on fire in front of the palace?”
“He did, actually. But Chris lied and said we had just returned after a ride, and one of the horses knocked the lantern over.”
“Did his father believe him?”
Damien shrugged. “King Gerard didn’t directly accuse anyone of lying, but none of us were allowed to ride a horse for a month. Getting to the city on foot is a bitch.”
“At least you learned your lesson.”
“We did not.” Damien grinned. “Once the new barn was built, we went back to drinking in a stall.”
Evelyn shook her head. “Idiot boys.”
“Hey, it wasn’t all on us. Lord Robert thought it washilarious. He always brought a bottle for each of us after that.”
“When was the last time you and Leo wasted an evening drinking on hay bales?”
Damien’s grin slipped away. “The night Chris died. Leo was a wreck. I brought as much alcohol as I could carry and dragged him out with me. Once we finished a bottle, Leo would throw it against the wall so it shattered, which annoyed the horses. I let him cry and scream and tell stories, whatever he needed todo. We stayed there all night and passed out right before dawn. Magalie had guards dump buckets of water over our heads when she found us, but then she snuck us into the palace to clean up.”
Evelyn remembered holding Leo while he sobbed the night his father died. Damien had done nearly the same thing for him three years earlier.
“Why didn’t you ever go back to the stables?” she asked.
“Things were different after that. Leo changed. Though I can’t blame him. The trajectory of his whole damn life shifted that day. Leo wasn’t really Leo anymore. He was Prince Alexander. And then you showed up.” Damien gazed at Evelyn with an expression she couldn’t read. “You made him smile again. For the first time in almost three years. I couldn’t believe it. Literally overnight, Leo had hearts in his eyes over a girl who set the garden on fire.”
“I didn’t?—”
“I don’t give a shit what you did,” Damien interrupted. “Leo fell in love with youthat night. I knew that much before I ever met you, even if he didn’t say it. Prince Alexander was finally Leo again. You brought my friend back, Evelyn. That’s why I’m so protective of you.”
She couldn’t stop the tears from falling. “I don’t think he’s Leo anymore.”
“I hope you’re wrong, Princess,” Damien said quietly.
When they arrived, Damien helped Evelyn out of the carriage and looped an arm around her. The road separated the graveyard from a large grass field. At the far end of the fieldstood the line of mausoleums, beyond which the land dipped down into sand dunes and the ocean.
“Do you see the house at the top of the hill way over there?” Damien pointed to the right. “That was the original manor for the Vision Court, the first king’s home. It’s been empty for centuries. Nicolas lives in a different part of the territory.”
“Have you ever been in the old house?” Evelyn asked.
Damien winked. “Once or twice. It’s not a bad spot forprivacy, if you aren’t allergic to dust.”
Evelyn rolled her eyes and returned her attention to where they were going. The oldest mausoleum was closest to the former manor, so King Gerard’s final resting place was the left-most structure. Rows of chairs had been placed in front of it, facing the ocean.
