Page 117 of Kingdom of Betrayal and Unknown

“Am I interrupting something important?” she asks, her head tilting to the side.

“No.” I roll my eyes.

I don’t know how I feel about Zahra, but Kieran seems to trust her, so I will too. I don’t know if it’s her teasing or her constant reminder to be careful every time we see each other.

“I thought I would give you a couple of minutes alone, but I can see that you aren’t actually alone. Kieran ran off without saying anything but your name. What happened this time?” Zahra asks.

This is why I don’t like her. She always makes it seem like something is always wrong with me. And maybe she is right, but I don’t want it to be that way.

“There is nothing wrong with Adeline needing me,” Kieran says before I can reply. “People are getting suspicious, and she wanted to warn me.”

Zahra’s eyes narrow on me, and I shrink back.

“I told you to come at different times to avoid suspicion.” Zahra’s voice is cold and distant. “If only you followed what I said, you wouldn’t be in this situation.”

Annoyance rolls inside of me as I glare at her.

“I have been,” I snap before I can stop myself. “But someone is following me.”

Kieran’s hands tighten around my cheeks. “What do you mean someone is following you?”

I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know who, but someone has to be if they are suspicious of my activity. What else could it be?” I ask. “I’ve been going to the forest every single day before I met you, in the spring, summer, and fall. I don’t know why they are so interested in me doing so now.”

It makes no sense why they would suddenly take an interest in what I am doing in the forest. Skylar knows I like to be in nature, and so does the prince by now.

“The prince is interested in you,” Zahra points out, like I don’t already know that. “He’s probably keeping tabs on you. He doesn’t want you to fall in love with someone else when he intends for you to be his bride.”

“You don’t have to remind me,” I mutter.

“Her friend did say the prince had asked her to keep an eye on her,” Elias says.

Right.

“And I kindly asked her to stop, that there was nothing to report on. Now if only she would believe that, it would be great.” I sigh.

“Be careful around her.” Elias gives me a pointed look.

“She’s my best friend. I don’t need to watch out or be careful around her,” I tell him, offended that he thinks Skylar would do anything like that.

He raises his hands in the air. “Think about it.”

I shake my head. “I don’t need to think about it. Skylar won’t do anything to me. She’s my best friend and she has my back.”

“She’s getting close with the prince,” Kieran says.

“She wants to become the princess. She is trying to win him over so he will take an interest in her. I told her to do it to get his attention off me. I don’t want it. I don’t want the prince.” I raise my voice and pull my face out of Kieran’s hands. “She isn’t doing anything else.”

Or I hope she isn’t. She has gotten close with the prince, but I encouraged her to. I told her to gain his interest. I didn’t think she would get this close to him in such a short amount of time, but it’s none of my concern. She is an adult and knows what she is doing to capture the prince’s attention.

But why isn’t it working? Why is the prince so hell bent on choosing me?

“We aren’t saying she would go behind your back and do something. Does she like the Fae or does she hate us all?” Kieran asks.

“She doesn’t like the Fae. She agrees with everything Prince Archie has said, but I’m sure her mind can be changed. She hasn’t heard anything else but what the prince and king tell everyone,” I explain. “I haven’t told her everything, but I can try.”

Kieran shakes his head. “Don’t. Not yet. I’m not ready to lose you, so we have to keep it between us.”

I sigh and nod. “I’m not ready to lose you either. She loves me and is my best friend. She wouldn’t turn me in to the guards or prince, nor would she turn you in.”