Page 57 of Kingdom of Betrayal and Unknown

“It is. I want you to spend time with me. I want to spend time with you. I know if you still have questions, it is one way to make sure you do come back,” he explains. “Call it being selfish, but I don’t care. I want to see you and if this is how I can ensure that, I am going to do it.”

I can see his logic and what he is trying to do. I would do the same thing if I were in his position, but I hate having it done to me.

“I don’t know when I’ll be able to come next,” I tell him. “I’ll try to make time to come outside, but things have gotten more difficult.”

Like the prince. Not knowing when he is going to be out in our little town is putting me on edge and making me not want to go out as much. I don’t want to see him and give him the opportunity to talk to me. But he knows where I live and could easily come to the house if I don’t.

But if I’m not outside, he can’t talk to me in front of other people. Then they won’t be able to gossip about me. Prince Archie is going to be at my house next week to pick me up for my class in the palace, which people will see. They’ll see me walking to the palace with him. What are they going to think then?

I don’t want to go with him, but I can’t say no. I can’t tell him to leave me alone and never come back. He will surely make my parents’ lives miserable and do something to me. No. I won’t have that happen. I just need to be smart about how I get him away from us, specifically me and him not having any more interest in me.

I think Skylar should be with me next time, to show Prince Archie that she is a much better choice than me. She is more ladylike than I am and is far more knowledgeable. She would be easier to manipulate and would gladly be the princess, standing by him. I’ll never be manipulated by him.

“Even if it’s once a week, that is better than nothing.” Kieran smiles.

He sets me on the ground, and my eyes fall again to the filled bucket. Carrying the empty bucket from the house to here winded me, and this is going to be even worse. I take a deep breath and pick it up, already feeling the fatigue hitting my body. Everything in me wants to beg one of them to bring it back to the house for me, but I know they can’t. Our time is up, and I know they need to get back to their work, and I need to get home.

“I’ll see you soon,” Kieran gently whispers close to my ear. “I’ll be watching you to make sure you make it home safely.”

There’s clear struggle on his face as he looks at the bucket I’m holding. I want to hand it to him and see if he would carry it for me, but he said he would keep watch of me. A warm, fuzzy feeling fills me as I think about that. He is extremely protective of me and wants to ensure I’m safe.

“I don’t know if I’ll come back,” I whisper, sadness overtaking me as I speak.

Kieran just smiles at me knowingly. “You’ll be back.”

CHAPTER 14

“This is the palace. After the class, a guard will take you back home. Next week, you’ll be able to walk on your own, and when you get to the castle, a guard or maid will be here to escort you to the room you will be studying in,” Prince Archie says as we walk down the hallway.

I slow my pace, wanting to take in every single detail. Not a lot of people have been in here, and I want to remember it accurately. Maybe I can tell one of the artists what it looks like in detail so they can paint it and sell it to someone. Maybe they could sell it to the prince and king and earn a lot of money.

Looking up, I realize just how tall the ceilings are. They are painted with intricate details of people, Fae, and animals. How did they manage to paint all of this?

“Who painted the ceiling?” I ask, completely ignoring what he just told me.

I’m not interested in how I am going to get to the room my lessons are going to be in. I’ll figure it out when the time comes, but I want to know who painted these. Who the artist is and if they are still alive. Maybe then I can talk to them and ask if they can paint the hallway for people to see.

Why won’t the king and prince let people in to see the beauty of this?

The hallways are wide, way too wide for just humans to walk through. But then I remember the Fae were here first, and they built this building. Which means there is a possibility that the artist is still alive.

“Some Fae a long time ago. We don’t know, but it was here when humans were looking for asylum all those years ago,” Prince Archie replies. “The Fae have an eye for art and building things.”

They really do, and I am so jealous. I want to have an artistic skill, but I don’t have a single artistic bone in my body. Not in this lifetime or the next.

“From what I’ve heard, they took years and years to perfect this building, taking their time with every single step. They don’t care how much time it takes since they have plenty of it.” Prince Archie stops and looks at everything in front of him.

If I lived here, I would admire this every single day. Someone could probably find something new every single day with how intricate the paintings are. How I would love to do just that.

“They made these hallways wide for their wings as they liked to have them out back then,” he tells me as if the Fae have any choice in not having them out now.

I clench my jaw and turn my body away from Prince Archie. The Fae don’t have a say in keeping their wings inside, if Kieran is telling the truth. They are bound by the curse. If they had their wings, would they fly to another realm? Could they even do that?

“I don’t know why they would have them out all the time. Kind of foolish if you ask me,” Prince Archie continues. “Anyone could come up and cut into them or worse, they could hit someone else with them.”

I’m sure they would be aware of their surroundings. If Kieran and his friends were aware of their surroundings when I met up with them, they were aware of them all those years ago. There is no doubt in my mind. No one would be able to sneak up on them and put a knife in their wings.

“Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about their wings anymore. No one can see them or run into them. They can’t fly off and will never be able to fly off as long as the curse is in effect.” Prince Archie smiles at me, his voice lilting with joy. “And I am going to make sure it stays as long as I live. They won’t get a taste of freedom ever. They will always be our slaves.”