Page 82 of Kingdom of Betrayal and Unknown

Kieran kisses my forehead, his lips lingering for several seconds like he doesn’t want to leave. I don’t want him to. I desperately wish things were different.

“Go back home,” he whispers. “Be safe.”

CHAPTER 22

Worry churns through me as I step out of the house. The prince and his men are back in town. It is clear from the way the guards are walking in the town. Why were the guards searching through the forest yesterday? I can’t help but worry about Kieran and his friends, his people. Are they all right? Did something happen to them?

I figure if something happened to them it would be spreading across the town like wildfire and I haven’t heard a thing. My eyes move across the Fae, trying to find any familiar faces, but I don’t see any of them.

“Adeline.” Prince Archie raises his voice from afar.

I suck in a breath and turn around quickly. Maybe he didn’t see me and was just calling my name to try and find me. But when I feel a hand on my shoulder, I know it’s not true.

Shit.

“Did you not hear me call you?” Prince Archie asks.

I quickly turn around and bow before standing tall. “I’m so sorry. I was lost in thought and didn’t hear you. I’ve had a busy morning.”

Maybe that will deter him from wanting to talk to me longer than he should. But deep down, I have a feeling that he is going to take as much time as he wants, no matter if I am busy or not. I take a deep breath and calm myself before I say something to Prince Archie and regret it. Nothing can go wrong right now.

Prince Archie eyes me, and I hold my breath in anticipation. I hope I was convincing enough that he won’t think twice about why I turned and started to walk away.

“Really?” he asks.

“Yes, Prince Archie. I would never intentionally ignore you. I’ve got several errands I need to run for my mother,” I explain in an even tone.

I don’t want to speak too fast and have him suspect that I’m trying to save face. What would he do if he found out I ignored him on purpose? Would he hurt everyone I loved or would he chain me to the stand and whip me like he does to so many Fae? I’ve only seen a handful of humans getting whipped but it’s not very common.

“Don’t let it happen again.” He looks at me in disgust. “If it happens again, I might think you are doing it on purpose, and we wouldn’t want that, would we?”

I shake my head. “No, we wouldn’t. It won’t happen again, promise.”

Clenching my jaw, I look away for a couple of seconds to regain my composure before looking at him.

“Is that all? I do have some very important errands to run for my mother. Once it gets dark, the temperatures drop and the snow gets worse,” I kindly say. “I don’t mean to rush you, but I want to get to the shops before they start to close.”

Prince Archie sighs and folds his arms over his chest. Shit. Did I say something wrong? Should I have kept my mouth shut and just missed all the shops?

“I would like to talk to you and have dinner again,” he says. “A long dinner together.”

People walk by us, staring and not even trying to hide it. Great. Now they are going to have other things to talk about this week. I was hoping we had gotten over this.

“Could we walk together while I gather the supplies I need?” I ask and hold my breath.

Prince Archie looks visibly annoyed as he stares at me before sighing. “Walk.”

Taking a shaky breath in, I start to head toward the first shop. The closer we get, the more nervous I become. My palms start to sweat, and I quickly wipe them on my dress.

“Adeline! What can I do for you? Do you need more thread for your mother?” The older lady smiles but quickly bows. “Prince Archie. I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you there. I’m honored to have you stop by.”

I hope this is not how it’s going to be every time I stop at a shop today. It’s going to get exhausting, and I may just give up.

Prince Archie is ruining everything.

“Hello. Carry on like normal.” Prince Archie waves his hand in the air.

“Could I get some more white and black thread?” I ask. “The same amount as last time, please.”