Page 97 of Kingdom of Betrayal and Unknown

Shaking my head, I lean back into the bench. “No way. I don’t want to die and leave my pregnant mother alone. I don’t want her to die and for me to be alone in this world.”

If that happened, I might have to fake my own death and live with Kieran in the woods. No one would know. Right now, it sounds really nice, but I can’t leave my mother behind and she would never come with me.

“Then maybe the sons you have with the prince will learn that.” She chuckles.

My nose scrunches up at the thought. “I’m never having children with him. I’m never getting married to him.”

“Married to who?” Prince Archie asks.

My eyes go wide as I quickly stand and bow.

“Never going to marry who?” Prince Archie asks once again.

“Someone I had a crush on when we were toddlers,” I quickly reply. “Someone I haven’t seen in years, and someone who I have no interest in.”

Skylar has her hand over her mouth as she looks away, and it takes everything in me not to walk over to her and slap the smile off her face. It’s no time to laugh in front of the prince.

“Well, that’s good to hear since I will be asking you for your hand soon.” Prince Archie smiles.

With my mouth hanging open as I stare at Prince Archie, I don’t know what to say. I knew he was going to ask me to marry him, but I was hoping it wouldn’t be for a while.

“Your highness, if I may freely talk?” Skylar interjects, hitting me on the shoulder.

I close my mouth and take several deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. How am I going to get out of this? I need to talk to Kieran and find out if he knows anything new about the curse.

“Yes, Skylar?” Prince Archie turns to her.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to talk about marriage so soon after her father died. She needs time to process, but she also has a lot going on. I would wait at least four months until you bring it up again,” Skylar suggests. “Of course, that is just a suggestion. I would hate for Adeline to reject you because of the turmoil in her life.”

“Right, you are correct, Skylar. Do not fret, Adeline. I won’t bring it up for while so you have time to process everything,” Prince Archie says as he looks at me. “Now, you have lessons tomorrow at the palace. A guard will come to pick you up in the early afternoon.”

“You are going to make her do lessons after her father just died?” Skylar inquires. “Not give her time to heal and recover from the huge loss in her life?”

I stare at Skylar in shock. How well does she know the prince? How can she be so comfortable to ask him these questions and suggest things? I would never dare to potentially insult him.

Prince Archie looks at me, searching my face before turning back to Skylar.

“You think so?” he asks.

My lips part as I look between both of them. They must be really close if he is looking at Skylar with confirmation about something she said. How many times has she been to the palace, and how close is she with him?

I’m not jealous of Skylar. If anything, I’m hopeful. Hopeful that she will take Prince Archie and have him to herself. That would be the dream and then I can live peacefully with Kieran.

I suck in a breath, shocking myself with my own thoughts. It shouldn’t because every single thought I have always leads back to Kieran. After the other day with him telling me to talk to Flynn and being right, I trust him a lot more.

“Yes, Prince Archie. Adeline is still in shock that her father is no longer with us and is having a hard time processing things. Her mind surely won’t be on the lesson. Her hand will be so red and swollen, it may still be that way at the wedding,” Skylar exaggerates.

There is no way my hand would still be swollen and red from one lesson of not learning anything. Scarred? Maybe. Hilga got close to breaking skin the first and last time I was there. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was her goal to make me bleed.

“Adeline, you can have tomorrow and next week off. But after that, I expect you to take your lessons. You need them,” Prince Archie says before walking away with his two guards.

My shoulders relax as I slump into the bench. Every single interaction with Prince Archie always makes me exhausted.

“You were brave,” I mutter. “I would have never imagined talking to him like that at all, let alone in front of other people.”

In the very beginning, I did say some things that I probably shouldn’t have, but I’ve learned now.

Skylar shrugs. “It is what it is. He needs to know that people are affected by death and can’t function properly. He needs to know how to give people time to get their lives back to normal. So much is changing for you right now, and I figured not having to deal with talks of marriage or having to attend lessons would help,” Skylar explains before cracking a smile. “I’m also hoping I still have a chance with him. Maybe I can get on his good side and garner his interest before he does anything.”