Page 211 of Kingdom of Death and Hope

I shake my head and look away from him, my feelings almost betrayed. I didn’t expect it to turn out this way.

“I’m going to go out in the town and walk around. Don’t worry, Henry will be with me to make sure I’m safe,” I say in a monotone voice.

CHAPTER 35

Itake several steps to the right and start walking, completely missing Kieran. Guards and servants look at me as we walk past but I don’t dare look them in the face.

Am I in the wrong? Are they mad at me for saying those things to Kieran?

But it was all true. With the things the person told me and him not believing me. He isn’t thinking it through. What if he tries to kill Avira with the dagger and something happens to him because it isn’t me?

“Are you alright?” Henry asks as we walk out of the palace.

“Do I look okay?” I ask weakly, having no energy to be snarky or argue with anyone else.

“No,” he replies. “You don’t but I don’t think anyone would after a conversation like that.”

“It makes me feel like he doesn’t trust me and what I heard with my own ears. The person wasn’t Avira, I know that for sure. I’ve felt that bad dread feeling all my life when I was around her, and this shadowy person didn’t have a trace of it,” I say. “Why would she tell me that everything is going to be okay and to remain by his side and remember the dagger? Why would she tell me that I was the only one who could do it if it wasn’t important?”

“Have you thought about it from his point of view?” Henry asks.

I glare at him. “Who’s side are you on?” I ask.

He holds his hands up in the air.

“I have thought about it. I know he doesn’t want me to kill Avira and have the blood on my hands. I know he doesn’t want me to have nightmares after about killing someone, but I think I will be better off having a couple of nightmares every once in a while, rather than looking over my shoulder every second of the day wondering if Avira is going to appear and do something horrible to me,” I ramble. “I want her gone just as much as everyone else does, but that’s not going to happen unless I’m the one who kills her. Kieran doesn’t know if there is going to be consequences if he tries to kill her himself. I don’t want anything to happen to him.”

“Have you tried telling him that?” Henry asks as we continue to walk.

I sigh and shake my head. “Not yet. This was the first time we talked about it and you saw how well it went.” I roll my eyes and then groan. “I should have waited until we were alone instead of doing it in front of everyone. What are they going to think about us?”

“That you are a normal couple who gets into fights,” Henry replies. “They aren’t going to think differently of you. You guys weren’t yelling at each other and getting ugly. Sure, you implied that he didn’t trust you, but the guards aren’t going to change their mind.”

“How are you so sure about that?” I ask. “Wait. Why isn’t there a Fae with us? I thought Kieran would have had a Fae guard following me.”

“He didn’t want to make you uncomfortable with a new guard, so I’m still your personal guard. There are plenty of Fae who are walking around and will jump in to help if something goes wrong,” Henry says.

My heart melts at his words. Kieran didn’t want me to be uncomfortable with a whole new person.

“That is unless they’ve changed their mind and they don’t like me any longer,” I mumble. “The news has probably already spread to every Fae that we got into an argument.”

“It has, but it’s going to be okay.”

Sighing, I continue to walk down the road. Several Fae have already set up their stalls to start selling things.

“Adeline.” Nila calls my name. “Come here, dear.”

I force a smile on my face as I walk to her. “Nila, how are you doing today?”

She frowns. “You don’t have to force yourself to smile after what happened. It’s okay to feel hurt.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I chuckle.

Nila grabs one of my hands and gently holds it. “You got into an argument with him and it’s good to be feeling those feelings. They are valid and I don’t want anyone else telling you otherwise.”

Tears pool in my eyes and I chuckle once again, trying to make myself happy so I don’t cry.

“It’s okay to cry as well. Things are changing and there are bound to be several arguments in your life. What you have to remember is not to go to bed angry at each other. Resolve it before you go to bed,” she tells me. “Now, do you want a piece of candy?”