Page 5 of This Is Not True Love’s Kiss

“Better than you, by the looks of it.” Wolfe clapped a hand on my shoulder. “What’s troubling you?”

I turned from the invisible border. I’d have to check it later for any potential issues when Aoife actually decided to do her job as queen.

“Let’s go.” I nodded my head away from the barrier, and Wolfe stomped toward the city, pine cones and needles crunching under his boots, his black cloak flapping behind him.

The castle rose up in the distance, tall with gleaming white stone that never seemed to get dirty despite the rain and mud and creatures that found homes in its peaks and gutters. Stained glass windows shimmered under the sun, all the colors of the rainbow glimmering and sparkling. It was a beautiful castle, and sometimes, I still couldn’t believe I was its king. That it had chosen me to lead it.

I wouldn’t fail it. Not like I’d failed before.

We walked across the forest floor, the tall pine trees and thick redwoods growing sparser the closer we got to town, the fresh mountain air surrounding us. Wooden and stone buildings lined the main cobblestone road that wound around Fairwitch Isle, and a screech echoed through the forest as my advisor flew straight toward me.

“Your Majesty,” Fargus said, landing on my shoulder.

“Where is she?” I asked my advisor.

He cleared his throat, feathers ruffling.

“What?” I asked, already knowing I didn’t want to hear whatever he was about to say.

“Her Majesty had a message for you.”

I snorted. Of course she did. “What is it?” I asked warily.

There was a pause, and I looked over to see if the owl heard me. I raised a brow at him.

“It’s not appropriate, I’m afraid. I can’t say it out loud. It wouldn’t be right to speak in such a way to you.”

Wolfe crossed his arms over his chest. “Does it start with an ‘F’ and end with a ‘you?’”

Fargus’s wings twitched, and his head swiveled to look away from me, not meeting my eye.

“I think we might have cracked the code,” Wolfe said.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “So she got her schedule request back, I take it?”

“As I suggested, she was not happy about it, Your Majesty.”

She wasn’t happy about anything I did. Ever. So I wasn’t exactly surprised.

“What happened now?” Wolfe asked as we came closer to the city.

“Aoife wanted to rearrange our schedules so that we no longer have to interact.”

Wolfe pressed his lips together but didn’t say anything.

“I didn’t dare speak for you, Your Majesty,” Fargus said. “I only told her advisor that I suspected you didn’t think it would benefit Fairwitch Isle.”

“I don’t know about that,” Wolfe murmured.

“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked as we approached a row of squat stone buildings with thatched roofs.

He scratched the back of his neck. “Nothing. I’m not getting in the middle of your marriage.”

“You might need to speak with the queen about this,” Fargus said. “Directly. It’s not easy when it’s Meera and I communicating between the two of you.”

Yet another conversation I didn’t have time for. Not when I was trying to blend two very different communities while also keeping us safe from anyone who might want to breach our border, to take our magic. So many problems, and if I actually had a partner to help me, it would be so much easier.

“I will speak with her.”