I wasn’t sure where I was going or what I was planning to do, but I wanted the fresh air in my lungs to clear my mind.
After I’d been outside for a few monts, the bitterness in my chest seed to be relieved to a degree. I let out a sigh. I didn’t even understand why I felt the strange need to see Theo or talk to him.
At this point, I didn’t owe him anything, and he’d granted freedom. I’d gotten what I wanted, and there was no reason to be upset.
Yes, I would comply with Prince Theo’s wishes and leave the castle— after I went to see his animals and tell them a proper goodbye. I had beco close to them, especially that silly snake of his.
Just then, before I could even make it to his zoo, I heard a thud, sounded like sothing fell on the ground.
What happened? I changed my path to check it out in case soone needed help.
In the distance, a little boy was sitting on the grass near the sidewalk. He was dressed in regal clothes, the royal colors, and the fabric was fine. His hair was a bit ssy, and he had a streak of dirt on his cheek, but I could tell despite his disheveled state that he was soone important.
It also looked as if he might be injured. He was holding his leg, his pant leg was pulled up to his knee, and while he wasn’t crying, he did look distressed.
“Oh, no!” I said in a gentle voice as I rushed over to him. He looked to be about eight or ten at most. “You alright?”
He looked up to with similar dark eyes to the ones I was used to looking into when I stared at the princes, but he didn’t say anything.
Perhaps he was afraid of . He didn’t know , after all. I gave him a smile that I hoped would set him at ease as I sat down on my knees next to him on the path.
From here, I could see that he had a cut on his leg. It wasn’t too deep, but it did look painful. Thankfully, I had placed an extra bandage in my pocket earlier, in case my hand started bleeding again.
So, I pulled it out of my pocket and showed it to him. “Do you want to put this on your cut? Will that make you feel better?” It needed to be cleaned, but at least it wouldn’t bleed all down his leg to his sock as he went inside.
Again, he said nothing, but as I opened the bandage and put it on him, he didn’t try to pull away from . I smiled at him and said, “There you go. All better. What’s your na? I’m Ciana.”
Before he could respond, I heard the sound of footsteps coming up the path from the castle and turned my attention in that direction, startled and afraid it might be Theo. I doubted he would’ve followed , but it was possible he had just co this way, and I didn’t want to see him.
I saw that it was Warren coming my way and contemplated getting up and darting away. I really didn’t want to speak to him at the mont. Not that I disliked him or anything, but I wasn’t in the mood to be friendly.
With a sigh, I turned back to the boy, but... he was gone.
Confused, I looked all over the place for him and noticed him darting off between so bushes in the distance.
I guessed he hadn’t hurt himself so bad after all.
With a chuckle, I got up off of the ground just as Warren reached .
“Did you beco friends with Alexander too?”
“Alexander? The boy?”
“Yes, that was my nephew,” Warren said with a light smile. “He’s always out here playing in the garden.”
“Your nephew?” I tried to understand whose child that boy could be. As far as I knew, there weren’t other siblings of Warren living in the palace.
“Yes. He is my older half brother’s son.”
“Oh,” I searched my mory and tried to figure out who Warren’s older brother was, but to no avail. However, it wouldn’t matter. I was going to leave here very soon, and the royal family tree really shouldn’t concern all that much going forward. So I simply comnted, “I hope I didn’t scare him. He wouldn’t speak to .”
“Alexander? No, I’m sure you didn’t scare him. He has selective mutism,” Warren explained. “Ever since his father was executed for treason and his mother went missing all of those years ago, he hasn’t said a word.”
My eyes widened. That was the last thing I expected to hear!
My heart broke a little for Prince Alexander. Now it rang a bell. His father was Prince Warren and Prince Theo’s older brother, the late Crown Prince Justin, the oldest son of King Sabestian, who betrayed his father and was sentenced to death many years ago.
“I’m really sorry to hear about that,” I said. “He seems sweet.” My eyes trained off in the distance where the child had disappeared, but I could no longer see a trace of him.
“You have nothing to apologize for! Say, do you want to hear sothing kind of funny?” Prince Warren asked with a broad smile, the kind that might’ve made lose my sleep a few weeks ago, but now, all of that charm seed to be missing the mark for .
I didn’t want to be impolite, though. He was still a very kind man, and he was a prince. “Sure,” I told him, forcing myself to smile back. “What is it?”
“Well, I had a really strange dream the other night. And you were in it.” He wiggled his eyebrows at , but I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
I managed to keep the smile frozen on my face. Goddess, could he be talking about what had happened in the realm created by the crystal? There was only one way to find out.
“Oh?” I asked. “What happened?”
I hoped I didn’t regret my choice to pry, but it was clear he wanted to tell .
“Well, I dread you and I were getting married!” He made a face at like he wanted to know if I thought it was silly, even though he clearly didn’t think it was.
“Oh... how... funny,” I said. “Uhm, well, I can tell you that no such thing has ever happened in real life.” A nervous laugh escaped my lips. “So it had to have been a dream!”
“Yeah, yeah, it was a dream, I know, but...” he began
I cut him off. “You know what they say about dreams being opposite of reality, right?” Again, I laughed, but this ti it sounded nervous and slightly annoying.
Prince Warren’s eyes shifted, and I thought I had hurt his feelings. “Ciana, are you alright? Sothing seems to be bothering you. I an, no, of course, I understand we didn’t really get married, but you and I have known each other for many years—right? Rember, the bracelet?”
He raised his wrist to show the gift I’d given him a long ti ago.
I smiled bitterly. Of course, I rembered the bracelet. How could I forget? Still, a lot had changed for since I ca to the castle. I wasn’t the sa silly girl I had been who thought I might be in love with the boy I’d t in the woods.
Honestly, I didn’t think till this day I understood what love really was. However, one thing I was sure of was that love was a lot more complicated than I had ever thought it would be.
“Did sothing happen?” Prince Warren asked , cutting through my thoughts.
“Happen?” I repeated.
“Yeah, like between you and Theo or sothing? You look upset, and in my experience, if you’re upset, it’s usually his fault.” He seed a bit bitter, and I couldn’t bla him for feeling that way.
I didn’t want to vent and dump anything on Prince Warren. After all, he didn’t want to be in the middle of the spat I was having with his brother, and I didn’t want to dwell on it.
But when I opened my mouth to tell him that it was nothing, the truth ca out instead.
Or at least... bits and pieces of it.
“I just went to tell him goodbye, and he... was so rude. I don’t understand him, Prince Warren. All I’ve done since I got here was try to be kind and useful to him, and he is always so rude to . It’s like he goes out of his way to try and hurt my feelings. I just don’t get it, and I probably never will. It’s probably a good thing that I’m leaving.”
“You’re leaving?” he repeated, and I could hear he was both surprised and a bit hurt. “Why?”
“I need to go ho to take care of so pack affairs. Don’t worry, this ti, I was officially dismissed. I’m safe to go,” I said with a shrug. Warren’s gentle gaze was on , silently encouraging to go on, so I did.
“Prince Theo dismissed . He said I was of no use to him anymore. And that’s fine. Whatever. He can spend his ti with Sophia or whoever he likes. “But when I went to tell him goodbye...”
I had to pause for a mont because I was getting a little choked up, and the last thing I wanted to do was cry about Prince Theo in front of his brother.
Talk about silly.
“You went to tell him goodbye, and what, Ciana?” Prince Warren placed his hand on my arm, gently, and it made feel a bit better, just to have the human touch of soone who was so kindhearted.
“And... he was cold and rude,” I said with a shrug. “He basically just told to get lost, didn’t even want to say goodbye to .” Again, tears pressed to the surface, but I sniffled them back. I would not let Prince Theo’s rudeness make so upset.
“I’m so sorry, Ciana,” Prince Warren said, and I could tell by the emotion in his voice he ant it. “He just... he doesn’t get it. I don’t understand how anyone could treat you the way he does. Quite frankly, he doesn’t deserve you.”
My eyebrows raised as I looked up into his eyes, a bit concerned about what he was going to say next.
I had suspected for a while now that there was a possibility that Warren had feelings for . But he’d been holding them back because I was a mber of Prince Theo’s consort, not his own.
However, now that I had told him I was leaving, that Prince Theo had dismissed , he must’ve thought none of that mattered.
I said a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess that this wasn’t about to be a confession of his feelings because I honestly didn’t know how to respond to him.
“Listen Ciana, I know you might be hurt by my brother. He sotis could be a coldhearted jerk. I totally understand you might want to stay away from this place, from us right now.”
He stared deeply into my eyes, and continued, “But, I’m not like that. I understand what a treasure you truly are. If you would give the chance—”
“Prince Warren!” I interrupted him, my voice trembling nervously. Was he really about to say to what I thought he might say?
I hoped not. I couldn’t allow him to.
Because I was afraid of what he might say, not because he wasn’t a wonderful man, but because I knew I didn’t feel the sa way.
#
Reviews
All reviews (0)