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“I don’t care what he thinks of me.” It was a lie, and I knew it.
Haden smiled like we had been friends for a long time, and he knew I was a liar. I looked away from him to try to conceal my true feelings. Something deep in my chest felt relieved that Cassius wasn’t scared of me.
“He said he’s seen you like that before.”
Frowning, I glanced at Haden. Cassius had seen me be a complete monster more than once. He would know I was completely unstable with my emotions.
“How upset is he with me?” I heard myself ask before I could stop it from being spoken.
“Not at all.” Haden sighed and stood up. “Whatever you said yesterday completely destroyed him, but he’s leaving you alone like you wanted. He just wants you to be happy, Thea.”
Haden’s words made my doubt about my actions creep up even more. I had hoped Haden would tell me that Cassius was fine and didn’t care how I treated him. That would have supported my thoughts that he didn’t care about me or what I thought. But what did this mean? He cared just like he said he did?
“I can’t imagine the position you're in,” Haden said softly. “To have others know more about you than you do would be unbearable. But you can’t keep pushing everyone away thinking that they are your enemy. At some point, you’ll have to pick the side you trust the most. What is your heart telling you, Thea?”
He wasn’t expecting me to answer. I watched him look around the gardens before he finally settled his gaze on me.
“There’s a dinner tomorrow night for all the contestants left. You should probably find a dress.” He gave me a weak smile and left. Standing there staring at the water of the fountain, I knew that Haden was right. I couldn’t keep pushing others away worried that they were the enemy. There would be no one left to be on my side. Or maybe that was for the best. All I knew for certain was Cassius said those things about me.
My chest squeezed uncomfortably at the memory. I need to forget about this for now. Grabbing my plate, I took it back inside the dining hall so I could go find a dress. I paused when I heard Cassius and Haden.
“How is she?”
“Confused.” Haden sighed. “Wouldn’t you be?”
“Does she hate me?” Cassius whispered.
“I think she wants to but, there’s something deep inside her that remembers you and won’t let her.”
Neither one of them said anything further so I turned the corner and ignored their stares as I set my plate in the wash area. I still had my cloak on with the hood up, so I used it to my advantage. My eyes fell on Cassius who was openly staring at me. He looked like he hadn’t slept well at all.
Looking away from him, I left and headed into town to find a dress for a dinner I didn’t want to go to. The weather was not as nice as it had been at lunch. Dark clouds moved over the Crimson Kingdom and lightning lit the sky above. The stone roadway changed to a dark color when the rain wet it. I breathed in the smell. Exile didn’t rain. My eyes closed tightly as I breathed in again. I loved this weather.
The town was empty when I finally arrived. Cafes were full of fae laughing and enjoying each other's company during the storm. My destination was the seamstress shop I had seen before hoping it was open. When I entered the shop, an older woman greeted me. Her dark eyes were friendly, and her white hair was styled immaculately.
“Thea,” she said warmly like we were old friends. “What may I help you with?”
“Uh…” My arms wrapped around myself.
“You’re well known around here.” She smiled before concern flickered over her face. “Because of the trials of course.”
“Right. Of course. There is some fancy dinner tomorrow, so I'll need a dress. Something cheap if that’s possible.” I looked around at the fancy and exquisite designs she had. There was no way I'd be able to afford anything here. These dresses weren’t my style either, but I wasn’t sure where else I could go.
“The prince said you might show up here for clothes from time to time. He said the royal family will cover the costs.” she smiled again. I must have let the confusion I felt show on my face because she rushed to explain herself. “The prince made it clear that if you need anything from town we are not to charge you for it. He will cover the costs. He seems very fond of you.”
She smiled again when I felt my cheeks redden. She urged me to follow her towards the back of the shop.
“My name is Ophelia.”
“Nice to meet you.” I gave her a small smile and relaxed.
“So, I’m assuming this is dinner with the royal family?”
Nodding in response, I looked around at all the different fabrics and dresses she was currently making.
“Well, then we better dress to impress.” She sighed as she looked through her heaps of fabric. She brought different colors over to me and held them against me. “Black or white?”
“Black.”
