Erina looked terrified, and I hated myself as the thought crossed my mind thatthiswas why she could never be a ruler; you couldn’t show your fear. It was for the weak, and you couldn’t have a weak ruler.
The door closed quickly as the last member slid out of the room. My father collapsed back into his seat. Erina jumped to his aid, pouring him a glass of water, and laying a reassuring hand on his shoulder. This was where she was better than I was, though. She could provide comfort where I never could.
The tension coursed through the air for what seemed like an eternity before my father fixed his unsympathetic stare on Orion. “Howdareyou call a council meeting about this without consulting me?”
I felt Damien glance in my direction before looking between our two fathers. I knew he wanted to gauge my reaction, but I had willed my face to give nothing away.Had he known?Had Orion told him why he had called for a meeting? I couldn’t help but feel betrayed by the thought, even if it wasn’t true.
And if it was? Gods help him because I wouldn’t spare him any sympathy.
Orion didn’t back down from my father. In fact, he seemed to hold himself higher. “The council had a right to know, my King. I was simply doing what I believed was the best solution, to gather everyone immediately and-”
“Don’t pretend that you actually give a shit about the council members,” my father spat. “Don’t pretend like this was anything more than what it was–your attempt to put on a show.”
Orion bowed his head, “I apologize if you see it that way, my King.” His constant attempt to placate my father by using his title wasn’t working. I could tell that it only fueled my father’s anger.
“Yes. I am your king… Lest you forget who isactuallyin charge of this kingdom.”
I sucked in a breath at the threat. My father wasn’t one to anger easily, but he also didn’t back down once he had reached that point. I knew that while this conversation was quickly winding down; it wasn’t over.
“Orion, you and I will continue this discussion later–but do notevercall a meeting again without briefing me first.” With that, my father stood up and breezed out of the room, leaving us all in sullen silence.
We sat around the table for a moment before Erina quietly excused herself. Orion left quickly after that, muttering to himself about the unwelcome reception he had received. Luka had even wandered out, though he undoubtedly stood in the hallway, not daring to stray far from us. Damien and I were left alone, staring anywhere except at each other.
I cleared my throat. “I’d like to get back to training today. Will you be joining me, or shall I grab a sentry?”
I was deflecting, saying, or doing anything to avoid talking about what had just happened. We would need to at some point, but perhaps it was a good idea to blow off some of the anger that was building inside of me. I wanted to get back into the ring, anyway. Today was gorgeous, it was the perfect excuse to do that.
He cleared his throat. “Let’s grab something to eat, and then we can go work it off.”
I knew I should eat something, but nothing felt appetizing. In actuality, I felt sick to my stomach as I pored over the information from the meeting. Hell, I could still feel my father’s anger pulsating through the room.
We rose from our seats and walked in silence to the kitchens. They were located amongst the lower floors and had access to almost every major room in the palace. During the early years of Helia, it was considered a travesty to let your servants be seen. They needed ways to move around with no one being alerted to their presence. Thank the gods that was an incredibly outdated notion, not to mention extremely bigoted.
There was no way I could be in the main dining room right now. It would have been far too noisy. People would have stared, knowing perfectly well that a meeting had occurred this morning. They would want the latest gossip. It’d be far too easy to read my agitation, written plain as day on my face.
Ever since I was a child, I had loved coming into the kitchen. It was an assault of the senses. Everything from the smells to the decorations was delightful. There was a comfortable sort of feeling surrounding the room, even though it was a rather expansive area. Deep wood paneling lined the walls with pops of color coming from fresh flowers and herbs that were hung up for drying or simply decoration.
Poppy, one of the many cooks, always loved fresh flowers. I tried to bring her some when I came by to visit, but unfortunately, I was unprepared today. She was one of those ridiculously positive people you couldn’t help but smile when you were around, much to our other cooks’ dismay. The room always smelled of freshly baked bread and sweet treats, things that I loved to indulge in at any time of day. Who doesn’t like fresh bread? Utter fiends, that’s who. Certainly not people I wanted to be associated with.
We made our way through the kitchen to a small breakfast nook in a far corner, away from the hustle and bustle of the main room. Luka was nowhere in sight, thankfully. Alecia, a kitchen maid, came bustling up carrying two plates laden with eggs, potatoes, and a loaf of freshly baked bread. I took in a deep breath, savoring the heavenly smells wafting from the food. This was what I pictured home being like. Love, laughter, and good food.
“Thank you so much, Alecia. You’re a gift from the gods,” I told her as she set the plates in front of us. She smiled and nodded her head before returning to her work. I couldn’t help but notice the look she directed at Damien. A soft smile that showed she may have some sort of crush on him. It shouldn’t have bothered me as it had, but I felt a slight shock of jealously run through my body.
Regardless of how good the food smelled, I toyed with it on my fork absentmindedly. I sighed and pushed the plate away. I had no appetite at all, especially not after what I just witnessed.
Damien’s eyes scoured my face. “Eva, if you will not eat, then you will not train. You know the rules,” he said sharply, pushing my plate back toward me.
“Why? You’re just going to push me so far that I end up throwing it all up anyway,” I snapped back, even though I knew he was right. I took up my fork and ate the remaining food on my plate, feeling incredibly full, but also deeply satisfied.
I could still feel him studying my face, wondering what to say. There was so much awkward tension between us. I wanted to know,neededto know, if he knew about what his father had planned before the meeting. He was with him all morning, so Orion must have told him something.
“Did you know?” I finally asked, lifting my eyes to meet his. “Did you know what your father had called the meeting about? Did you know and not tell me what we were walking into?” I couldn’t help the accusatory way that my words came out of my mouth. I knew what his damn answer was going to be before it came out of his mouth, but I wanted to be wrong. I wanted him to tell me he didn’t have a clue, that he was just as surprised as I was about the information.
He sighed, tossing his napkin down, and leaned his forearms on the table in front of me. “Yes,” he said. I waited for him to elaborate on that single word, but he didn’t. He was absolutely silent.
I scoffed. “That’s all that you have to say? That’s all that you’ll give me?” I willed him to meet my cold eyes, but he wouldn’t. He kept his eyes focused on his plate.
“Let’s go train. If you knock me on my ass, then I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
