“Do you like jokes that are at your own expense?”
Sebastian chuckled softly, and we climbed to the top floor. The entire room was empty besides us, making for the perfect aid in avoiding being caught.
“You seem to be in a better mood,” I pointed out.
“Turns out pity parties do actually help.” He huffed a laugh.
Sebastian chose a set of chairs stationed in front of a large window, the glass creating one of the only gaps in the bookshelf. He sat down in one of the seats, but I wandered towards the view, flattening my palm against the cool glass as my eyes journeyed outside.
I could see everything for at least a mile away. The waves of the ocean crashed along the shore, starlight glimmering on top of the water. The dormitory was so clear that I could tell which rooms were occupied by the windows that emitted light. In the forest on my other side, trees danced in the wind, a parade of greenery that flowed all the way to the academy.
The heat of my breath created a film of fog on the glass as I sighed. Delani would have adored this view. I wondered what she’d been doing while I was gone. My mother probably tried to rope her into taking my position at the village's archives, but she would never accept.
Sebastian, suddenly, was awfully close, and my body was well aware of it. I sensed his presence before even turning around.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” his voice whispered near my ear.
I nodded, looking back towards the sea, red from the remnants of the setting sun. “It is. Deceiving, though. The kingdom looks so breathtaking from this height that it almost tricks you into believing its innocence, that there’s not a ton of bullshit going on behind closed doors.”
“From my experience, beauty is almost never accompanied by innocence.”
His breath warmed the back of my neck, and my skin pricked up from his words cascading down my spine. He had no idea the effect he had on me by simply speaking.
“Where did you learn that? One of your dirty books?” I teased, toying with the hem of my shirt.
“How did you know?”
I shot my head around and he flashed me a tantalizing wink. “I can joke, too.” He chuckled.
“Very funny.” I rolled my eyes. “But really—where did you learn somethingsowise?”
His torso moved in a half-shrug. “Beauty is never just how it appears at first glance. Everything that is beautiful has a secret. Something that balances it. The sky has its storms. The sea has its waves.Youhave an attitude.” His lips tipped into a smile before he turned suddenly and returned to his chair.
My heart battered against my ribs.
Did he just call me beautiful? He also said I have an attitude, but I guess that proves his point.
Flustered and needing a distraction to prevent myself from doing something stupid, I took off through the archives, making straight for the section I required. Scanning the shelves, I found the book with ease, right where I’d left it. Having likely been the last person to hold it, a film of dust had accumulated on the cover. I blew it off, then flipped through the pages while I meandered back to where I’d left Sebastian. I threw myself into the chair beside him and unlaced my boots, wiggling them off my feet and letting them drop to the floor beside my chair.
“Comfortable?” he asked from my left.
“We’re gonna be here a while, so might as well be.” I pulled my legs up so that my whole body was in the chair and settled the book on my lap.
Sebastian cleared his throat as he removed his own book from his rucksack, the cover of it showing an illustration of a crown. All of a sudden, something dawned on me.
“Oh my gods,” I said, completely and utterly dumbfounded.
He raised an eyebrow and adjusted himself to face me more head on. “What?”
I gawked blankly at him, not saying anything more and heartbeats passed.
“What?” he asked again.
“You're a prince,” I stated.
“Yeah? And?”
“I just realized it.”
