Sebastian looked me dead in the eyes. “Revenge, I suppose. Justice.”
For his mother, no doubt.
Tapping a finger to my chin, another question struck me. “Do you have a crown?”
“I do.”
Hot.
“Can I see it?”
“Next time you inevitably find yourself in the soldiers' housing without permission, sure.”
“Can I try it on?”
“You are full of questions tonight.” Sebastian laughed.
“Questions and hypotheticalsaremy forte. Get used to it. So can I?”
He smiled. “Sure.”
Can I wear it alongside nothing else while you throw me down on your bed and?—
Oh gods, Maeve, stop.
“I must say, I quite like that the first thing that comes to mind when you see meisn'tthat I’m the prince.”
“You may wish otherwise if you knew what really came to my mind,” I shot back.
“Is it that I'm the most handsome and talented soldier you have ever laid eyes upon?” he asked with a teasing smirk.
Yes.
“No,” I lied. “It's that you’re the strange man who reads erotic novels outside of my bedchambers every morning.”
Another laugh burst free from Sebastian as I jumped out of my chair, tossed my book to the side and dropped down on one knee in front of him. “I am at your service, Your Highness,” I said with a bow of my head.
He let out a breath of silence before he cleared his throat. “Get up,” he demanded, shaking his head with a tantalizing gleam in his eyes.
I hesitated, raising my head and scanning my eyes slowly up his body. I could tell by the glimmer in his expression that he liked the sight of me kneeling before him. “Whatever the Crown Prince wishes.” I flashed him a sarcastic wink before returning to my own chair.
Sebastian shuffled in his seat, adjusting his pants a bit before burying his face back into his book. The pages of mine bounced off my fingertips as I searched to find my place once again. We read in silence for a while, keeping a lookout for any peering eyes in case we had to quickly act like we were wielding.
I soon was bored with reading an in-depth history about the goddess, so I performed an act that would have caused any avid book lover—specifically Sebastian—to roll in their grave.
I skipped to the end.
My head tilted as I read something that piqued my interest and sent anxiety to my bones all at once.
The prophecy as foreseen by the Goddess of the Mind.
I peeked over at Sebastian, who was so engrossed in his book that he’d probably forgotten I waseven here. Then, looking back to the manuscript in front of me, I brought the pages closer to my face.
The word of Blythe has been passed down through centuries. It is claimed that the one who fulfills her prophecy, will be the most blessed mortal to roam the lands. The goddess will grant a single mortal her precious gemstones if the chosen fulfills every aspect of the prophecy.
A wave of unease roamed through my veins, but I kept reading, squinting my eyes to make out the writing better in the dimly lit room.
In a kingdom of salt and stone, the chosen will be birthed midway through the year, at precisely the same moment that the first rainbow meteor falls from the cosmos and disintegrates into the seas. Blythe’s chosen will be presented with the gift of constellastones, embellished into their skin in a manner that was previously unheard of. At a time unknown, this soul will be presented with an unparalleled dominance in return for a sacrifice. The chosen mortal will be treasured by the gods and goddesses, and will have the ability to reclaim tranquility and restore the balance of the world.
