“No wonder all your relationships have the lifespan of a fruit fly.” Frid narrowed her eyes.
“Why are you suddenly so concerned with my relationships?”
“I absolutely am not.”
“I think you’re jealous.”
“That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Admit it, Frid. You just can’t help it.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
“Just admit it.”
“How about I say that you’re the last person I would ever consider going out with?”
As the two of them started to argue, I leaned back against the metal wall behind me.
“You know we can’t go on like this,” Sol said quietly. “Itdoesn’t matter if she remembers you or not, you need to make a move, soon. Time is not on your side. Both of you are vulnerable while staying in the palace.”
“I just want her to choose me.” I closed my eyes.
That was something I was constantly thinking about. I could just force her to go with me, but that did not feel right. Maybe it was my pride that would not allow me to take the choice away from her. She was next in line for the throne, while all I could offer her was a life on the run, one tainted by constant fear of capture. As much as I would choose that life in a heartbeat, I could never make her live that way.
I opened my eyes and looked at the night sky, covered with thick layers of grey smoke. I had to tell her everything, even if it meant to bare my heart and soul in front of someone and trust that she would not crush it.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ALINA
Idreamed about quiet, melancholic days in the partially lit, always drafty castle that was moist in the summer, and chilly during the cooler months. My days were filled with never ending obligations, and my nights were spent in quiet solitude. I was unhappy all the time, I felt restless and low-spirited. I saw myself crying by the fireplace in my room. Then, out of nowhere, a young man with light blond hair and blue eyes came into my dream. His skin was darkened by the sun, and he had a lazy smile that altered his features.
I woke up in tears that morning. My past was slowly coming back to me, but clarity also brought emotions I did not expect. Through all the visions and echoes of variousmemories, I knew that he was somehow important, and that he was long gone. I was desperate to know more, and I was angry that I was forced to be content with my confinement.
After a while, I made myself get up and rinsed my face with cold water, braided my hair and picked out a dress.
As my thoughts quieted down, I thought about my position in the palace, and a new anxiety nearly crushed me.
Who could I trust?
Almost against my will, my thoughts returned to the man with dark, unruly hair and skin the color of wild honey.
It had been two days after the incident in the library, and I still could not forget how poorly it went. I behaved like a low woman, and Kent just rejected me. He understood me perfectly, I was sure of it, but he did not make any moves. I sat up on my bed and straighten the folds of my peach-colored muslin skirt. No matter how long I thought about it, I could not figure him out.
My mind took me back to the gardens.
‘Because you’re mine.’
He said that... about me. I did not dream it. He said we belonged together and that he was there because of me.
But why, when I wanted him to hold me in his arms, to touch me, he never crossed the distance between us?
The way my thoughts returned to that scene in the gardens made my heart race like mad. I imagined how it would feel to have his hands on my cheeks, stroking my hair, his lips on mine.
I pressed the book to my forehead.
“Good morning, milady!” Sally entered the room.
