Everett smiled. “There have been some days when it has been a bit tiring, but otherwise, it’s fine. I barely notice it anymore at this point.”
We headed toward the crystal bridge, which connected my guest suite to one of the palace towers. My chest tightened, and my breaths became more rapid with each step we took.
“You don’t happen to have that snappy arcana that moves people, do you?” I squeaked out, grabbing Everett’s armoured arm. Realizing what I had done, I immediately took my hand off his arm. My cheeks burned with embarrassment.
He looked down at me, amusement crossing his face. “You’re afraid of heights, aren’t you?”
Unable to form the words of confirmation, I nodded once.
“Unfortunately, I don’t, but if you close your eyes, I can pick you up and carry you across.”
Without waiting for my response, Everett scooped me up easily into his arms and held me close to his stiff metal body.
I closed my eyes tightly and took deep breaths, trying to calm my nerves, as Everett walked across the bridge.
He placed me down gently, his arm still wrapped around my back. “You can open your eyes now. We’re on the other side.”
Mortified, I hastily opened my eyes to find us standing at the bottom of the tower.
“I figured you wouldn’t mind not having to walk down all those steps. It takes you a lot longer than it does me, on account of your small human-girl legs.”
“I can manage stairs just fine, thank you,” I replied, crossing my arms in defiance.
“I’m sure you can. I just meant in the interest of saving time.”
“Why? Are we in a rush?”
“Well, no. I just…”
“It doesn’t matter. Where are we going now?” I asked, annoyed.
If Everett picked up on my irritation, he didn’t let it show. “When people come to visit the palace, they usually want to see one of three things: the royal library, the enchanted royal gardens, or Crystal Cove. Which would you prefer to see first?”
The only library I had ever seen was the one in my own home, which had not been much to look at. I couldn’t begin to imagine what a library of the royal family could possibly contain.
“Are there romance novels in this library?” I asked, unashamed.
Everett laughed. “Yes. There are all manner of books in the royal library. It houses texts and tomes that are thousands of years old. I’m certain we can find you a suitable romance novel.”
Everett led the way down the grand hallway. I thought of Forrest and wondered where he was at this moment and if he was all right. I couldn’t imagine how overwhelming this must all be for him, not knowing who he was or who anyone around him was, yet they all claimed to know him better than he did. I wished I could have stayed with him and been a comfort to him during this process. It hurtme not to be at his side, making sure he was being treated well. No matter who he may have been before we met, I loved him dearly. I hoped my kiss in the throne room had shown him that. Although he said he would always love me, what if his memories were returned to him, and in the process, he lost the memories we had made? What if he came out of this not remembering who I was or the feelings we had for one another? I missed him and what we had. We could never go back to that, and it was something I would have to grieve on my own.
“Is everything all right?”
Everett’s words brought me out of the spiral I was about to descend into.
“Yes, I’m fine. I was thinking about Forrest—I mean, Prince Sterling. I haven’t heard anything from him or received any update on how he’s doing. Do you know if he’s all right?”
Everett looked at me with something like pity. “Last I heard, he was still with the royal healer. It sounds like they’ve made some decent progress. His memories have returned to him, which is fantastic news. But they are insisting on holding him for a few days for observation, just to be safe.” He paused before proceeding. “I’m sorry that no one thought to update you. I know that you care deeply for him.”
“How dare you presume to know anything about me? What do you know about my feelings?” Anger and hurt surged up inside me, threatening to break the dam holding them in check. My chest tightened, and tears welled. Sniffling, I wiped them away before they could embarrass me any further.
Everett stood unmoving, looking at me like the small, sad, pathetic woman I felt like. “I may not know anything about you, but I’m not stupid. You’re a human, and you’re staying in the palace as a guest. Do you know how many humans have been granted that privilege before you?”
I stared at him in silent defiance.
“The answer is zero. You are the first, and there is only one reason for that: your relationship with the prince.” He started to walk away from me toward a set of towering crystal doors. “You can get upset with me all you want, but that doesn’t change the fact that you are hurt that you’ve been excluded from something important regarding the prince. If you didn’t care for the prince, then it wouldn’t affect you to the point of tears, would it?” He held open one of the doors for me. “Come on. We’re at the library.”
Nothing Everett had just said was wrong. He may be a royal guardian, but he was also clearly astute at reading others. I felt like a jerk for blowing up at him. It wasn’t his fault that no one had updated me about Forrest. I figured that at the very least, he would seek me out on his own once everything was sorted. I was used to feeling unimportant, especially since entering this realm. This, though, cut me deeply, because despite my earlier concerns, I had held on to the hope that what Forrest and I had was strong enough to endure whatever came from him regaining his memories.
