“Now that… that was magic,” he said.
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help the smile that crossed my face. “Your humor needs work.”
He planted another kiss on my cheek, long and slightly damp, and I shrieked, pushing against him. He let out a mischievous chuckle. I darted back into the main road, away from his overenthusiastic affection.
He followed, taking my hand once more. We let them swing between us as we made our way back to the palace, back to our shifts and the life expected of people like us.
“You know, we’ve been together two years already.” His gaze darted to mine before returning to the road ahead.
“Indeed.”
“It’s been a while. We might consider…” his sentence trailed off, his voice faltering.
I closed my eyes, breathing deeply. All I could think about was Prince Thomas performing feats I’d never believed possible. Feats forever out of my reach.
“Perhaps,” I said, my eyes fluttering back open, taking in the dry, dusty air and the din of commoners surrounding us. They bought their bread, haggled, married, had babies, and died—again and again in a never-ending cycle I’d be expected to take part in.
David’s fingers tightened around mine as he pulled me on, into the throng of passersby, and back to a life of servitude.
CHAPTER FIVE
I was glad to see Ella when I awoke the next morning. Her few days visiting home always made the palace feel emptier.
She gave me a teasing but wary look as she folded her ratty blanket. I ignored it, my gaze catching on fresh, red scratches that ran down the length of her forearm. She saw me looking and tugged her sleeve down.
“How’s David?” she asked.
“Fine,” I said. “How was home?”
“Fine.” Her voice was just as hollow. “I should get to work.”
We shared strained smiles and she ducked out of the room. Guilt twisted in my stomach—I should have pushed her to stop hiding what we both already knew.
What I still didn’t want to believe.
I shoved the feeling down. I disliked when she badgered me, and didn’t want to do the same to her. Yet this felt different. It was hard to ignore the signs surrounding her home life, harder still not to fear their meaning.
I turned to pack my bags, lips pressed thin. My heart ached for a friend who didn’t want my help, though she seemed to desperatelyneed it.
Shadowed crowds framed the dawn sky’s colorful dance as I trudged down the dusty lanes home.
My calves and back ached from an intense day of cleaning, leaving me with a slight limp I hoped a weekend at home would ease.
The door creaked as I entered. My niece, Asha, launched herself into my arms.
“Lyranore!”
I laughed, lifting her up and burying my face in her tight curls. I planted a kiss on her cheek before setting her down. Kelara gave me a small wave. She sat on a bench folding Asha’s clothes.
Mama poked her head into the sitting room, her face flushed from the woodstove’s heat. “Welcome home, sweetie. Breakfast’s in the kitchen.”
A grin lit my face. “Thanks, Mama.”
I dropped my bindle by the door and went to sit beside Kelara.
Asha ran over and grabbed my hand, her eyes crinkled in excitement. “Can I come to the castle with you?”
“You’ll have to ask your mother,” I said.
