“I wish Ella had never worked here.”
Regret flickered over Mrs. Calloway’s face. “Me too.” She gave Drea a pat before moving on.
I shoved the rest of the toast in my mouth and stood so abruptly that the bench screeched across the floor. The weight of the entire dining area’s stares fell on me. I pushed my way out of the room as anger burned within my ribs.
The door slammed behind me.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Humidity lingered despite the cool midnight chill, remnants of the midsummer heat sending a bead of sweat down my neck. I breathed in the thick, heavy air as I made my way to the pond, weaving through a few tall hedges that hid us from the windows on the palace’s backside. Our little spot’s seclusion had always drawn me to it; perhaps that’s what had drawn Prince Thomas to it, too.
And although his presence turned the peacefulness of the pond into a place of frustration, I couldn’t deny the strange desire within me to return again and again, to listen to his condescending lectures, to try my hardest for his approval.
He was my last chance of freedom from my mundane life, from the shackles of my class, even if I disliked him.
At least Caleb was tolerable.
I nodded to Caleb as I passed him.
“Good luck tonight,” he whispered, and I smiled in return.
Maybe Caleb was more than tolerable. Come to think of it, he wouldn’t make a bad friend.
Prince Thomas, on the other hand, stood in front of the pond. My steps slowed as I realized the water was churning as if aninvisible hand stirred it, the waters swirling like a whirlpool.
“I hope you haven’t killed all the fish.”
“There haven’t been fish in here for years,” he said, then paused at the sight of my face. “You were joking.”
I covered a laugh with my hand. “Yes, Your Highness.”
“Enough with the honorifics. I’ll be Master Thom to you.”
At that, I broke into a full laugh. “Yes, how casual.”
He blinked. “You are my pupil.”
I schooled my features and nodded, then dipped my head in a dramatic curtsey. “Yes, your most fastidious, glorious Grand Mage, you.”
He rolled his eyes, but a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “I’m not Grand Mage yet. Please don’t say that publicly.”
“My Papa would roll over in his grave to see me talking to a royal like this.”
“I’m sorry to hear he has passed. I’m also sorry to hear he hated us.”
“He didn’t hate your family.” I paused. “He really didn’t. But he hated the walls around your world, your castle perched on the hill, overlooking the rest of us. No commoner could ever reach the other side. It’s impenetrable. The distance is too wide.”
“Well, you made it through,” Thom said.
I narrowed my eyes. “I…” I lived in the castle, but as a servant. A huge difference between him and me. “Is that what you would say to another chambermaid who crossed the line between us?”
He stilled, and for a beat, only cicada chirps resounded. The ghost of Ella’s presence stretched between us, sending a shiver through me.
“I’m sorry about your friend,” he said. “I know Teddy’s looking for her.”
I crossed my arms, unwilling to give him a response. Unwilling to admit I had eavesdropped, that I knew he wasn’t truly sorry about Ella’s heartbreak.
“We are all born into responsibilities we do not choose.” His voice was rote. “It is not our job to challenge them-”
