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CHAPTER 6
“So, did you win?” Miles asked, stuffing a roast beef sandwich into his mouth, gravy dripping over his chin.
“Ew.” I grimaced, throwing a napkin at his face. “And I guess I won.”
The great hall was busy with court members, guards, and servants bustling around the dining tables to discuss battle plans, the upcoming annual masquerade ball, and, of course, the latest court gossip. Miles and I sat at our usual table by the dais. Amica was already back in her room “mentally preparing herself” for her session with Bennett tonight.
“You guess? What does that mean?”
I looked down at my food. A turkey sandwich and raw carrots filled my plate. I always requested them uncooked. Cooked carrots tasted slimy and gross.
“Well, Bennett said I cheated.”
“And why would he think that?” Miles asked, taking another big bite out of his sandwich.
“Because I kneed him in the groin.”
Milles spat and began choking on his food. He was coughing, and tears started to well in his eyes as he began laughing uncontrollably. I couldn’t help it; it was too contagious not to laugh along with him. I laughed until my stomach hurt, and I was wiping my own tears from my eyes.
“Now I’m really disappointed I wasn’t asked to be a mediator. I would have paid any amount of gold to see that.” He chuckled again and took a swig of water to calm his choking. “But seriously, every guard knows and is trained to watch and protect every part of their body. It isn’t your fault he was stupid enough to leave himself unguarded like that. You used that to your advantage as one should, and you won. Fair and square.” Miles pulled me to him on the bench, hugging me tightly. “Hey, I’m proud of you.” I hugged him back, breathing in the scent of lavender and pine which had been a comfort for me since I was a child.
I pulled out of his embrace and then scarfed down the rest of my food. The two of us continued to talk about useless information, such as if we would prefer to die by fire or by being drowned, and if we could only survive off of one food for the rest of our lives what it would be. I said ice cream and Miles blatantly answered with, “Meat.” My abs rarely got a break from the steady stream of laughter.
“I have a meeting with my father in a little bit, so I need to head out,” Miles said, scooting his chair back from the table. “I’ll stop by later to let you and Amica know why he wanted to meet privately with me.”
I waved him farewell as he set off across the grand-ballroom-turned-dining-hall and through the giant double doors. I thanked the servants for the food before I decided to leave as well, heading back to my room to try and squeeze in a nap in preparation for the long night ahead of me with Miles and Amica. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get away with going to bed early tonight since, as Amica like to put it, “It’s the weekend, we’re supposed to stay up late.” I never understood Amica’s logic, but I never argued against it, either.
???
I felt like my nap was only five seconds long before my door burst open and Amica was plopping onto my bed beside me.
She threw her head into a pillow and let out a muffled scream. “Why is it so awkward?!”
I chuckled. “C’mon, it can’t be that bad.”
She turned onto her back. “Rhia, the silence in that room is deafening. Bennett didn’t even bother responding to my greeting. He just flat-out ignored me.” She sighed and then perked up suddenly. “I have a great idea!”
“No,” I responded, already knowing what she was going to say.
Completely disregarding my response, she smiled, and her eyes widened. “What if you and I switch?”
“Absolutely not.”
Amica threw her hands up in exasperation. “It would be a win-win!”
“What would I possibly get out of this exchange?”
“You could get the opportunity to knee Bennett in the balls again!”
I never understood how things spread so quickly in this castle. How on earth did she know about that? I only told one person, and that was just over an hour ago.
I brought the sheets over my head to hide the red that was bound to show in my cheeks.
“I’m not switching, Amica.”
“Fine.” Amica sighed dramatically. “Since I am only the best friend ever, I guess I will carry your burden.”
I brought the sheet back down, giving her a confused look. “My burden?”
