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He remained silent, and I just sat there, watching the fish swim by.
“I don’t care,” I told him truthfully. “But don’t humiliate me in public. If I’m to be your equal, then treat me like one.”
This was a test. His reaction would reveal a lot about him. Would he keep his promises or play another game?
He looked at me then, really looked at me. And for the first time, I saw something other than amusement in his eyes. I saw respect. “There’s nothing between us. There hasn’t been for a long time.”
“Of course, Prince Maedras.”
If he wanted to lie, he could. I didn’t care either way. I was content with my life and didn’t need him or any other man in it. But he would respect me, or he would find himself with a Great Dragon as his wife, instead of the innocent princess he desired.
He stared at me for a moment longer. “You don’t understand. It’s not that simple.”
He sounded sincere, but I didn’t trust him.
“Then explain it to me.” I challenged him.
“When I was younger, I thought I loved her. She was gentle, and she made me laugh. I thought she was the one for me, but duty came first. She doesn’t fit into my world.”
Duty?
“So you just abandoned her?” I asked, feeling anger flare within me, but my voice remained steady. “You just left her without even a backward glance? Don’t your poets claim that though love may not be worth its weight in gold, it is more precious than any treasure?”
“For it can never be bought or sold. And its worth is beyond measure,” he quoted before he smiled at me. “You know your poets well.”
“Not as well as you.” I snapped. “But tell me, why are you not a hypocrite? If you truly believed those words, then you wouldn’t have left her.”
I thought he wouldn’t answer me. But then he spoke, his voice low and full of pain. “Love is blind, but duty is clear-sighted.”
A Midarian saying. Was he using my people’s words against me?
“I see,” I said, my voice cold. “And which do you think is more important? Love or duty?”
He didn’t answer, and I laughed, a harsh sound that held no humor. “I thought so. Duty.”
Duty was important, but so was honesty. And he had been nothing but dishonest with me from the beginning. Honesty wasn’t just not lying. It was honoring your commitments and not breaking your promises.
“I didn’t say that,” he said. “Love is like a flower. It needs to be nurtured and cared for so it can bloom. But sometimes people confuse attachment for love, and that is when love withers and dies.”
I took a deep breath. “And you think that’s what happened between the two of you?” I asked carefully.
He nodded. “I was too busy with my duties to pay attention to her. And then one day, I looked at her and realized that I didn’t love her anymore. That I hadn’t for a long time.”
A fickle man was the last thing I needed. Fickleness was dangerous. A fickle crown prince even more. “But you still honor your duty to her?” I asked, trying to understand.
“Yes,” he replied. “It’s not just about honor. It’s about responsibility. I think we were more attached to the idea of us than we were to each other.”
My anger faded as I realized he was being truthful with me. And that made me feel sad. Elves didn’t lie about love. Love was too important to them.
“Does lady Kanna know?”
Because to me, it seemed like if she did, then surely she wouldn’t have tried to change his mind. The way she touched him, the way she looked at him. She was in love with him.
“Yes,” he said. “When you are young, you think you know everything about love. But you grow older and you realize that there is so much more to learn. There are different types of love, and each one is special in its own way.”
Was that what she told him or what she truly believed?
I pushed my hair back, and his eyes lingered on my ears. “And have you learned all there is to know about love?”
