AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Rejection was the worst thing that could happen, and rejection was nothing compared to the misery I had already survived.
My fist rapped on the wood of the door again. This time, the tree’s inhabitants opened it faster, and both of them looked slightly more put-together than the last time. The woman still wasn’t wearing clothes, but I was used to seeing fae women in their scanties, so I really didn’t care.
“Hi again,” I said, giving them the biggest smile I could muster. “My bonded esu told me that you don’t love working the fields, so I was wondering, would you be interested in handing the job over to me?”
They blinked at me.
“I’m sure you have a system, but I can learn it,” I said quickly. “I’d—”
“It’s all yours,” the woman said, grinning broadly as she stepped back and gestured for me to come inside. “The fields, the house… veil, anything you want. Take it,please.”
It was my turn to blink at her. “Just like that?”
She laughed.
The man grinned.
“The rest of the kingdom forced us down here because we refused to follow their laws against having sex during wartimes,” she explained. “We’re not mated, but we would be if we could do it without getting killed.”
The look she gave my glowing handprint was a lingering one, and it made my heart ache a little for her.
“So this was apunishmentfor you?” I asked, a bit incredulous as I looked around the house. It was small but spacious, and looked cozy and comfortable.
There were two long windows built into the front walls and partially covered by thick, white curtains. The bed off to the side of the room was nearly as big as Kierden’s. The kitchen was large and nice, the floors and walls were polished wood of course, and frames holding beautiful, dried flowers were displayed throughout the space.
“Yup.” The man pointed to the kitchen, and I noticed one of the walls looked like it was covered in writing, like the one in Reo’s dress shop. “There’s the schedule for when people come to pick their produce. You don’t have to harvest anything you don’t want to eat yourself; your job is just to grow the plants. It used to be a lot more difficult than it is right now.”
The woman winked at me.
My lips stretched widely. “I think I can manage that.”
She laughed, crossed the room, and then pulled me in for a fierce hug. “Thank you so much. We’ll just grab our things and get out of your hair.”
The next few minutes were a whirlwind. They packed up much faster than I expected—even taking the sheets and blankets off the bed—and then left me alone.
Alone with the plants, the trees, and the esu who had become my most trusted friend.
“Well, that was easier than I expected,”I mused to Bright.
She chuffed.“I told you no one wanted the job.”
“I’m really glad you’re right.”
I opened the curtains and windows to air out the smells of strangers, and then went outside and picked a few of my flowers. They’d probably grow inside the house if I left them there, and I liked the idea of that.
I set them around the room, hoping they’d help freshen up the scent while I headed up to the castle to grab some bedding and my clothes.
There were a lot of fae moving around throughout the castle when Bright carried me inside again. A few of them waved at me, and though I waved back, none of them stopped me to talk.
I sat down and ate a meal in the dining room, surrounded by strangers, all of whom had a bonded esu with them. I took that to mean they were all from Kierden’s kingdom.
A bunch of them were in the middle of a discussion, and I listened in long enough to learn that the king had been right. A few elves had agreed to go to each of the kingdoms to defend the land from the assassins, and so the fae from those kingdoms had all filed out with their kings, Laeli, and Kaelle.
The subject changed to the murders, and everyone’s voices grew hopeful as they talked about Kierden agreeing to mate with someone after my bond with him broke. They all seemed certain that he would be able to end the murderer when that person came for him, easily.
I wasn’t sure it would be that simple, but I tried not to let their emotions sway my own too much. It was a little difficult to hear them talk about Kierden mating with someone other than me, but I’d be fine.
I had to believe that.
