Queen of Rosewood Forest (On Hold)

Chapter 41

I didn't expect him to be here today given the note from his mother. I sit for a moment contemplating what I should do. I am in his house so it would be impolite to refuse to speak with him, but I have no idea what I would say. He may just want to apologize again, but I'm still not sure if I'm ready to accept it.

The maid seems to notice my uneasiness because she spoke up. "He's in the foyer when you make your decision." She exits the room leaving me with my thoughts.

"Why did I think this would be a good idea?" I whisper to myself as I walk down the hall towards the foyer. I hear the wind pounding the house outside which only worsens the uneasiness. "Seriously? What am I doing?" I say to myself before opening the door to the foyer.

Neven is sitting when I walk in but quickly stands when he notices me. His hair is pulled up into a messy ponytail and there are loose strands framing his face. He starts to walk towards me but stops. "Uh... My mom told me you were doing some research on the old monarchs."

"Yeah." This is more awkward than I could have imagined. My stomach is churning from so much anxiety running through me.

"I wanted to give you this." He pulls a small leather bound book from his inside jacket pocket as he slowly walks towards me. He is walking on eggshells and it throws me off for a second. His confidence was gone which made him seem like an entirely different person. "Don't tell anyone that you have it though." His voice is barely above a whisper and his eyes feel like they are piercing through me. I don't like it.

"Thank you," I'm barely able to choke out the words.

He backs up a bit before continuing. The added space helped ease some of my anxiety. "Eben and I were going to be checking on the development of the flower shop later this week if you want to come."

I had almost forgotten about the shop. I've become so used to living with Aaden that I haven't really thought about it. "Maybe." I don't want to be alone with Neven right now, but Eben will be there too. I'll see how I feel when the time comes around. "I'll have to think about it."

"Ok," he nodded, accepting the decision but a small part of me told me he was only accepting it for now. He would push for what he wanted if he felt like he needed to. "Well, if you decide to come I'll have Eben come pick you up, but no pressure." He smirks as if trying to be sweet yet he starts fidgeting with his hands. "It was good seeing you," he admits before leaving out the door opposite to the one I came in.

I stand there for a while trying to decipher what just happened. It's obvious that he's sorry but I'm not sure why I can't accept it yet. I want to, I really do, but I just can't. I look down at the book in my hand and notice a small, faint, almost invisible azalea embossed in the corner of the cover. This book came from the castle.

I rush to the study as inconspicuously as possible. Sitting down I stare at the book. While a huge part of me wants to open it to reveal all the knowledge inside, another part of me wonders why Neven has a secret book and why he says I can't tell anyone about it. Does that mean I can't tell Aaden, Alun, or Eben about it? I don't like that idea. Granted I haven't told them about my theory and this book might hold all the answers I need but I won't know unless I open it. Either way, opening it here might not be the best idea. So coming up with a compromise, I hide it in my bag and go back to reading the passages Mrs. Bohannon pointed out earlier. I'll read the book back in my bedroom and if it holds anything important, then I'll tell Aaden, as well as admit that Neven told me not to tell anyone. That way I won't be holding another secret from him and he will also know that Neven wanted me to have a secret just between the two of us. But if the book didn't have anything important then it wouldn't be a problem, but I will still tell him about Neven wanting me to keep a secret. Secrets just caused problems, both mentally and physically. I don't want any more flowers growing like crazy or my powers going so berserk that it makes me sick. I'm sure Neven has his reasons, but Aaden is his friend and deserves to know. For all I know he will understand why Neven said it, I won't know until I tell him.

"Hey, how's it going in here?"

I look up to see Aaden walking towards me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I smile softly, "I'm learning a lot but there is still more I haven't gotten to look at yet."

"How about a break?" he asks once he reaches me. "Don't want to get overwhelmed now. Let's go home and I'll ask about you coming back tomorrow, yeah?"

I softly smile in relief, "Sounds perfect."