Impossible to Love (Book 1 of The Starlite Heart)

The Confession

Sophie found it very strange to enter the castle through a window, though she agreed that it was better than the stairs. A starlite meeting room was not thought of when the castle was built. Sophie wished that some one had thought about it and that she had a proper door to enter instead of the window.

The only furniture in the room was a cupboard, a table and two chairs. The prince was standing on the other side of the table with his back to her. She again pondered on the peculiarity that unlike the empress, the prince never had any servants waiting on him.

"Your Highness," she said to aware him of her presence and saluted.

"So, Commander Antofurota," Neal turned; a smile played on his face. "You must not be at a loss in guessing why I called you here."

Sophie knew that it was about a promotion but she did not want to sound presumptuous.

"Please sit," he said when he got no answer from her.

He took his seat opposite to her and Sophie observed the customary tea-tray on the table.

"Everyone among the guardians knows that Colonel Hossier will be retiring in a few months' time. And you have been named by him as his successor."

Sophie's face lit up. "It would be an honour."

"Finally." He smashed his palm on the table. "Excuse me, but I have offered many others this job and have been refused repeatedly." Seeing that Sophie was not that happy about his confession, he said, "This calls for a celebration."

The prince got up and opened the cabinet behind him. He placed two glasses on the table and poured red wine in them.

"This shows how little I know about my guardians," he said toying with the glass in his hand.

Sophie looked at him. Something was wrong. But she couldn't pinpoint it. He looked the same, talked the same, smelled the same, but something about the prince was off.

"Duke, Qureshi, Poles and Roberts," he said, "I talked to four guys and they said no. The first person Hossier names are ready to take the job."

Sophie took a big sip from the glass. She was grossly uncomfortable for some reason. "Any more people to say no to the job couldn't have been left."

"I guess that's true." Sophie felt that the prince's mind was not in the conversation. His head was somewhere else. She wondered if there was another important matter bothering him.

The prince got up and started pacing the room. He kept tapping his right hand fingers on the back of his left hand.

"I've been thinking," he said. "Starlites and humans are not that different."

"I suppose we aren't." Her eyes narrowed at the sudden introduction of the subject. The prince seemed to want a starlite's advice or point of view. "I did dress up as an human and nobody was any wiser," she reminded him.

"Still we live in completely different worlds."

"It's the cultural gap." Sophie said in a matter-of-fact tone, "It all comes down to the three things." She raised three fingers. "We can fly." She closed one finger. "We have no problem breathing on high altitudes." Another finger closed. "And then there's love," she said closing her hand.

"Yes, love," Neal said breaking his pace. He turned to look at her. "This love thing is strange. It is just a feeling. Like every other emotion you feel- hate, envy, happiness."

"Yes, we do feel every emotion but love." Sophie agreed.

"This is strange," the prince said from behind her chair. "Why do starlites marry?"