The Kingdom of Belmar

Chapter 8

I pull back a bit, fixing the gold on my own. "So we both have things we'd like to keep secret."

"It appears so." He shoves his hands into his pockets, taking cautious steps towards me. "For now, my fair lady, I'm sure we'd both prefer if we simply remained Ace and Amy."

His eyes meet my own, and I make possibly the horrible decision to trust him and his intentions. Suspicious behavior aside, he hasn't given me any reason to believe he'd try to harm me, and it's clear he's had plenty of opportunities. I think about Lucinda and how I'll have to spend all night apologizing to her for running off with a stranger instead of trying to regroup with her. As long as I don't forget to buy Charlotte's pearls, maybe she'll help me fend off Lucinda's flames. "Perhaps. Well then Ace, what happens next?" Our conversation has drawn out long enough that the setting sun rests just below the horizon, the pink in the sky mixing with deeper strides of navy.

He starts to walk towards the water, sitting on the edge of the bank where the cool waves just barely missed his feet. "The opening night of the Sonna Festival is known as the 'Night of Lights'. With the setting sun, the capital displays a fantastical light show across the sea meant to entice even the blind. After the performance, the night market opens where all the hidden gems and treats of Belmar are sold. Everyone always boasts about how spectacular the closing ball is, but I never cared for parties. I preferred to look out at the lights. Released from my cage and in the quiet of this harbor."

"You come here every year then, I presume." I take a seat next to him. Not so close that I wouldn't be able to react if he moved, but close enough to feel his warmth contrasting the sea breeze. "You escape just to watch the lights in seclusion?"

He shoots me a sideways glance that I pretend not to notice, but I can sense the sadness and desperation in his words. "I do," he replies. "I live a life where my every action is monitored, like I'm living in a cage. Not so different from the one you're hiding I suppose. This calm tranquility, this beautiful scene, are you telling me you don't find it as appealing as I do?"

My mind plays the last month of my life, living in the Duke's castle smothered in affection. Everything I could ever want was at my beck and call, but the maids never left me alone and my days were spent confiding in myself about practice and practice. If this noble lived his entire life as I had in this last month, I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to escape once a year. "It's beautiful," I tell him, looking at the sea. His gaze follows mine as we watch the last few streaks of light fade behind the horizon. "Do you often bring fair maidens you rescue along with you on these excursions?"

He lets out a chuckle, "Not at all Miss Amy. This happens to be a happy turn of events with a beauty I for some reason never knew existed. I don't reveal my secrets to just anyone." And yet you keep so many from me.

I want to question him further, press about who he is and who his family is. I want to know why he wasn't in the novel even though he looks and acts like the perfect character. I want to know if he really is just some foreign noble, or if I'm in company of a dangerous criminal, but I can't ask any of that. From across the sea, a blossoming explosion of light erupts, followed by the sound of a loud bang that catches our attention.

The display begins with a flash of golden fireworks, speckled with hints of red as the flames flicker away, reminiscent of the setting sun over the water. I watch on in awe, surprised the author decided to begin the main story on the third day of the ceremony instead of describing this beautiful scene. It seemed like such a waste to exclude this.

From the corner of my eye, I notice Ace sneak a glance at me, making sure that I approved of the "best lights the capital has to offer", and I'm sure the dazed look on my face does not disappoint. "Is this the first time you've seen fireworks?" he asks me, still staring across the water.