"Aren't you excited?"
Faye combed the same section of my hair for the third time before finally assembling it into a braided crown on top of my head.
I sighed and leaned back into the chair. "Super excited," I muttered.
No. I was utterly terrified.
I hadn't been sleeping at all last night, kept awake by countless scenarios unraveled by my vivid mind. I didn't know what would happen if—or rather when—the king found out about this.
Would I be doomed to spend the rest of my miserable life in the dungeons? The king was an all-powerful man. He could make that happen. And what about my family? What would happen to them?
Faye chuckled. "That's just the nerves talking," she said as if she had any idea about what was really going on behind the scenes. "You'll be fine. I know it. What do you suppose he has in store for you?"
I glanced at the clover-shaded cloak hanging by the door as Faye tightened the wool dress around my waist.
"The outdoors, I guess," I said and shrugged. "The clothes definitely give that little detail away, but if he takes me fish—"
Air was squeezed from my lungs as Faye tightened the lace a smidge too much.
"Faye," I gasped, fighting to keep the air still left in my lungs in place. "I know I'm not as excited about this date as you need me to be, but I would still like to live past it."
"Uh, sorry!" she said, loosening the back again until I could breathe. "I guess I'm a little nervous on your behalf. Many eligible girls our age would probably kill to get the opportunity to go on a date with Heliac's golden crown prince."
Her cheeks turned bright red when she noticed me staring at her with a faint smile painted on my face. "N-not me, though!" she quickly added, hiding her blushing cheeks in her sleeve. "The trials and the academies terrify me. I couldn't do it even if I were Iridis."
"That's not true, Faye," I said as she tied the final knot to keep my bodice in place. "You'd have been an amazing Iridis. I bet you would've won the entire thing in a couple of weeks."
Another pink tinge crept over her freckled cheeks before she turned around to retrieve two pairs of different-colored leather gloves. "Black or brown?" she asked, as if I had any idea which would be the better option.
I stared at them, grimacing. The color was the only difference between them.
Faye chuckled and tossed the black pair back in the pile. "I would suggest the brown gloves. They pair well with the green cloak and match the shade of your hair."
I sighed, relieved. "Alright. I choose the brown ones."
The smile of pride on Faye's face made my chest fill with a calm flush of warmth. She was good at this. She should be pursuing a career in fashion instead of slaving away as a maid for me.
"It's almost noon!" Faye squealed, rushing over to retrieve the leather boots that matched the gloves on my table. "I bet he'll be here soon. I can't believe you're going on an actual date with the crown prince!"
I groaned and wrinkled the bridge of my nose. I really didn't want to go after what happened yesterday.
That overwhelming surge of joy and adrenaline... The magic that arose when our powers clashed... It terrified me.
I had repeated the Dance of a Warrior after Caiden had left me. I'd done everything right—flexing, breathing, stretching... But something had felt off.
The perfect hurricanes I'd summoned during our duet had turned into unreliable storms in my solo, and I'd almost lost my balance several times.
It really terrified me.
The king had asked me to stay away from his son so that I wouldn't distract him from his duties. The only problem was... I really didn't want to.
Caiden had this keen ability to make me feel invincible. I seemed to trust my powers more when he guided me. It was addictive.
I couldn't afford to succumb to that allure. It wasn't my destiny.
"What is up with you?" Faye chided. I flinched as she poked my ribs. "You look like this date is the end of all civilization. Spirits, Will. It's the prince."
"Then you go if you're so keen to spend time with him," I grumbled, brushing her hands off me. "That way, I don't have to deal with Alia's whining during evening tea."
My head hurt. I was tired, and I really didn't want to have this conversation.
Faye wouldn't understand, regardless, because I couldn't tell her anything—cursed contract.
"Are you and Miss Harrington not getting along?" Faye asked as she reached for the cloak.
I snorted. "Not even close. She seemed to have a... preconceived opinion of me from the moment she first saw me." I bent down so Faye could wrap the cloak around my shoulders. "I mean, she has made zero attempts to get to know me. Still, she insists on making every single moment around her a trial. She always looks at me as if she's devising some evil plan to get rid of me. What Caiden sees in her is so far beyond me I can't even see it in the distance."
A faint wrinkle seemed to settle across Faye's nose.
"What?" I snapped, maybe a little harder than intended.
Faye stepped back to get my gloves. "Have you—" She paused as if unsure. "Have you perhaps made an attempt to get to know... her?"
I blinked, still unable to comprehend what she had just asked me. "And how would you propose I did that when she's either too busy beating me during our sparring sessions or cursing me in every other instance?"
"I understand that," Faye said, clenching my gloves. "I'm just having a hard time imagining Miss Harrington being so cruel. North is always bragging about her kind deeds, and—"
I cracked a loud, ridiculing laugh. "North?" I laughed. "Her chambermaid? Alia probably threatened her into telling those blatant lies!"
Faye stepped back a bit, her brow wrinkled. "That's not true, Will. Besides, I don't believe Prince Atlas could—"
"Spirits, Faye!" I shouted as the repeatedly suppressed sense of fury ascended beyond that crumbling barrier to bristle right underneath my skin. I felt my powers rise, but I was too far gone to mind it.
Alia had already wrapped Caiden around her pinky finger; I would not let her deceive my friend, too.
"You have no idea what is actually going on out there!" I shouted. "Whatever North has been telling you is a lie! Alia is the reincarnation of a damned soul, and she is skilled in the art of manipulation. She takes great care with her disguise, allowing only rare moments—when no one of importance could possibly catch her—to reveal who she really is. She is picking us from the herd one at a time, and no one—"
Faye raised her trembling hands, squeezing her eyes shut as if terrified of me.
I stopped, suddenly realizing what I was doing. The sound of objects crashing against the floor made me wince.
I glanced over my shoulder to glimpse the mess I'd made behind me. Broken vases and torn paintings littered the floor, and among them was... Pangea's mirror. My heart sank when I noticed the cracks in the reflective surface.
What had I done?
"Faye," I whispered. I reached out for her, but she flinched even before I'd touched her. I stopped.
She was... She feared me.
"I'm so sorry, Faye." The look of her glazed eyes made my chest tighten. "I didn't mean to—"
A knock from the other side of the door interrupted me. Caiden.
Faye wiped her teary eyes in her sleeve and pushed past me.
"Faye, wait. I—"
She ignored me and opened the door. "Prince Atlas," she said and curtsied.
"Good afternoon, Faye. Is Miss Aldwyn still around, or has she managed to flee again?"
Not funny, Caiden...
"One moment, Your Highness. She has awaited your arrival."
I didn't speak as Faye stepped toward me, her eyes glued to the floor. "Don't forget your gloves, Miss Aldwyn," she said, pressing the softened leather into my hand. "The room will be clean when you return."
Her voice was so monotone as she pushed me toward the door. "Faye," I said, wanting to apologize again, but she interrupted me.
"Enjoy your date."
She pushed me out and shut the door before I could turn to step inside again.
I sighed, defeated.
Caiden cleared his throat beside me. "Did I... Did I interrupt something?" he asked, completely oblivious to the mayhem that had just transpired.
I peered at him but quickly evaded his puzzled eyes again. "Yes... No..." I sighed. "I don't know." I rubbed my face. "I think I messed up, Caiden," I whispered, tears pricking my eyes.
"Messed up how?" he asked quietly.
"I said some things I shouldn't have." I sobbed, my words choking a bit. "I lost control. I couldn't—"
"Hey," Caiden said, pulling me in for a hug as the first tear rolled down my cheek.
Another tear fell, followed by another. "I hurt her, Caiden. Maybe not physically, but I hurt her. I think she's afraid of me now."
Caiden hugged me tighter, almost choking the life out of me. "I am sure whatever happened in there was not as bad as you may think," he said. "She probably just needs some time alone."
I wasn't so sure.
***
"Caiden," I said after a long while of silence between the two of us.
We had been wandering the halls for ten minutes, and I no longer had any idea where we were.
Caiden looked at me but said nothing, waiting for me to continue. "I need to tell you something," I said, fiddling with the texture of the gloves.
We stopped, but I didn't look at him. I was too embarrassed. I'd promised him to take good care of that mirror. "I—" I bit my lip. "I accidentally knocked down your mother's mirror, and it cracked—just the glass. The frame is still intact... I think. I can fix it or pay you back whatever that mirror was worth."
"Will," Caiden muttered.
I didn't listen. "Well... Maybe I won't be able to pay it back immediately, but eventually. I will work hard and—"
"Will," Caiden said louder as he grabbed my fiddling hands. "It is just a mirror."
I finally raised my head to look at him, but there was no sign of resentment or aggravation. There was only a smile and his kind eyes. "But it was your mother's."
Caiden chuckled. "One among many," he said, squeezing my hands. "She cherished it, yes, but I doubt she would have summoned hurricanes because of a small crack. You should not trouble your mind with such trivial concerns."
"But—"
"I am serious, Will," he said and started to walk again, his grasp still tight around my hand. "This is a date. I intend for you to enjoy it instead of dwelling on those many worries you seem to carry around in that overwhelmed head of yours. Okay?"
I knitted my brows and stared at him. His smile was relentless, and I sighed, admitting defeat. The past was set. No one could go back in time to prevent it.
"Fine. Where are we anyway?" I asked, finally daring to take a proper look around.
The walls looked old—large gray bricks and windowless arches, the vast majority covered by red drapes. There were no paintings or statues, and we seemed to have descended an endless number of stairs to get here.
The smile Caiden sent me made my stomach clench. I didn't like it.
"A place with no cameras to bother us—just how you like it."
I snorted, followed by a despondent laugh. "That's a vague answer, Caiden," I said, my breath slightly strained from keeping up with his enormous steps.
"Patience, Miss Aldwyn," he said, looking back at me with an unnerving glint in his eyes. "I know it has not yet proven to be your strongest suit, but I promise the wait will be worth it."
I rolled my eyes but refrained from shooting a playful comment back at him.
He dragged me down endless halls dimly lit by flickering ceiling lights. Five minutes later, he stopped before a door made by the most eligible craftsmen Heliac must've ever seen.
Vines and leaves shrouded by gentle flames had been carved into the dark, redwood façade. They twisted and spiraled around runes from the ancient language, their arms long sprouting from the golden symbol of the Fire Iridis in the center.
"I must confess that I have not exactly been granted permission to bring a suitor here, but I simply could not resist after what you said during the interview," Caiden said and let go of my hand.
"Caiden," I whispered, unable to free my gaze from the mesmerizing artwork. "Is this—"
Caiden placed his palm against the fire symbol, and the carving started to glow. The vines retracted toward the symbol, revealing the outline of the door and a golden handle with a swirling A carved into the metal.
"I seem to remember you speaking highly about the replica of Adeena's Garden the first time you walked in on me in the wrong dressing room."
Heat shot through my body. "That's not— Wait... Did you say replica?"
Caiden nodded, and the door clicked open as he removed his hand. "I present to you the original garden that Adeena built and nurtured for her family to enjoy. And now, you."
He pushed the door open, and a bright, white light poured inside the dark hall.
I squinted my eyes, compelling them to remain open as an entirely new world unfolded before me.