Page 97 of Royally Drawn

“Never marry a military man.”

“Why’s that?” I asked.

“Because they will break your heart. He’ll sleep with someone else while he’s over there. The first rule of keeping yourself safe is to make it impossible to be overrun. There are too many other options outside the palace walls. It will never work for you.”

“I trust him,” I said. “We’ve discussed it.”

“And you have a concrete plan for when he gets back?”

“We’ve talked about it.” I was angered.

“That’s as good as saying he has other plans. You’re just in denial. That’s a military man for you.”

She held out a glass.

“Get me more wine. I’m parched.”

“Sorry, I cannot help you,” I said.

“You are cruel.”

“It takes one to know one,” I said in wilful English.

I turned her down in response as she did every time we asked for something reasonable, and she denied the request. It was for every time I was starving and hid a jar of peanut butter in a dresser, only for her spies to find it and for me to be read the riot act for eating food she didn’t think my growing body needed. I was upset by her need to sew discord and demand something. The old bat could rely on one of her old henchmen to get her a drink. She may have once owned me and all I knew, but she didn’t have a claim to me now.

I ordered a gin and tonic at the bar—the drink I’d come to love over the summer—and felt so grown. Looking out, I watched Astrid and Parker dance. They stared at one another like silly, happy people. Parker never struck me as much of a dancer, but for Astrid, he would get lively on his feet. He’d do everything for her. Alexandra and Rick sat in the corner chatting with Rick’s parents. Karolina, his mother, loved us as her own. Odette and her date danced together, too. All of us grew so much from the time Celeste locked us up and controlled every aspect of our lives.

I knew we’d made progress, but I couldn’t shake what remained unclear. Seeds of doubt grew into a forest of trees as I thought about her words. Astrid and Parker would return to Parker’s massive London home. Alexandra and Rick would continue raising their childrenpeacefully here in Neandia. Even Odette had a boyfriend here in Neandia. But what of me?

Arms soon wrapped around me. Keir returned. He kissed my cheek and then took a pull from my drink.

I turned to look at him. “You cannot just steal my drink.”

“And yet I did. What will you do about it?”

“Lay into you later,” I giggled.

“I need to sit down,” Keir said. “Betty will kill me.”

He sat at a chair nearby.

I fell into his lap.

“Oof,” Keir laughed. “Go easy on me.”

I kissed him slowly, not caring who was watching. I only had two more days with this man before he left me for months. All I could do was soak him up—the feeling of his hands on my hips, the way his tongue parted my lips, and the smell of his aftershave. I wanted to linger.

“I love you,” I said.

“I love you, too. I didn’t go off forever. And you don’t need to fight Betty. She must give way if you want to dance.”

“No, it’s not that.”

“I’m coming home, Ingrid.”

“I know. But… I feel like we don’t have plans. You told me you’d see about it when you returned, but… Keir, I need more than that.”

“I promised you that when you were ready for the next steps?—”

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