Page 78 of Acedia

“Well, I’ve never tried one of those, so even better.”

I helped Iris get comfortable at the small dining table in her room before sliding the tray with the entire pizza on it in front of her. As much as I wanted to make Iris happy, I would not be putting the strange, floppy meat-free creation in my mouth.

She felt around for the edges, gingerly picking up a piece and lifting it to her mouth for a bite. It was probably a good thing she didn’t know how blatantly I stared at her—I couldn’t look away. Her bright, blunt teeth were so dainty and charming. And her face was so soft and expressive—sometimes in ways that I wasn’t entirely sure she was aware of.

If Iris didn’t like the pizza, I was fairly confident I would know instantly based on the look on her face.

She nibbled on it tentatively before relaxing and taking a bigger bite, giving me a smile that didn’t entirely convince me that she was enjoying it. “Thank you, Damen. It’s very good.”

“Are you absolutely sure? It doesn’t look good.”

Iris pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh. “It really is! The texture is a little different from what I had last time, but I’m guessing we don’t have all the same ingredients here. I do really like it—won’t you try some?”

“Absolutely not. I have a plate of roasted meat here—wouldn’t you prefer that?”

She shook her head, still hiding a smile. “No, thank you. I’m glad you’re eating too, though. Have you had a busy morning?”

“Pizza making was my whole morning,” I admitted, which didn’t sound very impressive on reflection, given how sad the creation on her plate looked. “Do you have plans for today? I was going to visit my brother Theon. You could come along, if you wanted to?”

Her scent sweetened into something so syrupy I felt like I could taste it. “You’d take me along to meet your brother?”

“Of course.”

“That means a lot to me, Damen. To just… not be hidden away. That means a lot, thank you.”

“Of course,” I replied slowly, a small glimmer of hope bubbling in my chest. Maybe Ophelia was right. Maybe there was a chance that Iris would be mine someday.

“While you were pizza making, Yara stopped by and asked if I could help in the nursery later since Alyndra had to visit home,” she said, looking faintly guilty about making plans.

“Good,” I said firmly. “I’m glad they’re seeing you as a reliable source of help, that’s amazing. My brother isn’t going anywhere—he barely leaves Lindow. You can accompany me another time if you want to.”

The tension in Iris’s shoulders eased immediately, a relaxed smile on her face. “I can’t wait.”

Chapter 23

“You must be Iris,” a cool, elegant voice said as I stood up from the ground, brushing off my trousers at the end of the day. “I’m Oleta. Jonan’s mother.”

Ah.

Hopefully, my face was being cooperative and not giving away my lack of enthusiasm at meeting the Shade I’d heard so much about.

That wasn’t kind of me.

Then again, based on what I’d heard of Oleta, she wasn’t particularly kind either.

“Jonan talks about you nonstop, you know,” she continued, not waiting for an answer. “He’s very enamored with you.”

“He’s a wonderful child.”

Oleta was quiet for a moment. “I suppose. He’s very chatty.”

She said this like she wasn’t wholly convinced it was a good thing.

“He’s very enthusiastic and always willing to try new things. He’s really enjoyed the knitting we’ve been doing—he even taught Orabelle how to do it.”

“I didn’t realize he’d spoken to her directly,” Oleta replied in hushed tones.

“Oh yes. Jonan was really the only child she interacted with while she was here.”

---