Page 21 of Ties of Starlight

She’d immediately reached up and brushed her fingertips over the not-quite round and not-quite pointed tip of her ear as her cheeks flooded a violent red. He’d loved making her blush. He’d thought it had been of shock at his blatant compliment and open affection, but now he wasstarting to think every single one had been embarrassment and anger.

The next day, her hair was down, hiding her ears, and he never once saw her wind dark blue or purple ribbons into her hair again. He’d thought she was just being contrary to spite him and tease him back.

“You look beautiful.”

She’d rolled her eyes and resumed pushing the cart of books down the aisle. He stood in his starry, dark purple and perfectly tailored clothes, not even able to shine a candle to her. She adjusted one of the ladders in her plain uniform. Her white blouse was pulling up, no longer perfectly tucked into her skirt. The purple outer mantle that marked her position was for once belted at the waist. It split down the sides over her skirt. She usually wore it unbelted and loose, hiding her figure. It had accumulated some dust. Her hair was pulled into a bun that was falling apart from the wear of a long day. Her necklace, however, was always the shiniest and most expensive thing on her, glinting in the starlight.“Your Highness, don’t you have a ball to get back to? I know pestering me is your favorite pastime, but I’m sure your court is missing you.”

He'd been unable to explain. The words on his tongue stayed there, because she was right. His father would notice he was missing, so he could not stay and risk her paying the price.

He'd thought he'd been charming her, and she thought he had been belittling her.

And to think a whole nation was in his hands. Had there ever been more of a fool?

No.

The veil had been ripped from his eyes, right about the time he'd removed hers. Now he could see things clearly. He could see the mess he was in clearly.

He'd hoped—he wasn't so stupid as not to have expectedsomeupset on her end that she wasn't marrying a man she claimed to love. But he'd thought... he'd hoped… He'd hoped that whatever affection she had for Olaug because she'd been forced to be part of the Cometa Couple would fade when he married her. That she would be able to adjust and maybe even be pleased they could finally be together.

Idonea was tossing and turning almost as much as he was, but he could tell by her breathing she was asleep even if she wasn't getting much real rest. Of course she wasn't. The best day of her life had turned into a disaster, and his was the only face she could blame since the real cause had run off and abandoned her.

No. He was foolish to think his affection had ever been returned, and now... He could not dare let himself have any hope.

She'd made herself clear. And yet their circumstances were unchanged. They were the Cometa Couple. They would complete the chain of rituals, the Heava Dance, the Rescue, and the Constellation Pool and restore their people's magic to full strength and then find a way to move forward afterwards. He'd been mentally preparing himself for a loveless marriage held together only by duty.

He'd never pictured it would include the woman he loved. But this he could do. As far as she and anyone else would ever know, he stepped in because as king he could not afford for this to fail and their people to grow weaker.

This was a marriage of duty and nothing more.

Nyrunn managed to doze a little before the sun was rising and trickling in through the canvas. His back was aching from the cold ground, but he didn't really move, just watched Idonea's movements pick up in her sleep.

Repulsed? He'd always thought her more stunning thanany elf maiden he'd ever laid eyes on. Her inky, pure black hair was breathtaking even as it was haphazard and tangled from being left loose all night.

Everything in his life was always so manicured. Everywhere he looked was extravagance. He was the heir, the only heir. Everyone around him never let him forget it. His father especially. Nyrunn could not even have a hair out of place. Not a single stitch out of place. Everything always had to be perfect.

Idonea had always been a breath of fresh air. An escape.

Although her current expression wasn’t one he was fond of as her face screwed up, and then she jolted forward. She lunged upward, scrambling until she was sinking her hands in the sheets, twisting around, and one hand reaching up and clutching at her chest and her neck as she gasped frantically for air.

He was up on his feet in an instant, rushing to her side. “Idonea—breathe, you're alright. You're safe. Everything is alright.”

He knelt by the bed as she looked around, the glassy haze in her eyes fading even as she was still heaving trying to catch her breath. She quickly buried her face in her hand, the other still clutching her chest, fingers skimming over the necklace.

She muttered, “It's not.”

“It was just a nightmare—”

She lifted her head and fixed her teary, red eyes on him. “No. It really isn't. This is real.”

Oh.

And right after he'd resolved not to think of this as any more than a marriage of duty for this exact reason. She was unknowingly going to decimate him every day for the rest of their lives.

He pushed himself to his feet, rolling his stiff shouldersand pretending like it wasn't cutting him in two to watch her dry her own tears and hide her heartbreak and devastation behind her own mask.

He didn’t need to be able to sense the emotions she’d walled off to be able to see that.

“I'll just... I'll go make sure we're ready to leave soon so you can get dressed,” Nyrunn murmured and headed for the tent exit, not caring about his own rumpled appearance.

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