Page 87 of Façade

For a long moment he remained still as if he had no intention of obeying, despite his departure initially being his idea. But eventually he sighed and, with a last lingering look at me, he departed, leaving the small room feeling far too large and empty without him.

Guard Silas gave me a moment to compose myself before stepping uncertainly forward. “Are you well, Your Highness?”

I managed a nod; whether he was asking after my well-being or after the hurt from Ryland’s sudden departure, the response was a lie.

“You didn’t tell him, did you?”

Even without clarification he knew what I was truly asking. He shook his head. “I have not spoken a word about you being the true Estorian princess.”

Part of me yearned for answers, even as my heart was afraid to know. “And do you know what happened to me?”

He hesitated. “I do.” I opened my mouth to ask for further details, but he talked over me. “I will inform you in due time, but you’re clearly not up for the serious nature of what I wish to discuss with you.”

I ached to argue, but my will to fight seemed to have been exhausted along with my energy. “Will you allow Ryland to visit should he come back?” Not that I expected him to, but I couldn’t deny Ihopedhe would.

Silas was silent an unbearable moment. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Princess.”

Deep down I knew he was right, yet that didn’t keep me from staring after where Ryland had departed long after he’d left. I felt his absence acutely and kept hoping that the door would eventually open to reveal him…but no matter how long I waited, he never came.

* * *

Restlessness expandedthe dull hours of the endless day, made more unbearable by my being forced to sit trapped in bed without anything to do, considering without my husband’s presence there was little to occupy my time. I finally received some reprieve from the tedium when Healer Jade came to check on me. I’d been anxious for her visit, not only for her company but so I could ask her my myriad of questions about my faltering powers.

All words fled at the sight of the bouquet of flowers, book, and skein of yarn she brought. “What’s that?”

“Gifts from your husband. He was concerned you’d grow too restless.”

It appeared he hadn’t entirely forgotten about me. I was both touched by his consideration and sad he hadn’t brought them himself, which only confirmed my fear that he was likely avoiding me.

A flare of rebellion made me briefly tempted to turn away his thoughtful gifts with firm instructions for him to deliver them himself if he wished for me to accept them…but the moment Jade handed me the flowers my resistance faltered. Ryland had picked me buttercups, my favorite mountain wildflower. My heart swelled that he’d known these would be the perfect ones to give me. I burrowed my nose in their soft petals and noticed as I pulled away that two were actually weeds. My lips twitched; the temptation to smile at his antics only hurt my heart.

I arranged the bouquet in the vase adorning my bedside table and stared at their cheerful colors as Jade carefully examined me. “Your powers are gradually returning. You’re fortunate you didn’t lose them all. They’ll rejuvenate gradually over time, but you should remain in bed until at least tomorrow. How do you feel?”

“Weak,” I admitted. “I can scarcely feel my powers and they seem impossible to access. Do you know what might have caused this?”

She bit her lip and hastily looked away, a sign she harbored a secret. I suppressed a sigh. I’d grown quite tired of secrets.

“You do know, don’t you?”

She hesitated. “In truth I only have a theory, but it’s not my place to say in case I’m wrong. I will tell you that the only way for you to lose so much magic so quickly is if you’d expended power far beyond your capacities…or they were taken.”

My heart stilled on the word. “Taken?”

She nodded rigidly before procuring a potion from her bag. “Regardless of the cause, this restorative potion will help your body regenerate your magic much more quickly in order for you to make a full recovery.”

I shakily accepted it, and after ensuring I drank every last drop, she turned to leave, pausing on the threshold with a hesitant look back.

“Whatever anyone else might try to tell you, I want to at the very least reassure you that Prince Ryland was visibly shaken when you suddenly took ill. The moment he was granted access to your room, he didn’t leave your side the entire time you slept, even against your guard’s wishes.”

Hope lifted my heart at her words, and my mind whirled with her revelation long after she’d left. Had my magic truly beentaken?Who could have done such a thing?

Deep down you know exactly who.

I gave my head a rigid shake in hopes of dispelling that horrible thought. No, not Ryland.

Why not Ryland? After all, he stands the most to gain.

The question haunted me as I traced each vibrant petal of the wildflowers he’d gifted me, a gesture far too thoughtful for a man who’d wish me harm. Once more my foolish hopes rose when a knock sounded on the door, but rather than it being the man I yearned to see, it was only Guard Silas who entered with his usual grave expression.

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