Page 21 of Enchanted Kingdom
“Goodnight, Jorah from Nerede,” the king finally said before dismissing me just like he had with Gwen.
With only a quick glance at Prince Keiran, I happily fled away.
CHAPTER9
The following morning, I was prepared to meet with the other women of the Assemblages, just as Gwen had warned me about. Today, Prince Keiran’s women were wearing green, evidently, as I was dressed in a green gown not all that different from my working dresses at home. It was softer and more tailored, but it was clearly an everyday dress and not an evening gown.
After a short walk, all sixty women were brought to two large rooms. There were two massive doors slid open between the two rooms, and were it not for the doors themselves, it would look like one massive room.
Walking places in the castle still disoriented me. I didn't know how far the castle went, but the number of hallways and corridors attached to different wings was outrageous. I believed we were in a wing to the east of my room.
There were at least a lot of windows in these rooms, and the walls were done in a light blue that somehow seemed light and bright compared to the rest of the castle. Seeing the flowered rug pattern and the flowers in vases on the tables in the room, I wondered what this room was normally used as. It seemed to have a womanly touch in this castle without a queen.
Seeing that only about half of the women had arrived thus far, I headed to a bookshelf and chose a book before heading over to a seat by one of the tall windows. Sure enough, we looked to be slightly lower and to the east of the view from my rooms but were still overlooking the forest. I selfishly thought the view was much better in my room anyway and wished this could have been optional.
I was the lone woman from Nerede, and though this was not a popularity contest of any sort, I was not going to be well liked. Particularly given the gift and gown from Prince Keiran yesterday.
“Did you sleep well?” Gwen asked as she found me, trying my best to read the words on the page before me, but being distracted by all the conversation and voices within the room.
“I suppose,” I lied. I hadn’t slept well at all. I felt as if the moment I closed my eyes, the king would use his magic on me, and this time it would work. I had stayed up tossing and turning half the night while listening to the woman in the room next to me snore away. “Did you?”
She nodded. “The beds here are amazing.”
She wasn’t wrong about that.
“Hey!” Molly said as she sat next to me, a book also in her hand.
“Good morning,” I greeted her.
Renna sat at a nearby table, a puzzle box in hand. “Anyone want to help?”
Gwen hopped up and moved to the table while Molly and I were content with our books.
Two women in green whom I did not know walked by whispering, “My mother told me that the first-born twin is always the largest, because they run out of room first, so I am sure Prince Keiran is the true heir as he is tallest!”
The other woman’s eyes went wide. “Do you really think so?”
She sounded so hopeful, while all I felt was disgust. It was going to be impossible for either brother to find someone to fall in love withthemand not the crown that came attached.
Aiyana was speaking loudly to a few women not that far from us. “He said we could get lunch together, just the two of us, sometime this week!”
Another one sighed. “I hope I get some one-on-one time with him this week!”
Aiyana just grinned and kept walking with her head high in the air.
I only hoped I’d be able to actually sleep tonight. That was my main concern. Or I could get sent home tonight, that’d work also.
I finally shut the book, knowing with all the bits of conversation happening around me, I wouldn’t be getting much reading done at all.
I kept looking out the window, not feeling up to doing a puzzle or doing anything other than taking in this lovely view while I could.
I watched the way the sunlight danced across the leaves of the trees and wondered what the light looked like from within the forest. Was it dark? Or did the sunbeams find a way to angle in, leaving gaps of sunlight crawling throughout as the sun kept climbing?
And that thought had me realizing in all my window watching, I had never once seen a bird the entire time.
“Jorah, what’s wrong?” Molly asked. “I’m about to get to a good part, but I keep seeing you scowling out the window from over the top of my book. What is it?”
“Where are the birds?” I asked her. “Why don’t I ever see any birds in the forest?”
