Page 25 of Enchanted Kingdom
“But it is expected—”
“I don’t care what is expected,” he interrupted. “I will marry whom I choose. So much of my life has been chosen for me but this is the one thing thatIdo get to choose. I will not mess it up, Jorah. I will marry whom I want. Because I can.” He paused for the briefest of moments. “I do not care that you are not Enchanted. On the contrary, I find it refreshing. I do not care that you are from Nerede. I do care that youaren’there for the crown. I do care that you are kind to the staff. I do care that you were more enamored with the truffles than anything else the other night. And I do care that you are honest with me when so many others just say what they think I wish to hear.”
I looked him in the eyes as he finished his rant. Could I do this? Could I consider dating an Enchanted? At that moment, I decided if he was being that honest with me, I should return the favor. “I lost my father at the hands of an Enchanted. Courting me will not be smooth. I’m not sure if I can trust you because of all I’ve been through, all I’ve lost.”
He reached out and placed his hand over mine. “Then I shall have to earn it.”
I smiled what felt like my first real smile in his presence. “You can try.” After a moment I admitted, “You are nothing like I expected, Prince Keiran.”
“Keir,” he corrected as he cocked his head. “And what did you expect?”
“Honestly?”
He nodded. “Yes, do tell me. I had a feeling from our first dance that you were mightily unimpressed.”
I shrugged. “I figured you’d be as cold and... possibly cruel... as your father seems.” My eyebrows came together. “But you don’t seem to be much like him at all.”
He smiled, but it didn’t fully reach his eyes. “A compliment I will cherish.”
A silence settled between us as I read between the lines. Prince Keiran apparently didn’t approve of everything his father did either.How about that?
“How are you liking the Assemblage?” Prince Keiran finally asked. With a laugh he added, “And I know you cannot be pleased, so by all means, give me the honest answer. Friend to friend.”
“You want the honest answer?” I asked, eyes wide.
He gestured with a hand. “Oh yes, let me have it.”
“It’s appalling,” I began. “The color coding of women. It feels as if we are not in Assemblages, but instead in harems. And aren’t you ever worried you will confuse a name or transfer some sort of illness with kissing too many women? Thirty consorts at a time seems a bit steep. Particularly when you need to color code them to distinguish them from your brother’s.”
Prince Keiran laughed. “I knew it. I knew your reaction would be great.”
“You find my disgust great?”
He shook his head. “No, I find it rather accurate. I just wanted an honest answer to that question and that’s the first one I’ve gotten.”
I ran a hand down my face. “It makes no sense. I am to befriend these women you are also dating? And also constantly wonder where I stand in the lineup of the thirty of us. Constantly wonder who else you are complimenting and asking to use your nickname or sending gifts to.”
He again reached over to squeeze my hand. “I know it seems ludicrous. And a lot of it I have to follow through with for appearances. But please know that when I am with you, like during our dance or now, I feel more like Keir and less like a prince. This is the real me, Jorah. And I won’t let you down. Just trust me and please stay. Stay and allow me to get to know you. To earn your trust.”
I couldn’t believe he was actually winning me over. I sighed. “I will miss home and worry about my mother, but okay.”
That had his forehead crumpled. “Would it help if I could arrange for you to visit?”
My heart felt like it might burst. “That’s allowed?!”
His sly smile had me second guessing. “Not really. But I can make it happen. So I will. You’ll have to take a guard, of course. And it will take me a few days to figure out, but technically you can be gone for the day and be back for the evening meal and none of us will be any the wiser.”
“And if I get caught?” I asked, mouth slightly ajar.
“You tell them I said it was fine. And I do, so therefore it is.”
My eyebrows went up. “Befriending a prince has its perks, huh?”
He tipped his head back to laugh. “You have no idea, sweetheart. No idea.” He stood up and reached a hand down to me. “Now. I believe we will both be late and cause a scandal if we don’t head in for dinner soon. As it is, someone may have already seen us out here.”
I smiled. “I would’ve preferred more of this and less of that.”
“Agreed.”
