Page 84 of Enchanted Kingdom
“Molly, those books are scandalizing you,” Renna scolded.
“More like educating me,” Molly said quietly as she gave me a look. “Particularly forharemlife.”
As freaked out as I was about the king watching me, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Molly and Renna bowed, and I turned slightly, doing the same in habit, to find Keir joining our group.
“Jorah,” he said with a smile. “Molly. Renna.”
After they greeted him, he turned toward me. “Would you like to take a walk with me?”
I looked at him for a moment, wondering what he was up to. “Sure.”
As soon as we walked away, he added, “You didn’t have to say yes, you know.”
I snorted. “The king was watching me tonight from the balcony, so yes, yes I did.”
His forehead creased.
I reached a hand out to his arm and added at a whisper, “But I likely would’ve said yes anyway, Keir.”
He lifted his chin and let out a breath like he was relieved.
Thankfully, Keir wasn’t a cruel man, so he knew better than to take me outside to the balcony. Instead, he walked me over to my favorite window to stand there. I noticed he looked tired. Like he hadn’t slept at all. But then again, neither had I. We were in the same boat.
“Are you all right?” I whispered.
He was quiet a moment. “I feel like I’m failing all over the place. But I deserved your anger, Jorah, so please do not feel bad for me.”
“I am allowed to feel about you how I please,” I said lightly.
His lips twitched. “That is very true. That you are.”
I took a deep breath. “Sometimes I wish we would’ve just bumped into one another one day in Nerede. Without all this.”
He looked into my eyes. “Even if we had, I’m a Valanova. I’ll always come with baggage.”
“That may be, but even after last night, I do know that you are double and triple the man that came before you,” I said quietly.
He closed his eyes a moment. “Thank you. I’m not sure if that means you hold me highly, or just him that lowly, but either way, I am glad to hear it.”
“What are you doing with me anyway? Did you see your father looking at me and came to save me?”
He shook his head. “No, actually, I hadn’t seen that. I just don’t want you to feel like a secret. I hate that you feel that way. Maybe our arrangement is too extreme.”
I was quiet a moment, feeling emotional with how he was at least attempting to try to make it up to me.
“I’ll leave you be now, sweetheart,” he whispered. “But hopefully never for long.”
After we were dismissed that night, he still came to my room. I had changed into my pajamas, unable to bear the weight of my gown any longer. We talked, as we usually did, but both of us were dealing with confusion and hurt from our argument before.
“I wish I could go with you,” Keir said, in reference to our upcoming trip to Nerede, as he reclined farther back, his arm around me.
He was so tall that his body was at a completely awkward angle. It could not possibly be comfortable.
“Why can’t you?” I kept looking at the wispy clouds. The moon was so bright the clouds could still be seen even though it was the middle of the night. It was beautiful.
“Mmm.”
