Page 75 of A Queen's Game
After a quick tour of the townhouse, a question burned at the end of Elyse’s tongue, but her stomach churned each time she went to speak. Daryn’s behavior made her uncomfortable, and no one bothered to explain it. They all acted as if nothing happened but it did happen.
Who asks to smell someone they didn’t know?
Who asks to smell someone theydidknow?
Gods, to think Daryn was also at her father’s dinner parties when she was still a child. Unaware of herself and her surroundings, Elyse didn’t remember those evenings. Her father would dress her up and place her on the arm of a friend or colleague, softening whatever deal he wanted. The memory of it then made her breath quicken.
“Fascinating,” Brynden said, shaking Elyse from her introspection.
“What’s fascinating?”
“I can see a thousand thoughts that cross your mind in an instant and yet you share none. You think more and say less than most people.” The crooked smile returned to his face as he stopped in the wide hallway of the sixth floor. “Since the night of the ball, I’ve been dying to know those thoughts.”
Elyse broke from his stare with a laugh, rolling her eyes. “Trust me, you do not.”
“And why would that be?”
Because they were erratic and dark, but she couldn’t tell him that. Elyse hesitated, finding her words. “I’m like shattered glass.”
Brynden lifted a brow. “Explain?”
“I’m in tiny, broken pieces and if you try to help put them back together, you’re likely to get hurt.”
Brynden stepped close, lifting her chin to meet his gaze. “Not true. You are more like a raw diamond fresh from the ground. Resilient, even when mistreated. Led to believe you are nothing before being shaped. But that means you’re full of potential, your true form not yet known. When you figure out the way you want to be cut, your true nature will shine.”
Tears welled in her eyes as her breath caught. “I wish that were accurate; I’m soft.” Weak.
“Would you be standing here today if you were?” Brynden’s arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close. “Would you do things like magic and reading Fulbryk’s if you were soft? No, Elyse. I don’t know all your pain, but I can see it in you. I’ve noticed its weight on your shoulders, like that weight lifted earlier today.”
Elyse looked up into his face as a tear fell, his fingers brushing it away. “Why are you so kind to me? I don’t understand.”
Truly, she did not. Brynden owed her nothing—not time, not energy, not kindness. Regardless of the mess Elyse was, he still wanted to be with her.
“Well, my curiosity began at the ball. My young date, daughter of a foreign minister, arrived with a few drinks already in her system—yes, I noticed immediately,” he said, smirking.
Elyse bit the inside of her cheek, thinking she had hidden it well.
“That was the first odd thing. The second was your gaze drifting to your father to see if he was checking on you—and he was. I saw the disapproving looks as if you were doing something wrong, which you weren’t.” Brynden lifted his brows, his mouth pursing. “And then you revealed you read and sing, that your fatherforbadeyou to share. His adult daughter.”
Brynden shook his head, staring down the hall. “If I’m being honest, I asked to court you because it seemed like you have never had any fun.”
“So, all of this is because you pity me?” Gods, she was so stupid. Of course, it was. From the beginning, she realized that Brynden being interested in her after one night was—
“There you go again.” Brynden’s voice shook her from her head. “The thoughts flying through your mind, I can practically hear them standing this close.”
“If this is all for pity, then you’ve done more than enough.” Elyse made to step away, but Brynden held on.
“Maybe it was at first, or so I thought. My mind hasn't known peace since the day I met you. Your pouty lips and honey-colored eyes plague my every thought. I often wonder what you’re reading or who you are with. Whether being on top of you, kissing you left you up late at night,” he said, smirking.
“Oh, my gods…” Elyse said, her eyes snapping shut. She still regretted telling him she couldn’t stop thinking about their first kiss. If she was honest with herself, she also thought that day in the field. But instead of the fiery happiness it should have brought her, she only felt dread. Her father marred that entire day.
“And before the fight with Keyain, when I found you huddled in those flowers, my heart broke, and I realized I cared for you more than pity.” Brynden tucked a stray hair behind her ear.
Elyse’s breath caught. She could count on one finger the people who have said they cared about her. Brynden might be a stranger but the more she learned of him, the more she found herself hoping. Hoping to leave Satiros and to live happily. Hoping that someone would love her.
“When you admitted to studying magic, betraying your father’s wishes, I saw you were forming your own future, and I wanted to be a part of it. So yes, pity was the catalyst, but I’m here right now for you, Elyse.” Brynden kissed her forehead and pulled her tight into a hug. His juniper and citrus scent filled her.
Elyse pulled back, staring up at him, her heart rattling in her chest. No one has ever given her much thought, much consideration beyond her face value. A lovely ball of nervous energy, doomed to be insane like her mother.
