Page 88 of The Curse of a Kingdom
Fael shook his head. “One of them is my sister, Rhoan.”
“Oh, and her choice disappointed you?”
He placed his helmet on his head, hiding the crestfallen expression that had flashed across his features. Nava got the impression no answers would come, which would be fine since she was being extra nosy. “I don’t like it because he will never love her the way she does him.”
“How do you know that?”
“It’s said the queen and the king were soulmates, and we all know once they find each other, they don’t fall for another person.”
Nava’s throat felt thick, and she darted her gaze away so the fae couldn't see her anguish, remembering Arkimedes’s cold expression toward her a moment ago. “They couldn’t be. She has been dead for decades. I know this because—my parents were soulmates, and they died close to one another. He wouldn’t have survived this long.”
“Our king is the closest one gets to a direct offspring of a god,” he murmured with a shrug, clearly thinking this was answer enough. “He has been alive for centuries. Much longer than any fae I know. However, he never took a wife until the tree bloomed.” Fael’s eyes were bright behind the slits of his helmet, much like Arkimedes, except his were bright amber and gold.
“So you think the tree blooms when a soulmate crosses paths with the royal heir?” This would mean everyone would know she was Arkimedes’s soulmate within weeks at the most when that tree finished blooming.
“Why else hasn’t it done it in centuries?”
Nava fidgeted with her clammy hands, and Fael studied her expression.
“Your heart is beating quite fast.”
Great time to learn he could hear her heartbeat. Could Arkimedes do so as well? That secret keeping, annoying man wouldn’t have told her so if he could. He was also part human, so maybe that didn’t give him hearing superpowers.
“I have a lot of reasons to be nervous in this castle, Fael.”
He didn’t look convinced; however, he proceeded. “Laws of life don’t affect our king like they do all of us, much less a human.” The fae paused as they arrived at her room. “I don’t know, or want to know, what Prince Orion and you have going on. I swore to my prince that I would protect you. But the king won’t allow you two together. Our prince is too precious to us. If you care about your life and his, let him go because there won’t be a new human queen in this kingdom.”
Nava wanted to scream that she didn’t want or care to be a queen here. She hated this kingdom, the king, and, so far, almost all the guards. However, her stumbling heart made her hesitant to voice her thoughts. The city had been a breath of fresh air, and Arkimedes had been so happy.
She had never wanted to be a queen, but neither had she wanted to be a Beekeeper or a magic wielder. Both things she now loved. That had also been the case with Arkimedes and their bond. Nava had been so sure she didn’t want a thing to do with it.
Last year, she had learned to open her mind when life threw her into uncomfortable situations. Ultimately, it would be Arkimedes’s and her choice, not these people’s.
Her eyes prickled with fiery tears that rolled down her cheeks without her permission. “I can’t stop it, and even if I could, I wouldn’t,” she said and turned around, slamming the door behind her. It felt like the entire world had gone against them, and it was difficult to breathe as a sob escaped her lips.
She hadn’t cried this hard since remembering she had lost all memories of her dad; at the time, she’d mourned not only him but her identity. All the information her father had given her about potion making was all gone. This kingdom wanted to also take away her soulmate. To hell with them.
Nava made her way to the bathroom, wanting to splash cold water on her face to calm herself down. This kingdom had taken almost all she loved. Had stripped her down and had her fumbling for days. It might be time to tell the king she wasn’t going anywhere, and that the tree was already blooming.
CHAPTERTHIRTY
NAVA
The outfit constricted Nava’s pacing across the room. It was a tan gown, almost the exact color of her olive skin, with shiny ebony beading that formed beautiful panels. It had surprised her to find this beautiful gown in her closet earlier in the day, especially since it wasn’t blue. She and Leela had noticed the day of the ball that her dresses had been getting darker.
Was this something that happened with the change of seasons? The magic feeding things like this, the garden, or the fireplace is still a mystery to her.
The bodice hugged her curves until it reached her hips and then flowed like a mermaid’s tail toward the floor. She was grateful the neckline was modest enough that it didn’t reveal her soul mark. Nava let her hair fall wild over her shoulders. Today, for the first time since arriving, Leela hadn’t come to fix her tresses into something more elaborate.
Nava didn’t have time to worry whether her hair was proper for the king and his court, not when the forest was burning and she had to prepare herself and her magic for a possible confrontation.
Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves did nothing when all she could smell was smoke. Bees crawled over the walls and floor, no doubt answering her subconscious calling. It was hard to transfer to the forest when Fael and a new random maid had been checking on her at every hour.
Suspicion rose within her whether Arkimedes had expected her to leave the castle when the fires restarted and had upped her guard and maid rounds to be random and often.
She huffed at the spike of annoyance within her. Maybe tonight at this dinner she could talk some sense into him. If not, she might have to leave and deal with the consequences later.
Fael’s gravel voice boomed over her frazzled senses. “It’s time for dinner, Miss Nava.”
