Page 28 of The Curse of a Kingdom
Her back and neck were healed for the most part, not just with salves and potions. Healers in this city possessed magic unlike what she’d seen in the village. Ancient healing powers. They weren’t too happy to use them on her, but it was hard to say no to the prince when that answer could get you killed.
By the time the red-haired fae who’d brought her breakfast last week came over, Nava was already dressed. When she opened the door to greet the maid, her eyes met the golden gaze of a guard by her door.
The man nodded in acknowledgment before the red-haired fae closed the door behind her. “I’m Leela. We haven’t met properly yet, though I have been bringing you your food.”
“I remember you from my first night in this castle.”
She smiled prettily, placing the tray of food at the end of her bed. “I would love to fix your hair for you this morning.”
Nava combed her fingers over her tresses in response to Leela’s offering. She liked her hair the way it was, wild and free. However, she winced as her fingers tangled in fresh knots. “Has the prince put you up to this?”
Leela's face fell before she shook her head. “Oh, no. But I would love to spend some time with you. I know it gets lonely here.”
In other words, yes. Arkimedes had commanded this poor girl to keep her company, and that alone had her stomach fluttering with a pleasant wave of gratefulness and hope.
“Thanks, and who’s the guard?” Nava rearranged one gold jewelry box neatly placed on the dressing table, allowing the girl to play with her hair.
“Fael,” Leela said, and she remembered that name. Arkimedes had mentioned it yesterday.
“So is he going to be guarding me from now on?”
Leela met her gaze from behind, her thin fingers pausing as she held a lock of Nava’s hair. “After what happened, yes.”
“Is the other guard all right?” Alive, she meant.
Leela dropped her eyes to what she was doing. “He will survive.”
“Good.”
“Good?”
“I don’t want to be responsible for that man’s life.” Nava shrugged, unsure why she cared. But for some reason, she did.
“He is lucky our prince spared his life after he attacked one of his guests.” Leela clicked her tongue, shaking her head. “Nimb should have known better.”
Nimb, the faerie who looked like an adult version of her little brother, had almost killed her for no reason other than being outside her room.
“You are precious to our prince. That alone should have sent a warning to the guards to keep their hands off you.”
“What?”
Leela swallowed and stepped back, bringing a cup of steaming tea in her shaky hands. Nava grabbed it from her before it spilled all over. “He put you in the green room when he could have assigned you a room closer to Mr. Black.” Her words startled Nava. “What happened could have been avoided, had Nimb used his thick head.”
Both of them had red hair, and Nava couldn’t help but wonder if they were somehow related, or maybe this kingdom housed a bunch of redheaded people.
“He is all muscle and no brain,” Leela continued, and Nava got the impression that even if they were related somehow, the girl wasn’t a fan of the guard.
“I don’t know if that says I’m precious to him. Devon and I are . . . engaged. He didn’t want his brother to lose his soon-to-be bride, that’s all.” That lie tasted more bitter than any other she had ever told.
The fae hummed, dragging the boar brush over Nava’s hair. A spike of panic moved through her as she imagined how puffy her hair would be after such attention. This fae had clearly never dealt with curly locks. “Well, he placed you in the room next to his—he must want to ensure your safety. He’s put no one in here since he returned.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s the case,” Nava said in what she hoped was a casual tone. However, her lips twitched as she fought to keep a smile under wraps, and warmth settled in waves inside her stomach. “Has he—um, has he brought anyone to his room before?”
The mere thought of it had her in knots. Arkimedes had no memory of her, and even if their bond prevented him from feeling true attraction to anyone other than her, he might have been trying to prove a point to himself. Much like she had done once upon a time in Willowbrook with Hale, the only man other than Arkimedes she had been with.
That whole experience had been a fiasco to both Hale and her since she couldn’t have been less interested if she’d tried.
“Oh, he hasn’t shown interest in anyone these last months.” The girl clearly didn’t notice how Nava’s whole body relaxed at her words.
