Page 48 of The Rejected King
He stared at her for a moment. His gaze seemed somber, like there was so much emotion clouding it.
He shrugged. “I wish I didn’t have to choose. I don’t love any of them, and they don’t love me, not really.”
Emree swallowed back her guilt. Suddenly she didn’t like her job anymore. This entire Promenade was a scam—a big fluffy spectacle that made a mockery of real love and relationships. At first, she’d been thrilled to be a part of it; it was an honor to have been given the job. But now, she couldn’t look Davin in the eye and tell him hehadto choose somebody he didn’t love and that didn’t love him back. Emree knew firsthand the heartache of wondering all the time if she was really loved. It was a persistent throb that constantly rose every time she remembered her relationship with Portlend.
“Do you know what I really want?” Davin asked.
Emree’s mouth went dry as she shook her head.
“I really want to be with a woman who sees more than the throne. A woman who doesn’t care if I’m king or if I’m voted out. I want a woman who challenges me. Who loves to read and learn new things. I want someone who doesn’t let society dictate how far they can go in life because of what social class they were born into. Someone with goals and aspirations but that is also rooted in strong family values.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, suddenly looking more boyish than kingly. “Someone who catches my breath every time she walks in the room and makes me feel more alive than I’ve ever been. In addition to all of that, she has to be available AND feel the same way about me.”
Emree’s heart was in her throat. She had a nagging feeling that Davin’s description of what he wanted sounded a lot likeher. She quickly pushed that notion away. Davin would never describe her, never consider her. He was a king. And kings didn’t marry women from the working class. It wasn’t even an option.
Emree laced up the defenses around her heart, flipping into business mode. “Well, there’s still two more days left. Let’s see how you feel after your afternoon with Patrice.”
Davin’s frown deepened, and his neck coiled back like her words had slapped him across the face.
He let out a puff of air, dropping his eyes. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Emree didn’t know what else to say, so she turned to go. “I’ll see you down there.”
She walked out of his room feeling defeated, confused, and alone.
20
Davin
The carriages arrived an hour later at the Enderlin ranch, twenty miles east of the castle. Green rolling mountains surrounded them on all sides. A large wooden barn sat just in front of them with a few outlying tin sheds and a wooden fence that stretched across the land as far as the eye could see. A shade canopy and fluffy blankets and pillows had been set up in the middle of the field just beside where the archaeologists had found the pre-Desolation safe.
Davin had spent the entire carriage ride alone with Patrice, straining for feelings that weren’t there. After last night with Emree, a small part of him had hoped that Emree had some feelings for him, especially when she’d said that she and Portlend weren’t real. But that was the medicine talking. Davin knew that now.
He had told Emree he wanted her. He hadn’t come right out and saidI’m falling in love with you. He couldn’t do that. For all he knew, Emree was still in a relationship with Portlend Ricks, and Davin didn’t want to be the guy that ruined that. But he had described Emree exactly, saying thatshewas what he wanted. Her brown eyes had flashed with recognition, but she hadn’t said anything.
True, she knew the impossibility of a relationship between them as much as he did. But Davin had hoped his admission of feelings might crack her the tiniest bit, just enough to see whether or not she cared for him too, or even just enough to see if shewouldcare if she were allowed to. Wanting that sort of validation was selfish because wanting her wasn’t enough to make a relationship possible.
But then she had flipped the conversation back to Patrice.
What more confirmation did Davin need?
Emree Dutson wasn’t interested in him. Period. The sooner he got that through his head, the better.
Davin offered Patrice his hand, helping her out of the carriage.
“This is so beautiful,” Patrice gushed, wrapping her hands around Davin’s arm.
He escorted her to the blankets, not missing Emree and the newswriters piling out of the other carriages behind them. Emree’s eyes snapped to Patrice, holding tightly onto Davin’s arm. Her expression faltered for a moment before she pulled her lips into a tight smile, nodding at Davin like he was a child needing approval.
The small black safe was situated in the middle of the tent in front of the pillows and blankets as if on display.
Patrice surveyed the rusted artifact. “Are we eating lunch first or opening the safe?”
Davin looked up at Emree. “What’s the plan?”
She shrugged back at him with the same overdone smile. “It’s up to you and Miss Kenson.”
“I bet there’s something valuable inside,” Patrice said, pulling his focus back to her. “I think we should open it first.”
“Sure.” Davin nodded, turning the safe over.
