Page 39 of The Rejected King
Still, there was no way taking the book broke any of his rules. He would keep it in his room right next to her collection of fairy tales.
15
Emree
That night, after the Promenade dinner, Emree walked down the hall in the servants’ quarters, making her way to her bedroom. Most of the rooms she passed were dark and quiet as tired workers slept from their long day of labor. She remembered back through her own workday, the fun she’d had watching the king learn to cook. Then there was the moment at the hospital when the king had cheered up the sick little girl by doing shadow puppets on the wall. But the thing that tugged on Emree’s heart the most was the time she had spent with King Davin in the library. It wasn’t just the fact that he had donated so many books to her cause that had made her heart skip a beat; it was every little interaction in between. Every word, every joke, every look.
Those moments confused her heart.
She pushed the door to her room open, ready to let her confused heart and mind rest. Portlend sat on her bed, thumbing through the book King Davin had given to her earlier that day.
“Hey,” he said, standing. “I had some free time, so I came to say hi.”
Emree’s heart swelled. “I’m glad you came.”
She didn’t know just how much she had been longing for Portlend to think about her or come visit her until he finally did and a rush of relief smacked her in the face. For so long, their relationship had been one-sided...her side. But maybe Emree had made up his lack of enthusiasm in her head.
He looked down at the book in his hands. “The Greatest Salesman in the World?” His eyes shot to hers. “Are you thinking about becoming a salesman, Em?”
Emree snatched the book out of his hands. “No, the king recommended I read it. Supposedly, it’s very inspirational.”
“Oh.” Portlend shrugged. “Maybe I’ll read it when you’re done.”
Emree shoved the book in her drawer, knowing that Portlend would never read a book. He always said things like that, but he didn’t reallyliketo read. He enjoyed physical things, learning a new skill with a weapon, or how to survive on the land. Books and education didn’t excite him like they did Emree.
He sat back down on the bed, and she took the seat beside him.
“How’s the Promenade going?” he asked.
“I think it’s going well. The one-on-one activities started today, but I don’t think the king made a connection with any of the women.”
“The headlines this morning said that High Ruler Kenson’s daughter, Patrice, stole the show last night at the Promenade dinner.”
More like her assets stole the show.
“From what I’ve seen,” Emree said, “I would guess the king will choose Patrice Kenson.” A stream of jealousy rolled through her.
“Figures,” Portlend said. “Only the daughter of a high ruler would be good enough for King Davin.”
Emree dropped her shoulders. She didn’t want to talk about Patrice or the king. Portlend was here, in her room. There was so much the two of themneededto talk about. She looked down at her fingers and picked at her nails. “Do your friends at the castle know about me?”
Portlend stiffened. “What do you mean?”
She didn’t dare look at him. “I mean, do they know you have a girlfriend from back home...and that the girlfriend is me?” She finally looked up to see Portlend’s frowning face.
“I don’t usually talk about my personal life. When I’m here at the castle, I’m one hundred percent focused on being a soldier.”
Her eyes fell, along with her heart. “Right. Of course.”
Portlend’s fingers gently grasped her chin, raising it up so she looked at him. “Don’t feel bad. You know me. You know this is how I operate. It doesn’t mean I don’t have feelings for you. I have this list in my mind of all the things I want to accomplish before we can be together. Until that list is complete, I can’t fully give myself to you.”
Something sharp stabbed her heart. It wasn’t like Emree wanted and needed to get marriedtoday.She was young. She had things she wanted to accomplish herself. She just wanted to feelwanted.She wished Portlend loved her so much that he would be willing to give everything else up to be with her. She would never ask him to do that, nor would she want him to do that. It was hypothetical—a theory her mind had created to give her a sense of security in their relationship. Unfortunately, every time they talked about where they stood, Emree ended up feeling less and less secure. She hated being that girl, the girl who always needed more.
She forced a smile. “I know,” she said. “I love how driven you are.” She did love that about Portlend. But there was a tiny part of her that wished he was as driven when it came to her.
“That’s why we work,” he said. “Neither one of us needs some fairy tale romance, just real life and real work.”
Emree pushed her smile wider. “That’s right.”
