Page 34 of Crown of Hearts
“He hasn’t been the same since his father and the coronation. Jack worries about him a lot.”
“That doesn’t solve my problem, though.” I sighed.
Cordelia placed a hand on my arm. “I have full faith in you and that everything will work out as it should.”
I wished I could believe it too.
“Speaking of which, how are things with you and Jack?”
“Never better.” She swayed, with her hands behind her back. “I care for him very much and everything is so wonderful here, but I do miss my home some days, as can be expected.”
“Rhen and I miss you too.”
“I’m so glad he’s here with you. I feel better having him by your side.”
“He is very good at his duty,” I acknowledged. “But don’t tell him that or it might go to his head.”
She chuckled. “Now that my relationship with Jack is no longer secret, I’ll have to keep them away from each other before Rhen gets all brotherly.”
“You know, I would pay good money to see Rhen and Jack take each other on in the ring.”
“Tease all you want but I’m not nursing those two big babies if they decide to beat each other up.”
“Jack is a good guy, though. I’m sure everything will be well.”
We spent the remainder of the evening in each other’s company, catching up and telling stories about the time we had been apart. I was pleased at how easily Cordelia and Anesta seemed to get along, and for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t overcome with my own feelings of solitude.
Norrandale grew dark slowly, as if the night crept up on you. Though the darkness certainly didn’t bring silence. There was a liveliness in the air, something I’d never associated with the palace in Levernia. I could hear the hall bustling with courtiers long past the dinner hour. Cordelia said goodnight and Anesta made sure a servant lit the fire in my room, and that I was comfortable, before she left. The bed was large, with soft sheets, not unlike my own back home.
But once I’d blown out the candle next to my bed, and was left alone with my thoughts, my mind became plagued with worry. I thought about the Darwicks and how many of the council members they might have turned against me by now. I thought about Lance and hoped he managed to avoid causing too much trouble. I thought about Cai... even though I really didn’t want to.
It seemed the more I tried not to think about him, the more my mind created images of him. Memories resurfacing of our time spent in the Evernean Forest, of whispers in the dark, in my cabin and the time he treated the wound on my leg. Memories of his hands and the way he looked at me sometimes, like he was looking into my soul.
He’d said no.
And I wasn’t going to force Cai down the aisle. I had a little too much pride left in me yet. But with everything going on around us, something was bound to give.
Chapter 10
Cai
I woke up nauseous and with a fierce headache after I’d spent a mostly sleepless night rolling around in my bed. There was a council meeting this morning, which I cancelled because I truly didn’t have the mental or physical capacity. Not to mention the mountain of work that awaited me on my desk. I had so many things that were supposed to be occupying my mind, and yet I could only think of Lara.
A training session in the ring seemed like a good idea. The weather was cool, and the fresh air felt nice. The palace grounds were bustling with servants and courtiers, while soldiers filled the training yard. Thankfully everyone appeared to be minding their own business, though I had no doubt that I was still being observed in several peripheral visions.
“Permission to speak freely, Your Majesty?” Jack asked with a light tone. He flexed his wrist and prepared to strike with the blade in his hand.
“Yes, Jack?” I said, knowing that I most likely wasn’t going to like the words coming out of his mouth.
“Your mind is not currently on our practice. Is everything all right, Your Majesty?”
Jack struck my sword with his, almost knocking it out of my hand.
“You’re right, it’s not,” I confessed and dropped my hand. He stopped too, huffing out a breath. We’d been outside for over an hour, if I had to guess. Yet, it still didn’t feel as if I’d been able to release any of the tension inside my body.
“Is this about Queen Elara, Your Majesty?” he asked gently.
I sat down and took a sip from my flask of water. My shirt clung to the sweat on my skin, increasing my irritation. “You have a marvellous talent for pointing out the obvious, Jack.”
