Page 38 of A Kingdom's Heart
waited there. Then he looked back at me. “Maybe you could bring it here,” he said. “Same place. Tomorrow.”
I stared at him, unsure whether I’d heard him right. “You’re asking me to come here tomorrow?”
He nodded, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “If you’d like.”
The words caught somewhere between my chest and throat. Tomorrow. It sounded so simple, yet my father’s voice echoed in my head, sharp and cold. He would never allow it. He had barely allowed today.
“I have work tomorrow,” I said, clutching the book a little tighter. “There’s always more to do in the healer’s wing.”
He tilted his head slightly. “And I’m supposed to ride to Nestenwood for inspection.”
“Then you’ll be gone,” I said.
“Maybe not,” he replied, the corner of his mouth lifting. “I’m
sure our friends wouldn’t mind covering for us again.”
I shook my head, though I couldn’t keep the small laugh from slipping out. “You’ll get yourself in trouble.”
He smiled wider, and the sunlight caught the edge of it. “Maybe. But some things are worth the trouble.”
Something in his tone made my heart sink. It wasn’t what he said, but how easily he said it. As if trouble meant nothing at all. As if he didn’t understand how dangerous this was for me.
“You shouldn’t say things like that,” I murmured, lowering my
gaze to the book in my hands.
He studied me for a moment, his smile fading into something quieter. “Maybe I shouldn’t,” he said softly. “But I meant it.”
I didn’t know what to do with that. The weight of it sat in the space between us, heavy and unspoken. My throat felt tight, and the air seemed thicker now, as if it had learned how fragile this moment really was.
“We should head back,” I said finally. “It’s getting late.”
He nodded once. “Alright.”
We started walking. The path wound along the river before curving toward the castle, the light fading through the trees. Neither of us spoke. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, just careful, as if a single word might break something we couldn’t name.
I told myself I wouldn’t come back tomorrow. That I shouldn’t.
It would be reckless, foolish. But even as I said it in my head, a part of me already wanted to.
When the castle walls came into view, he didn’t ask. And I was grateful for that.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
IRIS
I tied the white headband around my hair and adjusted it until it sat neatly in place. The same white, off-shouldered dress from yesterday brushed lightly against my knees as I moved. It felt strange wearing something so simple again, but I didn’t want to draw attention.
The morning light poured through the castle windows, soft and golden, as I made my way to the healer’s wing. The air smelled faintly of herbs and warm bread drifting from the kitchens.
I told myself not to think about it. Not about the river. But each step I took made the memory louder. The sound of his deep voice. The way the sunlight caught in the water. The way he’d said tomorrow.
It had sounded so simple then. Just a word. But now that morning had come, the word felt heavier. Reckless. I had barely slept, turning over the same thought again and again. I should not go. Father would notice if I vanished too long. He always did. And yet, every time I tried to convince myself, the same image came back: the book in his hands, his voice reading the story aloud.
By the time I reached the healer’s wing, I had already made the choice I knew I should never have made.
Raven was already there, sleeves rolled up, arranging jars on the counter. She turned at the sound of my steps and smiled. “Good, you’re early.”
