Page 60 of Somber Prince
He raised a hand in warning, stopping me mid-sentence.
“A Crown Prince is never on the same level as anyone else. Just below the queen, he’s elevated above the rest.”
“I see. Though it sounds like a lonely place to be.”
He flicked his wrist at the musicians. “Leave us.”
Obediently, they stopped playing, took their instruments, and exited the room.
“That is the place of the Crown Prince when he’s in public,” Rha clarified with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “In private, no one needs to know what the prince does, do they?”
A smile tugged at my lips.
“No. They do not,” I agreed.
“Let me just get them to bring the food in first,” he said. “Then you can place me anywhere you like.”
After the servants brought the dishes in and left, I grabbed one of the cushions from the royal dais and threw it on the floor by our little table.
“Will this work?” I asked and added with a smile, “I promise not to tell anyone how low you have fallen, Your Highness.”
He inclined his head, arching an eyebrow, but there still wasn’t a hint of a smile on his face.
“You don’t find it funny, Rha, do you?”
“I appreciate the play on words as well as the double meaning of the phrase.”
“But you’re not laughing.”
He spread his arms aside. “I never laugh.”
“Well, I’ve seen you smile once. Not all is lost. Here.” I tapped the leilatha on my left arm. “Stick your things in here. You’re far livelier with my emotions in you.”
His tendrils unwound immediately, like tightly wound springs were finally released. They uncoiled straight down before reaching for me.
My bravado thinned at the sight of these smoky, snake-like appendages eagerly undulating toward me. I raised my hand in a defensive gesture. And they stilled, frozen in motion.
“Are you alright?” Rha asked with concern.
“Just give me a minute…” I pushed the words through my tightened throat. “Let’s sit down first.”
I sank onto the cushions, with Rha taking his place across the table from me. There was barely enough space on the small table for all the dishes that the servants had brought.
Roasted duck with crispy skin lay on a bed of fragrant rice. Plump dumplings were served along with long noodles. Skewers of marinated and grilled meat were arranged on a platter. And a flaky white fish dish looked like either a soup or a stew.
Everything smelled amazing, especially as compared to the food on the single plate placed in front of Rha. It held a pile of cooked grain like barley or farro, next to two handfuls of chopped dark meat and a heap of shredded pale vegetable, either a squash or a turnip. His food had no sauce, no herbs, not even a glint of oil or butter, and I doubted it even had salt.
“Is that what you normally eat?” I asked.
“This and a few other things, depending on what’s available.” He speared a cube of meat on his fork, put it in his mouth, and chewed. His expression didn’t change. He didn’t pause to savor, just chewed and swallowed, then reached for another piece.
“Wait.” I stopped him, pointing at the tendrils resting at his sides like lazy snakes. “You can use these now. I promise I’ll be totally fine with that.”
The “snakes” stirred, lifting off the floor. Two of them moved closer to me. I held still, as if they were wild animals, curious but potentially dangerous. Their ends unraveled like wavy tassels. The wisps of shadows fanned over my skin as Rha moved them up my arms. A chilling sensation scattered with goosebumps over my body.
I halted my breath, bracing for the invasion. But he held back. Only one tendril touched the leilatha rosette on my left arm. Like a gentle lick of a tongue, the shadows slipped in, and the tendril connected.
“You’re still scared,” Rha said. “Why?”