Page 47 of Court of Winter
“This is what you wanted to show me, my prince?”
“Not this specifically, but I’m still curious if it’s to your liking.”
“It’s beautiful,” I replied uneasily.
He raised his eyebrows. “Does that mean you like it?”
“Would it matter if I did?”
A shadow passed over his face, but in a blink, it was gone. “Come. What I wanted to show you is through the doors.”
He strode across the room to the glass doors that opened to the courtyard.
When I passed through them, another hum of magic washed over me as a warded barrier tingled along my skin.
“Is everything here warded, my prince?”
“Yes. It’s a necessity.”
“Warded to keep fae out or fae in?”
A dusting of snow fell from the sky as he turned to face me. Several snowflakes landed on the top of his head, melting quickly and disappearing into his silvery hair. “Would it matter?”
“To me it would. Is this to be my new prison cell despite the fact that I’ve committed no crime against the court?”
“I had hoped you would like it.”
I frowned. “But why? Why would you want me to like it? Why have you brought me here?”
His brow furrowed. “I told you. You shall know in time.”
“But not now?” I balled my fists. That simmering anger was beginning to rise again, chased by a clawing anxiety over what my future held. I could be kept confined within these walls for days, weeks, evenfull seasons. And for what purpose?
“Do you enjoy the garden?” he asked, bypassing my question completely and sweeping his arm to the private courtyard.
Begrudgingly, I surveyed the open area. Similar to the courtyard we’d landed in, this one was also surrounded by the castle’s walls that were too narrow for me to see the higher portions of the castle, but unlike the first one, withering plants filled this neglected patch of land.
Snow covered every inch of every surface, and my fingers tingled, inching toward the ground inadvertently. My frown grew as I beheld trees without leaves, vines without fruits, and plants frozen in ice.
Before I could drop down and let my hand glide over the frigid soil, I straightened my spine. “How is this a garden, my prince? It looks terribly neglected and without anyorem.”
He shrugged. “True, but I figured since you’re used to tending to fields that perhaps you would like it.”
I stiffened and wondered if he realized how ridiculous that sounded. Most in my village hated laboring in the fields and only did so as a means to support their family. I was one of the few fae who enjoyed it, but that was only because of my love for the plants. However, the prince couldn’t possibly know that, which simply implied that he assumed all field laborers wanted to work the land.
He inhaled sharply. “What have I said that’s angered you now?”
“Who said I’m angry, my prince?”
“That line between your—”
“Right, I must be wearing my angry face. How could I forget?” I did my best to smooth my expression, then crossed my arms.
He cocked an eyebrow. “Are you going to tell me?”
I pinned him with a haughty glare. “You want me to tell you why only an arrogant, entitled fairy would assume that all lesser fae who labor the fields would enjoy their jobs and want to tend to crops in their spare time? Oh no, I don’t think there’s any need for me to tell you that. Only a prince entirely out of touch with reality would need to be made aware of that fact.”
His eyes narrowed, and a rumble of his great power vibrated beneath my toes. “Careful, Ilara Seary, lest I remind you who I am.”