Page 54 of Court of Winter
“Ah, so you’ve finally come to realize that it seems everyone else is free to come and go through that door, but if I grab the handle, it doesn’t turn.”
The prince raked a hand through his hair again, refusing to meet my gaze, but then his eyes caught on the double doors leading to the courtyard. “You cleared some of the garden.”
I placed my hands on my hips, knowing he was steering the conversation away from my imprisonment, but also realizing I lacked the righteous anger to pursue it further. My shoulders slumped. I was tired.Sotired. After two days of unknowns, long flights, captivity, knowing I was powerless to resist whatever happened to me, and now dealing with an angry royal heir...I was quite simply exhausted and ready for him to leave.
“Yes, I did,” I replied with a sigh.
“And you enjoyed it?”
“I suppose so.”
The prince strode toward the door, then stepped outside. I followed him, wrapping my arms around myself as the cold air swirled around us. The three moons were bright, two of them full while the other was a waning gibbous. Combined, they lit up the courtyard in silvery light.
Frowning, I watched as the prince went to each plant that I’d cleared of snow. He fingered their dark stalks and brittle leaves, his face a blank mask. When he finished his perusal, his attention shifted to me.
A wave of his aura pushed toward me, hitting me unexpectedly.
Warmth bloomed over my skin as the heat of his energy consumed me. It felt even more potent than normal. Different, raw, and like barely leashed...something.
The prince prowled closer, and I instinctively took a step back.
The minute I did, he stopped in his tracks and drew himself up short.
I plastered myself to the doorframe, gripping its edges for support.
The prince’s aura abruptly diminished, and his face wiped clean. “I shall bid you goodnight.” He bowed stiffly.
He didn’t look at me when he passed, and my skin prickled in awareness when his arm brushed against my forearm.
“What am I to do from here?” I called.
He faced me when he reached the door, his gaze skimming over my sleeping attire.
I thanked the gods that Daiseeum had chosen a modest pair of pants and a long-sleeved top. I supposed it didn’t matter, though. The prince had already seen me naked in Liss Lodge’s bathing pools, although that had been from a distance and when it’d been dark in the cave. Not like in here, where the fairy lights burned brightly and only twenty feet separated us.
I raised my eyebrows at him when he remained silent.
“You’re to keep yourself in this chamber.” With that, he strode out the door and locked it behind him.
* * *
The prince hadn’t been kiddingwhen he’d said I was to stay in my chamber. The next day he returned in thick clothing, similar to what he’d worn when I’d first met him.
He pulled on leather gloves, refusing to meet my gaze as he said, “I have to leave again for a few weeks to tend to business on the continent.”
From his back pocket, hidden beneath his huge wings, he extracted several rolls of parchment and a quill. After setting the writing supplies on the desk, he added, “I’ve arranged for a courier to deliver letters to your sister after they’ve been read by my staff to ensure they don’t contain damaging information.”
Since I’d dressed myself right after waking in the garments I’d been given in High Liss, I felt less vulnerable when I placed my hands on my hips and scowled at him. “Information such as the crown prince keeping me locked in the castle for no discernable reason?”
His power rumbled. “Mind yourself, Ilara Seary, daughter of Mervalee Territory. You’re to stay here until I say otherwise.” With that, he stormed out of my chambers before I could ask anything further.
“Arrogant cad,” I muttered when the door slammed closed, then I gave him my pinky finger even though he couldn’t appreciate the rude gesture.
Grumbling, I paced the room a few times, then tried to take a page from my brother’s book and look at the bright side. At least, the prince would be gone. Knowing I wouldn’t have to see him caused some of my stress to lighten. And perhaps with any luck, I would be able to find someone to help me escape without the prince’s ever-watchful eye, but when Daiseeum arrived an hour later, stunned to find me already dressed, that hope quickly faded.
Days passed after the prince’s departure, and the only servants I saw were Balbus, Daiseeum, Patrice, and Haisley. Each time one of them entered my room, I would scramble to their sides and ask if I could leave, but each and every one of them made it abundantly clear they were loyal to the prince, and his wishes were for me to stay in my chambers.
As days turned into weeks, my hope turned into fear, especially when time ticked by, and there was no sign of the prince returning to explain what my future held.