Noah’s eyes brightened as he chuckled. “
“There’s always tomorrow, Luci. You are always welcome here,” he said.
The sentiment settled into her, and for the first time in forever, she realized she was looking forward to tomorrow. It was something for her. Something that made her heart race and her mind buzz. It felt like freedom.
A wave of guilt that stole her breath and emptied out her stomach fell over her at the traitorous thought. She was lucky to have Brielle, and taking care of her was a privilege and an honor. It had not once been a burden.
“All right, good night, Noah, thank you for today,” Luci said.
“It was my pleasure. Don’t forget the rosemary for the cat,” he said.
Through watery eyes, Luci stood straight and grabbed the small tincture.
“Calcifer! I forgot about him!” she said.
Was Brielle already in bed? She was probably missing him. Not to mention, he wouldn’t have eaten all day. Poor Calcifer.
With what was left of her mind and tincture in hand, Luci left the infirmary and retraced her steps from there to the library. Goodness, it was dark. All the lanterns were lit, and humans were few and far between despite being in a castle. She was beginning to wonder if the Vencias didn’t suffer from a lack of servants.
She didn’t even know where her and Brielle’s rooms were. Once she found Calcifer, she would ask a servant if she could find one. If not, maybe she and Calcifer would spend the night in the library, though that wouldn’t do in case Brielle needed her. Fine, she would just wander until she found her way.
Yawning once more, Luci felt the ache in her bones that said she was exhausted. She longed for a bed to fall into. It would likely take all of two seconds before she fell asleep. With an ache deep in her bones, Luci pulled open the door of the library.
“All right, beastie, time for bed,” she said, through her yawn.
“That’s a strange greeting.”
Her body jolted, energy zapping her enough that she screamed and jumped at least two feet off the ground at the answer. After all, aside from an occasional meow when he was disgruntled, Calcifer very rarely answered it all.
Yet there he was, sitting on top of the desk, eyes closed and giving off giant rumbling purrs as the crown prince of Meridea petted him with a gloved hand.
“You aren’t supposed to be petting him!” Luci said, gripping her heart to keep it from falling out of her chest.
Prince Ira held up the white-gloved hand and grinned.
“I found a solution, and he appreciates the pets very much,” he said.
Goodness, if her heart could stop beating so fast, and also if maybe her feet would stop tingling as well. This is why people died of shock. Crown princes appearing where they shouldn’t be.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
His answering grin was crooked, showcasing a single dimple as he leaned back in his chair, slowly removing the glove one finger at a time.
“Why am I in my own library?” he clarified.
That was a decent point. From a very young age, Luci was quick to startle. As she got older, the problem worsened. Though it was safe to say this was the worst thus far. Expecting a cat and finding a prince was enough to make her head dizzy.
Taking a long, cleansing breath, Luci leaned against the door and shut her eyes, counting to three.
“Are you all right?” he asked. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Everyone retired for the night, and I thought I’d make sure you grabbed Calcifer, but when he was here, I worried you didn’t eat, so I thought I’d wait with him. I was actually just about to head to the infirmary to see if you were being held hostage.”
Oh. That was a lot to process.
“Noah doesn’t seem like the holding women hostage type,” she said.
It seemed like a safer topic than the rest of the words he said. Underneath her rapidly beating heart came a new fear. Did Max tell him? Was he waiting because he knew it was her, and this was all a lie? He didn’t appear mad, but then again, there was a flash in his eyes a moment ago that could have been irritation.
“Did you eat, Lucinda?” he asked.