Up rounding stairs and through lantern-lit halls, Prince Ira stopped in front of a white and gold door that was an echo of every other in the castle.
“Here you are.” It was punctuated by a sharp sneeze.
He sniffed and scratched at his eye.
“I'd better go in before Calcifer does you in,” she said, whispering.
His smile fell, and his eyes searched hers, looking for something. A heaviness was settling in the air that didn’t make the slightest bit of sense. It made her mind hazy, like a dense fog was littered over where thoughts should be.
“You have green eyes.” He whispered. “They remind me of spring.”
“They change sometimes. Sometimes they are more of an off blue depending on what I’m wearing,” she said.
What an odd thing to say. Cinnamon wafted in the air around them, coloring everything it touched with warmth and safety.
The way his hair dipped to the right over his forehead made Luci want to reach out and brush it to the side. Her fingers itched, and she thought maybe it wasn’t such a terrible idea given the way he was leaning into her.
Just as she was about to give in to the compulsion, he stepped back and sneezed loud enough into his elbow that Calcifer jolted from his slumber and clawed up her chest in an effort to escape.
Luci grappled with him as he let out a low meow that was as much a protest as anything and squeezed him tight against her.
“I better-” she said, the fog clearing amidst Calcifer’s fuss.
Prince Ira blinked several times before shaking his head and leaning forward to open the door. Darkness poured in, and Luci remembered that Brielle was obviously sleeping and they were probably being too loud.
“Good night,” she said, ducking in.
“Good night,” he answered as she shut the door with her back to it.
The smell of cinnamon was gone, but the way her stomach rolled and dipped was far worse than any indigestion she’d experienced. More like something was fluttering inside, trying to escape. It was unsettling.
Releasing Calcifer, Luci leaned against the door and placed her hand to her chest, feeling the rapid beat of her heart. It was a long day in a strange place, and she was tired. That was all.
That was all.
Those were the words she repeated in her mind as she crawled into bed next to Brielle and let sleep sweep her away on its sweet current.
Chapter fifteen
The Royal Family
Though Beauty and her Beast lived long ago, their legacy lives on in the Vencia line. It is the duty of the House Vencia to uphold the history of Meridea long after magic turns to myth.
-Tales from Meridea, Volume I
How did Lucinda Blackthorn end up holding a croquet stick beneath the warm spring sun, since Gladys said.
Internalizing a groan surrounded by an alarming amount of royalty?
Poor life choices.
Indeed, one masquerade ball and mistaken identity later, and she was fighting back the nausea that built in her stomach every time someone said the fateful words,
“Your turn, Luci.” Prithat would have shaken the ground beneath them, Luci stepped forward, pointedly ignoring Prince Ira’s wide grin and the way he leaned on his stick, which somehow managed to emphasize the definition in his arm through his loose white shirt.
He was enjoying this far too much. If Brielle hadn’t begged her to join them, Luci would have been content spending the day with Noah in the infirmary. Instead, she batted her baby blue eyes that filled with the hint of glistening tears and pleaded with Luci not to abandon her.
It was a ridiculous game. Hitting the ball with a mallet into hoop after hoop. Though six was a small number, it was taking far too long for their party to reach it, so the game would end. In fact, it was suspiciously long. Princess Gladys, Prince Ira, and Prince Lucien were making a show of missing their shots, though at least Lucien had the decency to roll his eyes every time his sister glared at him in reminder.