I’m wingless, powerless, and working as a servant in his castle. What did I honestly expect?
They were always meant to be together. I was always meant to be forgotten.
I just never thought I’d be forced to witness it firsthand.
Choking back a broken sob, I collect the duster from the marble tile. When I stand, I find a pair of silver eyes trained on me. Senan’s brow furrows, as if he can see straight through my mask to the broken wreckage hidden beneath. I clasp the knob at my back and practically fall through the door, escaping into the tight hallway on the other side. I stumble on leaden limbs down two flights of stairs until the pain in my heart becomes too much to bear.
I need…
What do I need?
Fresh air. Fresh, clean air that doesn’t smell like damp earth. I catch the handle on the closest door and ease it open. An empty parlor waits on the other side. My gaze snags on the sun-soaked balcony.
I don’t just need air. I need sunlight to remind myself of another time—another life.
I cross the room, slip outside, and sink onto the cool marble. Since removing my mask isn’t an option, I do the next best thing. I tug off my gloves, shove my long sleeves as high as they’ll go, and extend my arms toward the sun.
I’d forgotten the warmth of its kiss. Forgotten the sweet perfume that lingers in the air this high above the clouds. I’d forgotten so many things.
I stretch my hands toward the sky, letting the sun’s rays fill my empty palms until the tears on my cheeks become nothing more than salty streaks.
In a little over a fortnight, Senan and his princess will be wed, and then they’ll leave for Nimbiss. I’ve no choice but to survive until then. When he is gone, I’ll find a way to rebuild my life. Make myself stronger, reclaim my future.
“That is illegal, you know,” a small voice announces from behind me, where a little boy waits in the doorway. Black wings. Black hair. Starlit eyes. This must be Senan’s youngest brother.
The boy frowns at me as I push to my feet. “I should turn you in.”
Turn me in for what? I didn’t do anything wrong.
The small prince withdraws a dagger with a glittering hilt from his belt.
Stars, he isserious.
Senan appears on the edge of the balcony, his wings casting a shadow that touches the tips of my slippers. When he sees us, his expression turns serious, but all I can do is stare at the red smears on the corner of his perfect lips. “What do we have here?” he asks.
The boy gestures toward me with the blade. “I caught this servant stealing our sun.”
Is he mad? No one owns the bloody sun.
Senan’s wings tuck in tight as he crosses toward us, stopping when he reaches my side. “I’m not sure her pockets are deep enough for an entire sun, Kyff.”
The littlest prince catches my skirt. “This isn’t funny, Sen. We must bring her to the king.”
“Must we?” Senan unlatches his brother’s hand. “All I see is a woman who got a little turned around and had to step outside to find her bearings.” His smiling eyes fall to my wringing hands. “This one has an awful sense of direction. Isn’t that right, Wynn?”
How does he always know who I am when I look the very same as every other maid in this bloody castle?
The youngest prince’s eyes narrow as his lips purse. “I don’t know…”
Senan nudges him toward the door. “Well, I do. Just because the king gave you a fancy new dagger doesn’t mean you need toshow it off every chance you get. Now, get back inside. We’ve another lesson in thirty minutes.”
The boy’s face brightens as he returns his dagger to its sheath. “I thought you were spending the day with your princess.”
Yourprincess.
Those words are like a knife to my back. Perhaps I would’ve been better off letting the child stab me.
With a warm smile, Senan ruffles his brother’s hair and says, “I’ll always have time for you.”