she wanted to know why I was with Lord Cole this morning. It bothered me, and quite frankly, it’s none of her business.”
“And why were you with Cole? He said you fainted, and he just happened to be there to catch you. Apparently, he was
coming up to speak to you about the tournament and you fainted at the sight of him.” There was a teasing note to his words.
A huff escaped my lips at the sudden irritation at his clear lie. I would not faint at the sight of any man, aside from the one
who chose to—I couldn’t bring myself to think of him right now. Feeling suddenly clammy, I felt as if the air was slowly being
sucked from the room.
“No, that’s not what happened. I saw—” I stopped, shutting my mouth tightly.
“Saw what?”
If I told Norok the truth, he would march downstairs, pull out a sword and murder Dorian right there at the dining table.
Which I could not let happen. If anything, that was my revenge. He looked at me with suspicious eyes and I could hear that faint
ringing again in my ears. I began waving my hand in front of my face, attempting to cool myself down. Norok’s expression
changed from suspicion to one of concern.
Dorian would be downstairs, possibly reliving the moment he forced upon me again, and again in his mind. I felt sick to my
stomach, and desperately wanted to curl up into a ball and cry.
“Open a window, please!” Norok shouted to one of the guards stationed in the hallway.
The guard rushed to the side window before flinging it open. At the feel of the fresh air on my cheeks, I took in a deep
breath and tried to calm myself. I couldn’t go downstairs like this. Not this panicked and flushed.
“Ella, whatever it is you can tell me.”
He placed a hand on my knee, and I could swear the colour drained from my entire body as a cold rush ran through me.
“Come on, Mother is probably waiting for us,” I managed to say as I took hold of Norok’s hand, squeezing it gently.
“Ornella. I may be the crowned prince, but I am still your big brother. That means you can tell me anything.”
His soft gentle smile made my heart sing. He would always be my sweet brother. He aggravated me almost every day, but
he would always be the person I would trust with my life.
“I will be here when you are ready to talk. Just say the word and we can go somewhere private. You can tell me all the
secrets that hide in that big, beautiful, wild brain of yours,” he said as he kissed my forehead, comforting me while the panic
episode disappeared.
Smiling up at him, I took his hand as he held his out for me. He pulled me from the chair and linked my arm into his. Silence
fell over us as we headed downstairs to join the others.
“Ah, there you both are!” Father proclaimed, clapping his hands together as he saw us enter the room and stood from his
seat.