We as a family had never felt this kind of betrayal. Grandmother stayed to help run the kingdom while Mother and Father
grieved the potential loss of their son and heir. All the while Gelda’s belly continued to grow with what we all believed to be
Norok’s child. The one who would inherit his birthright where his father couldn’t.
I had finally stopped crying by the second week. I sat on my balcony, replaying the events in my head on a never-ending
loop. It all felt like my fault, I was the one who suggested and organised the tournament. I was ashamed to show my face to
anyone and I could no longer sit beside Norok. Kathlyn brought my meals every day and for the most part, I remained silent.
Norok may have been my older brother, but we were almost twins. Perhaps not by age, but we were cut from the same
cloth. He had been the person I always ran to, and now there was the possibility I would never hear him speak, laugh, or smile
again.
“Ornella.”
It took me a second to register the voice and where it was coming from as there was very little light on the balcony now
that the sun had set. Just a few candles littered the small table where my cold dinner and the half full jug of red wine sat.
“Your highness.”
Cole. Shifting my eyes quickly, a pair of large hands appeared over the bannister of my balcony, closely followed by broad
shoulders and then an entire body as someone heaved themselves over it.
I tried not to scream as I quickly rushed from my chair and towards my bedroom doors. I had no weapon to fight an
intruder. If Cole was here to finish me off after he’d already destroyed my brother, I would be defenceless.
He jumped over the bannister, landing on his feet. He held his hands up in front of him in surrender as our eyes met. He was
wearing a beautiful black suit, the same suit he wore when we first met.
“Please do not call the guards,” he begged me.
“And why shouldn’t I?” I demanded in a shaky voice, stepping further back into my bedroom. “You tried to murder my
brother! Are you here to kill me, too?”
“I didn't mean to harm your brother and I’d never hurt you. I promise.”
He stepped forward, trying to close the gap between us, to which I stepped back again. He didn’t seem to care about the
distance between. He continued to close the gap until he was in the doorway as I was nearing my bed post.
“Please stop backing away from me. Please let me explain.”
“If you didn’t mean to hurt my brother then why run away?”
He sighed, walking into my bedroom. I watched as he pulled the stool out from under my vanity, where he then sat and
seemingly made himself comfortable.
“Any man would have run, princess. Especially if they just hurt the heir to the throne—mistake or not.”