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He raises his head.

“I know, but we cannot keep going without rest, either.” He spreads his hands, and my shoulders sag, defeated.

“You are right,” I say. “What do you suggest?”

Theo thinks for a moment.

“Meet me in the greenhouse this evening,” he says mysteriously. “I will show you.”

Chapter 29

The evening air swirls in through the open castle windows and bites at me as I wrap my shawl tighter around my shoulders. The halls are quiet as, thankfully, the night patrols are made up of about half the guards as during the day, and I make my way towards the greenhouse via several winding hidden passageways.

The hall leading to the narrow, spiral staircase is lined with the outline of where several paintings used to be. I wonder if I could convince Theo to let me hang one of my paintings. With a jolt, I realise how foolish the thought is—the king is on his way with an arranged bride. This is not my home.

I press on, head down. When I arrive at the greenhouse, Theo is already waiting for me.

“Shivani.” He inclines his head, but I barely hear him. I gawk at the scene he has created.

Lit candles litter the ground, sitting onsmall brick platforms. Fresh flowers surround us, bundled together in bunches of various shades of pink and red. In the middle of it all, the table has been pushed back to make space for a den of thick blankets and pillows, cushioning us against the hard ground. A basket of biscuits, sandwiches and assorted finger foods sits patiently.

“What is all this for?” I laugh incredulously, walking up to him. Theo takes me in his arms. They are strong and firm around me.

“For you,” he replies simply. “Because I…”

He falters, his mouth half-open as though the end of his sentence is lodged in his throat. I blink up at him expectantly, but instead of speaking, he swoops down and kisses me.

After a moment of surprise, I snake my arms around his neck and kiss him back. His tongue slips deftly over mine, and a familiar warmth spreads through my body. I pull him closer and graze my teeth over his bottom lip. He moans into my mouth and draws back, breathless. He stares at me, eyes wide.

“What?” I breathe. “What is it?”

“N-Nothing,” he replies, but he is shifting uncomfortably. “I just…require a moment. To cool down.”

Confused, I look around.

“But we are in a greenhouse.” I laugh. “It is warm in here.”

“No, Shivani.” He shakes his head with agrin. “Not in…that way. I was…I mean to say, my body was…responding. To us. To you.”

“Oh,” I say softly and glance down. I am amused to see his cheeks turn pink, although my face also grows warmer. “Well, then…shall we eat while you…” I gesture vaguely at him. “Cool down?”

“I think that may be for the best,” he agrees, letting out a relieved breath.

We sit on the blankets, tucking ourselves together while we tear through the basket of food. We quickly make use of a flagon of snowberry wine and spend the next few hours talking and laughing with ease. The anxieties of the last few days begin to dissolve.

“I have the impression you think me a naïve soul, Theo,” I tell him before taking a final bite of a cucumber sandwich.

“Not at all,” he replies, reaching over me to take the last slice of fudge. “Why do you think that?”

“Earlier, when you could not find the words to tell me you were…well…” I look him up and down. “Hard.”

He chokes on his fudge.

“S-Saints,” he splutters, thumping his chest to dislodge it from his throat. I laugh, whacking him on the back to help.

“Are you quite alright?” I ask as he recovers his breath. His cheeks are flushed, although I am unsure if it has to do with what I said or the near-death experience with his fudge.

“Yes, thank you.” He takes a deep gulp of air. “Apologies.”