Page 30 of Kingdom of Betrayal and Unknown (Kingdom of Bellhollow #1)

T he ring has been in my pocket since I first saw it. What am I supposed to do with it?

I’ve thought about putting it on several times, but I know if I do, I’m going to have so many people questioning me.And I don’t want them to ask if I am engaged to the prince.

It appears to have been made for me. Somehow, it’s the perfect size for me.

Another reason I haven’t put it on yet is because I don’t know if it has some type of magic bound to it. What if I put it on and am never able to take it off?

I desperately want to put it on and wear it all the time. No guy has ever given me jewelry before. It’s really sweet, and I want to show him that I appreciate it. Does Kieran think that I am going to wear it?

I never asked that question, and now I’m regretting it. But I didn’t know what it was when he gave it to me so I had no way of asking.

What if he is expecting me to wear it for him. I can’t because everyone will know it came from someone with a lot of money. I can’t risk people thinking it came from Prince Archie and that we are getting married. No. That is not going to happen.

I pull the ring out of my pocket and look at it once more. The stone in the middle is a soft lavender color with rose-gold swirling around it like vines. Absolutely beautiful.

“What are you looking at?” Mother asks me.

I clutch it in my good hand and turn before putting it into my pocket. “I was just looking at how my hand is healing. There are still some spots that are sore or tingle when I move my hand too much. I know it is still healing, but I want to be able to do things again.”

It’s been hard on both of us trying to figure out what I can and can’t manage. It’s limiting me.

“It is going to be sore for a while longer,” Mother gently informs me. “I know that’s not what you want to hear. I’m sorry I didn’t teach you the correct way to eat when you have guests over. But there were far more important things that needed to get done.”

I scoff. “Mother, it’s perfectly fine. I love who I am, I don’t want to change.

I won’t need to learn how to properly eat in front of people because the only people I eat in front of are you, Father, and Skylar.

We all eat the same. And besides, I know there are more important things to do around here. It’s honestly stupid.”

I understand them wanting me to learn, but I won’t be eating in front of anyone, so it really doesn’t matter.

“It’s not stupid,” Avira states as she walks into the room. She takes a deep breath and looks directly at me, her eyes narrowing. “Have you been near Fae? Why do you smell like one?”

How does she know? I was around Kieran two nights ago, but I’ve taken a bath since then, and she shouldn’t be able to smell him on me. Unless it’s the ring, but I haven’t been able to smell anything on it, which means she shouldn’t be able to either.

“I’m around Fae all the time. When I’m outside, they are too, working, or did you forget that?” I ask.

Avira can’t know that I’ve been meeting up with some of the Fae. If she knew, their lives would end and I would no doubt end up in the jail and get asked too many questions.

She can’t know.

“I go to the stream in the forest, where they live. Their scent is everywhere. In the palace, it isn’t, so you don’t smell them, but here they are everywhere. Maybe if you visited more, you would actually know that.” I can’t help but quip.

Avira gets on my nerves. She may be my sister, but there is something about her that I can’t pinpoint, but I don’t trust her at all.

Avira narrows her eyes on me even more. Does she know that I’m only telling a partial truth? She can’t. Mother doesn’t even know.

“They are everywhere. They help out with many things. One of our neighbors keeps one as a slave,” Mother chimes in.

I had forgotten entirely that our neighbor two doors down purchased one to help them around the house. How they afforded them, I am not sure, but I’m not one to ask questions like that.

“Why do you ask?” I give my sister an unimpressed look.

“You reek of them. It is all over you,” Avira responds.

My eyebrows furrow as I pull my shirt up to my nose and take a deep breath.

The only thing I smell is my own scent. I brush it off and walk toward mother.

She is kneading dough, and while I shouldn’t be doing that with my hand, there is nothing else to do right now.

I need a distraction before I start snapping at Avira for being here.

After taking one of the balls, I gently place some flour on the surface and start to knead it. Avira looks between me and Mother before her eyes settle on my hand. I clench my jaw, waiting for her to say something snarky.

“What happened to your hand?” Avira asks.

I scoff. Like she doesn’t know what happened. She lives in the palace and hears everything. “I had lessons on how to eat properly, and I got a couple of things wrong. This was the result.”

Avira chuckles and shakes her head but doesn’t say anything. Good. We don’t need to hear her talk about how many times I make a mistake.

“How much do you know about the curse that was placed on the Fae?” I ask, setting dough to the side and taking another one.

“Why do you want to know about that?” Avira snaps.

I look at her, confused. I didn’t think it was that bad to ask that question, but she clearly doesn’t like it. It was a little random, but I am curious. She works closely with the king and has to know things.

“Why do you want to know? Are you being threatened and are trying to figure it out so they will stop harassing you?” Avira takes several steps toward me.

Shaking my head, I rest my aching hand. It burns, begging me to give it a break from using it so much for a week or more and let it heal properly before I use it. Sadly, I can’t give it that time.

“No, no one is threatening me. I am just curious. We are taught that there was a curse placed on them, but that is it. No one else knows anything, and I’m just curious,” I tell her somewhat honestly.

Kieran hasn’t asked me to look into anything. He just asked that I come back so he can talk to me. I want to know more. Maybe if Avira knows something and tells me, I can ask Kieran and see whether he’s really telling the truth or not.

“I promise. I don’t talk to them, and I don’t interact with them,” I lie.

“Never ask about that ever again,” Avira sneers and walks out of the house.

I look at Mother, confused. What did I do wrong? I didn’t think it was bad to ask about it and see if she knew anything. I’ve asked Mother, but she told me that her father didn’t tell her any stories when she was a kid.

“Let’s put some more gel on your hand.” Mother sighs. “Don’t worry about Avira.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper as I wash my hands. “I didn’t think it would upset her.”

“Adeline, don’t worry. Your sister has always been touchy about anything related to magic or Fae. I don’t know why, but next time just answer her questions and don’t ask anything else.” Mother gives me a small smile.

I gaze out the window and see Kieran, looking at me. How did I not feel his eyes on me? Blinking, Kieran disappears, and I huff.

“Come on, Adeline. Let’s get this on your hand,” Mother calls out.