Page 7 of Kingdom of Betrayal and Unknown (Kingdom of Bellhollow #1)

I t’s been several days since I heard from Prince Archie. I don’t know if his arm is actually broken, if he’s still in town, or if he’s in the other town where he was supposed to be. No one has come to tell me anything.

Maybe that’s a good thing; they’ve forgotten about me.

Excitement fills me as I think about that possibility. I’m not going to say anything to the guards who walk around our town. I don’t want to bring attention to myself. What if asking a question puts me on his radar again?

Yeah, no, I’m not going to do that.

It would be suicidal.

Sweeping the floors, I brush everything out the front door before turning to my mom, who is sitting in a chair, sewing.

I stare at her for several seconds, taking her in.

Her light brown hair is braided to the side.

Her slender fingers hold the needle steadily as she sews the two pieces of fabric together.

My mother is beautiful, her eyelashes curling up, looking so voluminous.

Something I didn’t inherit.

I’ve got my father’s eyes and eyelashes. Almost blond, straight eyelashes, and brown eyes. My mom has hazel eyes with green specks in them, everything shining brighter when the sun shines on her face. My hair is completely different from my mother’s and father’s.

It’s white.

No one else in town my age has white hair. My parents don’t know where I got it from since neither of them has it nor their parents either.

It sets me apart in everything I do. No matter how many times I sweep it to the side or try to hide it, people stare. “Adeline?” my mother asks, looking up. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes. I’ve finished my chores for now. Is it all right if I go for a walk outside?”

Her eyebrows shoot up as she looks around the room. “You’ve been getting your chores done faster and faster each day. Is something going on?”

Of course she would notice something like this.

I shake my head. “Nothing like what you’re thinking. I just know that once the baby comes that I won’t be able to walk much, and winter is coming. I want to spend as much time as I can in nature while I still can.”

It is the honest truth. I have been working more efficiently so I can go outside. I also know that if the prince comes back and asks for a date, I’m going to lose several hours of enjoying everything nature has to offer.

My mother sighs. “I know it’s going to be hard for you once the baby comes. Hopefully, by the time spring rolls around, you will be able to go out again.”

I highly doubt that. My mother is in her late forties. She hasn’t had a newborn in over twenty-five years. Things have changed, and she is going to need all the help she can get from now on because my dad is gone for long periods at a time.

And the only person who can help is me. They won’t be paying someone.

Giving her a small smile, I shrug. “It won’t, but maybe I can take the baby out for walks?” I suggest. “Of course, not when it’s super cold out.”

Father used to do that with me when I was younger. Said it was the only way I would calm down.

She smiles. “It will all work out. Now, go for your walk and be back soon.”

Nodding, I place the broom away and leave through the door, making my way in the direction of the forest. It’s not the safest to walk in the forest alone since the Fae are allowed to roam freely there, but I don’t care. They’ve never hurt me before, and I don’t think they are going to start now.

Unless they heard what Skylar said and want to get even. But I have to have faith that they won’t. I did apologize for my analogy, but that doesn’t mean anything. They probably hold grudges against every human being.

I just need to be careful about what I say from now on.

While the Fae don’t have their powers, they could still easily crush and kill me. Every Fae is over eight feet tall, even the women. They’re intimidating as hell, but it’s something I’ve grown used to.

I’ve had to.

I look around as people walk to different stores, buying essential things like food, clothes, and household products before going on their way. Everyone ignores the Fae who are working on the house for the prince.

But I can’t ignore them.

Everywhere I go, they are in my line of sight.

Why don’t they just overpower us and take back their land? They could easily do that, yet they don’t. I know it’s due to them not having their magic or their wings, but don’t they know how to get it back?

Shaking my head, I look toward the Fae and watch them for a second. Some of them are carrying giant rocks, some chisels, and some are carrying buckets. My eyebrows furrow together. Buckets? Why are they carrying buckets?

I push that thought out of my head as I continue to watch them. What was it like before they got their magic taken away? Was it peaceful, or did they rule over us and were starting to make us humans become slaves?

The stories I’ve been told say they were never peaceful and were making us slaves, but there is some doubt in my heart. They don’t seem like vicious creatures. Everything I’ve seen has pointed to them being peaceful.

But I’ve never seen them with their wings out or using their magic. They know if they try and do anything, they will get beaten, whipped, or tortured.

Sighing, I look around and take in the beautiful day. The flowers are starting to fall off the trees, landing on the cobblestones where people step on them. The leaves are turning different colors, vibrant reds, oranges, yellows, and some a mix of all three.

Autumn is probably my favorite time of the year. The temperature is perfect, and with the pretty colors, it makes everything calm and peaceful.

I wish it could always be autumn or spring so I can sit outside and admire the natural beauty.

“Adeline!” someone yells.

Turning my head, I smile as Agnes walks toward me, holding a small bag.

“Agnes, how are you?” I ask, pulling her into an embrace.

“I’m good. I saw you with the prince the other day. Something I should know?” she asks. “Is he all right?”

I shake my head. “Nothing you need to know. There is nothing going on between us. I would tell you if there was,” I lie. She would be the last person I tell. “I haven’t heard about the prince since he got taken away, and don’t know what happened.”

Her hand lands on my arm. “He’s such a lovely boy, nothing like his father.”

She has one part right. Prince Archie is nothing like his father. He is even more cruel, and wants to be firmer with the Fae when they’ve done nothing wrong. Or at least here in Bellhollow they haven’t.

But Prince Archie has his way of showing people how ‘kind’ he is and how he wants things to be better for everyone in town. But I know differently.

“What a shame. It looked like he was in pain when he got carried away.” She giggles. “Poor boy. You’ll have to let me know if you hear anything.”

“Of course.” I smile, lying once again.

Agnes is the town gossip. Any information she gets, she spreads it like wildfire. Everyone knows it, yet so many people tell her information anyways.

Not me, I’ve never told her anything.

I don’t want my life to be spread around the town. I don’t want people to know my business.

“How’s your mother?” she asks. “I was just about to go visit her. I was going to drop off some fruit for her and the baby.”

“She’s good, and thank you for that. Just let me know how much I owe you, and I can pay you.”

She waves her hand. “It’s free. I’ve known your mother since we were in diapers. We grew up together. She made my daughter’s baby clothes when she was born. It’s the least I can do.”

I smile and bow my head slightly. “That is really kind of you. Thank you. She’s at home, sewing, so you can go visit her.”

“Thank you, Adeline. I’ll see you later. Have fun on your walk!” She raises her voice as she heads toward my house.

Shaking my head, I turn my attention to the Fae. My eyes connect with the cobalt blue once again, and I suck in a breath. Every single time I look into them, I feel like I see something new. I know it’s impossible to see from this far away, but I swear there are some gold flecks in his eyes.

My eyes burn, begging me to blink, but I don’t want to. I want to stare into his beautiful eyes, lose myself in them with every passing second. But my eyes win, and I blink.

He’s gone.

Again .

My shoulders slump as my eyes look around, trying to find him again. He’s nowhere to be seen. I curse at myself for not being strong enough to look away. Every single time I see him, it’s almost like I can’t see what he looks like.

Is he Fae?

“Next time,” I mutter to myself. “Next time, I’ll see what he looks like.”

I need to see what he looks like.

I start to walk toward the forest, taking several deep breaths as I look around, searching for his eyes once again. Every time I walk out of my house, I always search for those cobalt blues, wanting to gaze into them again.

Will I ever find out who he is and what he looks like? I don’t know if I can go on with the rest of my life without knowing who they belong to.

Shaking my head once again, I sigh and make my way down to the forest. Not many humans venture out here, not wanting to get lost or hurt by the Fae. I could count on one hand who goes into the forest to explore.

Most of the hunters, my dad included, go between this town and the next, where the Fae don’t go. They are out there for days, weeks, to hunt animals to eat and sell at the market. They can defend themselves with their weapons against the Fae, so it’s safe for them to explore the forest.

I don’t carry any weapons.

Some call me foolish, but I don’t feel like I need to.

I chuckle. That’s a lie.

There have been several times when I needed to carry one, but it was too late. By the time the sensation hits me again, I’ve forgotten about the other times I felt threatened and needed something to defend myself.

Or I choose to ignore it and forget. I need to carry a knife. I’ll have to ask Father when he comes back.

I don’t want to always think the worst of people. There is already so much negativity right now. That doesn’t stop me from hating people, though.

Ivy Jones is someone I hate with my entire being.

Some people might think my reasons are stupid, but I don’t care.

When we were teenagers, she cut my hair and dress in front of the guy I liked at the time.

That’s enough for me to hate her. She put me through hell all those years ago, and I couldn’t do anything about it.

I still can’t.

Her father works for the king. I don’t know what he does, but it must be important because of how often he travels to the palace for work.

They dress fancier than everyone else and push it in everyone’s faces.

Ivy must wear a new dress every single day with a pair of shoes that match, while I wear the same two dresses and pair of shoes all year long.

What isn’t to hate about that?

I’m pretty sure everyone in the village hates them. They aren’t commoners, but they aren’t royalty either. They don’t belong in either place, yet they are in ours.

What a shame.

My shoulders relax as I walk deeper into the forest, letting nature surround me. It’s quiet today as I continue to walk deeper into the forest.

Peace.

Absolute peace.

That’s what I feel every single time I am here.

Total peace. And to think this time is going to get smaller when winter comes.

It makes me depressed and want to move to a different realm that is always warm, so I can always walk.

Sadly, people can’t just transport elsewhere.

That is, unless you have magical powers of teleportation, but no one on Bellhollow has them.

Things are going to change, and I don’t know if I’m ready for it.

I’ll never be ready for it.

I stop for a second, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath in.

“Soak it all in now,” I whisper to myself.

Laughter sounds behind me, making my body tense. Turning around, I search the area, but I don’t see anyone. Did I imagine that laugh?

“Wh-who are you?” I stutter, my eyes sweeping around the forest.

This time, I hear a chuckle. Not the prince. It’s deeper and sends tingles all over my body… and they’re a good kind of tingle.

“Come out and show me your face!” I raise my voice.

Rustling now comes from behind me, making me swivel to see if I can catch the person. But no one is there. My heart beats faster as my breathing picks up.

My body locks up as a breath heats my ear. “It’s dangerous for you to walk alone in the forest, Sweets.”