Page 33 of Manor of Wind and Nightmares (Fae of Brytwilde #3)

Then

H ours of wandering the palace and its grounds, familiarizing myself with its layout, the servants’ routes, and the less-trafficked hallways and staircases brought me to the far reaches of the gardens.

Guards had trailed me at a respectful distance the entire time, but no one had questioned my desire to explore my new home.

The part of me that made absolutely no sense kept searching the faces of guards for Junseo, as if seeing the captain again would do anything but pain me further. He was likely onto more important tasks, such as watching over the crown prince.

And it was the crown prince who I was hoping to see—or rather, whose location I was hoping to pinpoint.

Since I wasn’t to meet with him until after the wedding, I had to satisfy myself with observing and listening, trying to pick up scraps of conversation that would help me determine his usual schedule and haunts.

A few comments from the queen had made it clear that Prince Kaede was regularly summoned to his father’s sickbed for breakfast, and apparently, given a list of tasks to complete for the day in the king’s stead.

There were daily council meetings held in a lower chamber of the palace that often lasted until luncheon.

I wasn’t sure where the prince took that meal.

And afterward...well, the afterward was what I was trying to uncover.

It sounded, from what Junseo had said, that free time was rare for the prince.

I was beginning to think he’d left for some other mysterious meeting, or he’d slipped away for a moment of solitude.

The scent of cherry blossoms was heavy in the air as I strolled toward the orchard, admiring the petals caught on the breeze.

Today, the weather was warmer than it had been on our journey, full of golden sunshine so rich and shimmering, it felt as if I were bathing in it.

For a moment, I paused and closed my eyes, relishing the birdsong and the stillness.

I wished, futilely, that I could live in this moment, capture this fleeting instant of peace before everything changed.

A voice cut into my musings. “You’ll have to turn back, I’m afraid.”

It was Lavender, leaning against a nearby trunk and shaking her head. Nearby, Flint strolled from among some other trees, plucking a flower and twirling it between his fingers. I was surprised by the rush of comfort I felt upon seeing their familiar faces.

They’re not your friends, my inner voice admonished.

“I’m sure your prince will be happy to take you for a walk through the orchard after the wedding.” Flint’s smile was playful, as usual.

Perking up, I scanned the trees.

Flint tossed the flower to the ground with a chuckle and pointed a finger at me. “Ah, no stealing a peek,” he scolded playfully.

“So he’s here?” I tried to fight the urge to ask, but the words fell from my lips unbidden. “What about the captain?”

Lavender grinned and rolled her eyes, pushing off the tree with her foot.

“Oh, the captain is always with the prince. Come along, let’s get you out of the orchard before you run into trouble when you’ve only just arrived.

You don’t want to make your new family cross with you for ruining their precious royal tradition. ”

New family. The words made my mouth taste sour with revulsion, but I focused on the information I needed. “Does Prince Kaede walk here often?”

“As often as he can get away,” Flint said, joining Lavender in escorting me out from among the trees and back toward the gardens.

“That or he’s out riding, or practicing with his magic in the open hills between the palace and the city proper.

Always afraid he’ll hurt someone by accident if he’s conjuring a whirlwind or summoning something through the air. ”

I allowed myself to be escorted back to my rooms, where the rest of the day passed in a haze of planning and agonizing over what I needed to do.

“I wonder who in your family will be first to die, and who will be forced to watch,” Daisy mused as she raked a comb through my hair and pulled it back into a severe knot for dinner that evening.

Staring mutely in the mirror, I watched her with forced calm, refusing to rise to her bait. She sneered back at me, clearly annoyed I hadn’t dissolved into tears.

Dinner passed similarly to breakfast, for it was another shared meal. This time, I joined not only Queen Ara and Princess Laila, but also members of the council, including Ji, Chief Advisor of Willowbark.

“As part of our marriage alliance, King Edwin had to choose a member of my own court to join his council, and so Ji accompanied me to Willowbark,” the queen said as she introduced him.

He was a lanky man with a fierce goatee and a sharp grin.

Though her expression remained placid, it became clear over the course of our meal that Ji and Queen Ara differed vastly.

Clearly, if she’d had the option of selecting who would have accompanied her, it wouldn’t have been him.

“We have a few new mortals to join the palace staff, Your Majesty,” Ji began at one point during the meal, slicing into meat so rare, it filled his plate with blood. He licked some from his knife.

Queen Ara stiffened visibly, the smile freezing on her face.

“Normally I would not trouble you with such unimportant matters,” the advisor continued, “but it seems that your son has been interfering...”

“Please, let us not discuss any troubling matters around Prince Kaede’s bride the night before the wedding.” Though her tone remained quiet, there was a firmness to it that brooked no dispute.

I forced myself to continue eating as if nothing had upset me, enduring more idle talk until at last it was acceptable to excuse myself for bed, claiming I wanted to rest well before the wedding.

Someone at the table giggled as I walked away. I didn’t pause or turn around to see who it was as she raised her voice to make a crass remark about the wedding night.

As I slipped through the palace, breathing deeply and relishing the solitude, I forced all my misgivings away.

Tomorrow, for good or ill, it would all end.

I had the inklings of a plan, one that I could adapt as needed once I learned what Prince Kaede’s expectations following the wedding actually were.

Lost in thought as I was when I neared my quarters, I almost missed who was approaching from the opposite end of the hall until we were only a few feet apart.

“Captain,” I breathed, freezing.

Rather than his green and gold uniform, he was dressed in crisp black. He hesitated, his expression earnest, his eyes searching. For a moment, his lips parted, like he wanted to say something. Then he grinned and leaned against the wall, tilting his head to study me. “What are you wearing?”

“My maids thought I should look the part of a princess.”

Junseo nearly snorted as his eyes raked over the glistening gown, heavy with lace and beading and intricate embroidery. It was the opposite of anything I felt comfortable in, and he and I both knew it. Still, his gaze lingered on the curve of my hip before flitting back to my face.

Heat rose to my cheeks. “You cannot look at me like that.”

For once, Junseo seemed taken aback, pausing and sweeping a hand through his hair. “Right. I...” He cleared his throat.

My heart throbbed in my throat, leaving my chest hollow. I wished I could tell him who I really was, what I had been sent to do.

“Princess,” Junseo began, his mouth settled into an uncertain frown, but I cut him off.

“I’m tired and need to return to my quarters,” I blurted.

And without letting myself linger another moment, I darted into my room and shut the door. Leaning against it, I squeezed my burning eyes closed.

What a terrible goodbye, after all we’d shared and all I felt for him.

After tomorrow, he would hate me. I already hated myself, for how I’d fled him and for what I was about to do.

It felt a little like I was preparing to cut out a piece of my own soul.