Page 140 of The Throne Seeker

“Oh, nonsense! Come in, come in, we were just talking about you,” Gretta said with a gracious smile, standing up from the table. “Roman was telling me you love to read. We have a beautiful library here. You’re eating now, of course, but I’ve made Roman promise to show it to you soon.”

Rose’s gaze settled on Roman, seated at the head of the table closest to the fireplace, facing the flames. But as she entered, he quickly stood, his eyes roving over her from top to bottom, lingering on her free-flowing hair.

Just then, a young maid with short, dirty-blonde hair came in, her head down and concentrating on the soup tray in her hands. She bowed to both of them, daring to look up, and as her eyes landed on Roman, they locked. Her short frame froze.

Rose pressed her lips together to keep from smiling, taking the seat next to Roman, the girl’s attraction all too obvious.

Gretta rolled her eyes, irritated at the girl’s sudden stop. “Roman, Rose, this is Hazel,” Gretta introduced with a small nod. “She’s our new maid.”

Hazel bowed again. Her brown eyes finally flickered to Rose. She looked at her, then back to Roman, then back to her again, casting a look of suspicion.

“Well, put the tray down before the soup gets cold!” Gretta scolded, motioning to the table.

Hazel jumped out of her skin, almost spilling the soup as she carefully lowered the tray, setting a bowl in front of Rose and then Roman.

“Thank you, Hazel, it looks wonderful,” Roman said.

Hazel’s eyes brightened. She slowly brushed the flour off her apron, staring at him as he picked up his spoon.

Another pause came over the conversation as Hazel’s stare lingered on him too long.

Gretta sighed loudly. “Thank you, Hazel. That’ll be all.”

Hazel jumped, snapping out of her trance. “Of course.” With a small bow, she fled the room.

“Don’t mind her. She’ll get the hang of things,” Gretta said, waving her off. “Right, well, if you need anything else, just ring the bell.”

The creamy orange soup was made up of a medley of vegetables. It melted into her mouth as soon as the hot liquid touched her lips, warming her from within. The pair shared a quiet meal, with only the sounds of clinking spoons and a crackling fire to break the stillness. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence; she’d just grown so accustomed to the volume of the grand hall that she’d almost forgotten how peaceful it was to eat outside of it.

After dinner, Roman gestured to the patio. “Would you care for a walk?”

Rose nodded, taking one last spoonful before wiping her mouth and setting down her napkin, eager to see the lake up close.

Roman opened the adjacent door for her, allowing the cool, crisp air to brush her skin as she stepped onto the patio. She shivered as her flats tapped across the smooth stone, stepping down the shallow set of stairs to the lower level.

The lake reflected the sparkling light of the moon and stars above, while gentle waves lapped against the rocky walls of the patio. She wandered to the stone balustrade at the edge, resting her arms on the cool, rough surface as she gazed out over the water.

Roman joined her, pointing towards the left side of the lake. “There’s a hot spring that streams warm water into the lake. We’d swim closer to it in the winter when it got cold, but in the summer, we’d avoid it. It’s perfect for night swims, if you like that sort of thing.”

For a split second, Rose had an impulse to get in the water. But as she peeked at the stony steps lowering into its depths, fear crept in, remembering her body swirling helplessly with the sea beast.

“You’re still afraid of the water?” he asked in a soft voice, not making it a question.

She wrapped her arms around herself in admission. “Ever since that day at the river, I haven’t been able to force myself into the water—willingly, that is.”

He paused for a long moment, nothing but the small waves filling the silence. “But… that was when we were children.”

Her gaze lowered as she shuffled her feet.

“So during the challenge…” His voice drifted off.

“I couldn’t swim. It was a miracle I didn’t drown.” The whole thing had been a miracle.

He looked out to the water, the wind blowing his hair into his eyes. “Would you get in if I did?”

Her eyes lifted to meet his bold ones. “What? Right now?”

“You have something better to do?” he asked, his lips tugging upward.