Chapter 116
His eyes widened in surprise. “Rooming? Me? You are... truly?”
“Why are you surprised, Reeve? We’ve spoken about this.” She giggled at his reaction. “Yes, of course. I’m certain I want you with me. Why wouldn’t I?”
“No, I know you have mentioned it before. I just... I don’t know what to say, Kit. I’m so honored, I can’t even tell you. Whether it’s tonight or tomorrow night or a year from now, I am grateful to have the opportunity to get to know you even better. You are captivating, my princess, and I am the luckiest man alive.”
Still giggling, Kit leaned up on her tiptoes. The feel of his soft lips as they grazed hers made her knees fold slightly; his steady arms wrapped around her torso lifted her and gave her strength.
“Thank you, Kit.” Reeve’s whisper caressed her cheek. She took a deep breath and leaned in to him, a shield of solace forming around them for just a moment, forcing everything and everyone else out of their haven.
“Thank you.” She looked into his eyes and caught her breath at the sincerity she saw mirrored back at her. “Reeve, you are one of the humblest men I’ve ever known. You’re strong and courageous. When you fall down, you dust yourself off and get back up again. I admire everything about you, and with you by my side, I know I am a better woman, a better ruler.” She reached up and laid her palm against his cheek. “I’m so thankful to have you in my life.”
His eyes began to glisten slightly, and the hint of a smile came to his lips. “I don’t know what to say, Kit. Hearing you say all of that... about me... you don’t even know what it means.”
“It’s all true.” She meant it. He really was an amazing person, and she was so lucky to have him as part of her Choosing.
The ladies in the other room loudly cleared their voices, letting her know she needed to go. “May I escort you to the dining hall?”
“Please,” Kit replied, taking the arm he offered. As they headed for the antechamber, she went over her outfit again, certain she was fully dressed and had on all of her jewels.
“Your crown, Princess,” Avinia reminded her.
“Aw, yes. I thought I was missing something.”
Her cousin retrieved it and placed the small, silver tiara carefully on her head, straightened it a bit, and then nodded. She stepped aside, and Reeve led Kit to the door, her ladies following behind. As they walked out into the hallway, her two guards fell into place as well.
It had been a whirlwind of a day, and it wasn’t over yet. She would ask her mother’s permission to Room Reeve, not because she had to but because she already knew her mother would say yes, and the queen would appreciate the sentiment. As for the Representatives she planned to send home, that could wait for the next evening. She’d had enough drama for one day.
Even as the thought entered her head, she saw Eli coming down the hallway that led to the guards quarters. She knew he spent as much time there as he did in the room he’d been assigned as a Representative, that he even slept in the barracks most nights, occasionally even letting some of the guards who didn’t sleep well in the company of others sleep in his private room. Why, she had no idea, but she thought he was more comfortable as just one of the guards, not as a someone with the stature of a Representative.
She didn’t mean to look him in the eye as she walked past, but she did just the same, and she could see her assessment from earlier was wrong. He did look solemn, dejected, perhaps even pathetic in a masked way. And when he dropped his eyes from hers, choosing to stare at the polished marble instead of into her face, she realized losing the house in the woods had little to nothing to do with his disposition.
Kit continued to dinner on Reeve’s arm, hoping she could find a way to move past what she’d discovered that day, painful as it was. Because seeing Eli’s eyes so dim and lifeless made her feel worse than knowing she’d been lied to.
