Chapter 76
It was summer, but this high above the velvety gardens, a light wind stirred her hair and a tingle of gooseflesh rose up on her bare arms. She blamed it on the change in temperature, not the man leaning against the balcony, though she was certain it could have been either or both. Eli didn’t turn his head as she took slow, careful steps in his direction. Just as she often knew when he was nearby through her sense of smell or some other unknown ability, he knew it was her. They were all alone with only the stars above them and a waning moon to witness their conversation, and Kit was relieved to have a few moments to discuss the unbelievable turn of events that had brought them to this juncture.
She placed one hand on the cast iron railing beside him but didn’t look over. Ever since she’d gone out on her own small balcony with the man Eli had been selected to replace, she’d had an issue with heights. Jecobian had been reckless in more ways than she cared to count, and it was the fact that he’d been found to suffer from a contractible venereal disease that had cost him his chance with the princess. It had also literally cost him his manhood. Kit pushed those thoughts aside and waited to see if her friend would acknowledge her.
He did. “You should be inside with your guests, Princess,” Eli said, only turning his head slightly to look at her out of the corner of one emerald green eye. “I’m certain there are plenty of Representatives waiting to dance with you.”
“Yes, well, they can wait a bit longer,” she replied resting her elbow on the railing. “How are you?”
Eli slowly turned to face her. Even in the dim light, standing this close to him, the sight of him made her catch her breath. There was a room full of handsome men behind her, but he had always found a way to stall her breathing. Normally, he wore a bit of stubble on his angular jaw, but tonight he was completely clean shaven, and his dark hair was parted on one side and slicked down. She preferred it the more natural, messy way he usually wore it but knew her mother would like it much better the way he was wearing it now. And Rona had never been fond of Eliason Goedwig. In fact, she was the one who tampered with the first election from Eli’s province of Eastbury. If Jecobian hadn’t found a way to get himself eliminated, Eli wouldn’t be in this position. Kit still couldn’t believe her mother hadn’t found a way to prevent this situation from occurring.
“It seems odd to me that you should ask how I’m doing,” Eli said, his green eyes twinkling in the moonlight. “You’re the one who has just discovered the situation. I’ve had a few days to let it sink in.”
“Very well, then,” Kit replied sarcastically. “How am I doing?” A smirk crossed his handsome face as he raised an eyebrow. Kit didn’t pause for long. “Honestly, I’m shocked. I certainly wasn’t expecting this. At first, I wanted to demand you explain to me why you said nothing earlier when you could have. But then I realized my mother would’ve had your head if she would’ve known you’d told me before the ceremony this evening. So I suppose I can’t fault you for that. And then I wanted to ask you how this all came to be. But I determined that if you even had an answer for that question, you probably couldn’t explain it to me without either going against whatever promises my mother may have sworn you to or directives she’s ordered you to follow. So... here we are with the impossible staring us right in our noses.”
Eli held her gaze a moment longer before he said, “Your eyes look like brilliant blue sapphires tonight, Princess.”
A blush warmed her cheeks, and she looked away. “Is that all you have to say then?” She glanced back up at him as the breeze stirred the few loose curls of black hair that hung around her shoulders sending a shiver down her spine that wasn’t completely related to the weather.
“No, but I thought it was noteworthy.” He smiled much easier now than he had when she’d first come out to speak with him. “All I can say is, I was as surprised to hear the outcome of the voting as you were. I was aware that I’d received a substantial amount of ballots in my favor the first time, but as I told you before I left for Eastbury this last time, I fully expected the farmhand I told you about, the one who had come in second to Jecobian in the first election, to be the Representative. When I was announced after the ballots were counted, I nearly fell over and had to be propped up by my sister and her husband.”
“I cannot even picture that,” Kit said, shaking her head. Someone as agile and strong as her own commander needed a shoulder to lean on?
“And yet it happened just the same. I kept waiting for your mother to send one of her own guardsmen in to declare the vote erroneous, but that never happened. When I arrived back at the castle earlier today, your mother wanted to see me, of course. She already knew what had happened. She made me swear to say nothing to you about what we discussed and promised me that she would find a way to... end this. I think you know what that means.”
Kit swallowed hard. She knew precisely what her mother meant. If Kit even began to consider choosing Eli, the queen would make sure that didn’t happen, one way or another. “What do you intend to do then?” Kit asked, each word measured. She held her breath as she waited for him to answer, thinking it would be quite easy for him to bow out, to say he’d play along for a bit and then let her send him home, whether that be back to the guard, to the army where he’d served for many years, or back to Eastbury.
“Kit, I never even let myself think this was a possibility.” His tone was gentle. He stepped toward her, his fingertips brushing against her arm. “All of these years, you know I’ve valued our friendship. But there’s been... more. For my part anyway. I never imagined....”
He stopped, holding her gaze for a second, and Kit felt her breath catch before she let it go in a soft exhale. He didn’t need to say anything else. “You’re not afraid of her?”
“No. I’ve never been afraid of what she might do to me—only of what she might do to you. And it seems that she was unable to prevent this situation from happening. Maybe that’s a sign that the goddesses are on our side, or at least that they feel we need an opportunity to see if there’s more.”
