Court of Winter (Fae of Snow & Ice, #1)(45)
A wave of his aura pushed toward me, hitting me unexpectedly.
Warmth bloomed over my skin as the heat of his energy consumed me. It felt even more potent than normal. Different, raw, and like barely leashed . . . something.
The prince prowled closer, and I instinctively took a step back.
The minute I did, he stopped in his tracks and drew himself up short.
I plastered myself to the doorframe, gripping its edges for support.
The prince’s aura abruptly diminished, and his face wiped clean. “I shall bid you goodnight.” He bowed stiffly.
He didn’t look at me when he passed, and my skin prickled in awareness when his arm brushed against my forearm.
“What am I to do from here?” I called.
He faced me when he reached the door, his gaze skimming over my sleeping attire.
I thanked the gods that Daiseeum had chosen a modest pair of pants and a long-sleeved top. I supposed it didn’t matter, though. The prince had already seen me naked in Liss Lodge’s bathing pools, although that had been from a distance and when it’d been dark in the cave. Not like in here, where the fairy lights burned brightly and only twenty feet separated us.
I raised my eyebrows at him when he remained silent.
“You’re to keep yourself in this chamber.” With that, he strode out the door and locked it behind him.
The prince hadn’t been kidding when he’d said I was to stay in my chamber. The next day he returned in thick clothing, similar to what he’d worn when I’d first met him.
He pulled on leather gloves, refusing to meet my gaze as he said, “I have to leave again for a few weeks to tend to business on the continent.”
From his back pocket, hidden beneath his huge wings, he extracted several rolls of parchment and a quill. After setting the writing supplies on the desk, he added, “I’ve arranged for a courier to deliver letters to your sister after they’ve been read by my staff to ensure they don’t contain damaging information.”
Since I’d dressed myself right after waking in the garments I’d been given in High Liss, I felt less vulnerable when I placed my hands on my hips and scowled at him. “Information such as the crown prince keeping me locked in the castle for no discernable reason?”
His power rumbled. “Mind yourself, Ilara Seary, daughter of Mervalee Territory. You’re to stay here until I say otherwise.” With that, he stormed out of my chambers before I could ask anything further.
“Arrogant cad,” I muttered when the door slammed closed, then I gave him my pinky finger even though he couldn’t appreciate the rude gesture.
Grumbling, I paced the room a few times, then tried to take a page from my brother’s book and look at the bright side. At least, the prince would be gone. Knowing I wouldn’t have to see him caused some of my stress to lighten. And perhaps with any luck, I would be able to find someone to help me escape without the prince’s ever-watchful eye, but when Daiseeum arrived an hour later, stunned to find me already dressed, that hope quickly faded.
Days passed after the prince’s departure, and the only servants I saw were Balbus, Daiseeum, Patrice, and Haisley. Each time one of them entered my room, I would scramble to their sides and ask if I could leave, but each and every one of them made it abundantly clear they were loyal to the prince, and his wishes were for me to stay in my chambers.
As days turned into weeks, my hope turned into fear, especially when time ticked by, and there was no sign of the prince returning to explain what my future held.
Even writing to Cailis didn’t lighten my mood since I was pretty sure from her worried replies that the censor practically erased all of my ramblings. But at least she knew I was alive. That counted for something.
But even though Cailis knew I lived, I began to sink into despair despite the servants doing their best to buoy my spirits. Balbus and Daiseeum were the most constant fixtures in my otherwise gilded cage. Balbus checked on me every morning, sometimes supplying me with books from the prince’s library, other times regaling me with stories of his time spent on the Cliffs of Sarum—the deadly cliffs on the tip of Isalee Territory that only the locals with skilled knowledge knew how to navigate. His perpetual cheer and constant smiles helped alleviate the unfailing anxiety that coated my insides day in and day out, but they didn’t quell it completely.
Daiseeum did her best to distract me too. The clothes the tailor had created for me came hours after the prince’s departure. Dresses in the finest silks, tops of the thickest cottonum, and pants of varying richness and warmth were only a few of the items in the vast wardrobe. I’d been speechless when Daiseeum had carefully stowed everything away. It was so much. Too much. But she insisted on dressing me up some days to provide me with something to do, and while I’d never been into fashion, her love of it did make me smile. But seeing how much clothing had been crafted for me and my wingless back inevitably made my anxiety return.
Just how long did the prince intend to keep me here?
My imprisonment would have undoubtedly driven me to insanity if not for the courtyard and neglected garden. I spent nearly every moment of the day in its frigid temperatures. At first, I’d simply cleared the snow from the wilted plants, spoken with them, and empathized with their plight. I’d thought for certain that the courtyard was devoid of orem, but on day three of my imprisonment, I felt a stirring of it, just a touch when I knelt beneath the large maple tree to clear its base entirely of snow.