Page 189 of The Fae Girl 1

‘Stop thinking like that’.

I heard his voice so clear in my head as if he’d said the words out loud.

I looked up from my plate meeting that intense gaze of his.

‘Stop listening in.’I thought back.

He laughed. “We need the practice.”

“Do we?” I replied.

“We’ll at least need to learn how to hide this.”

I nodded. He was right. If we were going to keep this secret then we had to become masters at feeling each other’s emotions, controlling our thoughts, controlling our reactions too.

I shifted some food around, speared a piece of chicken with my fork and ate it.

“How was the Crown Prince, was he happy to go?” I asked.

“No.” Fain said. “He is never happy to leave his father.”

“So why doesn’t he stay then?” Surely it wasn’t that dangerous for him here?

Fain sat back in his chair. “It’s the way his family have always been. That’s how they bring up the heir to the throne.”

“You mean your family.” I said.

He gave me a wry smile. “Not exactly.”

“Because you have different mothers.”

“Yes.” He said. “My mother worked in the kitchens.”

“I know.” I replied wincing a little. “Rillon said.”

He exhaled. “No doubt he told you she was a whore.”

I winced more.

“She wasn’t. She was just a servant.” He stated. “But maybe I should have been more honest.”

“In what way?”

He shrugged. “A lot of women would find that a deciding factor.”

“You mean the fact that your parents weren’t married?”

“That my mother was a peasant. That I’m lacking in noble blood. And that I’m a bastard.”

“Why would that matter to me?” I replied. “It has no relevance. I wouldn’t judge you because of it. Judge your mother either.”

“Most do. They don’t say it to my face, or to Uther if they know what’s good for them, but they say it behind my back often enough.”

“Does it bother you?” I asked.

“It used to. When I was young. But you learn to ignore it.”

“I never did.” I murmured.

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