Page 33 of Unseen Eye
My breath catches, and for a moment, I’m not sure I heard him right.
“He said no, of course,” Garet continues, still facing the door. “Said it wasn’t proper for a prince to marry a human. But... I thought you should know.”
The room seems to tilt, and I grip the edge of the bed to steady myself. Of all the things he could have said, this wasn’t what I expected.
That was then, this is now. The thought races through my mind, and I can’t suppress the bitterness that rises in my chest.
I can feel the weight of his words pressing down on me, trying to make me believe they matter now. But they don’t. Not anymore.
I scoff, shaking my head. “You’re telling me this now? After everything? What, are you rejoicing now that you’ve finally got your father’s permission to marry me? Oh, Garet, I bet you’re just bursting at the seams with happiness. You got what you wanted, after all.”
His silence is the only response. But that’s all I need.
I think back to the kiss we shared, the lack of spark, the hollow feeling that washed over me. How could I ever have wanted this? How could I have believed, even for a second, that it could mean something real?
I turn away, unwilling to meet his eyes. I don’t want to see whatever he’s hoping to project onto me.
***
After Garet leaves, I sink onto the edge of my bed, mymind reeling from the confrontation. I barely have a moment to breathe when there’s another soft knock. My heart skips—please, not Garet again—but I call out, “Come in.”
The door opens, and Emmet steps in, his usual calm confidence looking a little shaken. His red hair is slightly mussed, and his glasses sit a little askew, giving him a familiar, slightly dorky appearance that somehow steadies me. “Hi, Miss Eva. I wanted to check on you. Are you... okay?”
I try to smile. “Emmet, you don’t have to call me ‘Miss Eva.’ Just Eva is fine, really.”
A small grin tugs at the corner of his mouth as he shuts the door, his hands fidgeting with his sleeves—a rare, vulnerable gesture that seems out of place on him. “All right, Eva. I just... wanted to make sure you’re okay. Things sounded... heated.”
I nod, managing a weak laugh. “Yeah. Heated would be an understatement.” The relief I feel at seeing him here, offering something genuine without strings attached, settles over me like a weightlifting. “I don’t know, it’s just... it’s been a lot, all at once.”
Emmet’s hand finds its way to the back of his neck as he nods. His gaze unfocused, like he’s wrestling with something unsaid.
There’s a brief silence as he pulls up a chair beside me. He looks down at his hands, like he’s searching for something lost, something he can’t quite find. “You remind me of someone I knew once,” he says quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. “Someone who... didn’t let others make choices for her. She fought back every chance she got. I didn’t understand her back then... I thought she was just... being difficult.” He lets out a small, self-deprecating laugh. “Maybe that’s why I’m here now. Maybe I don’t want to make the same mistake twice.”
His words hang in the air, filling the silence with a bittersweet ache. I can see the shadow of something in his eyes—regret, maybe, mixed with a tenderness that catches me off guard. It’s asthough he’s talking to someone long gone, someone who left an inerasable mark on him.
“I’m sorry,” he murmurs, shaking his head as if to clear the memory away. “That’s... probably more than you wanted to hear.” He glances over at me, a hint of vulnerability lingering in his gaze. “But you’re not alone, Eva. Not with this.”
I reach out, placing my hand on his arm. “Thank you, Emmet. That means more than you know.” There’s an honesty in his words that feels different, a quiet sincerity I hadn’t realized I’d been craving.
The warmth in his words softens the storm of emotions left in Garet’s wake. For a moment, it’s just the two of us, bound by the unspoken pain of lives touched by choices and regrets. But there’s also hope here, fragile as it may be.
Breaking the silence, I ask, “So... what’s your affinity?”
Emmet’s face brightens a little, clearly relieved by the change in topic. “Earth affinity. I can connect with the land, plants—nothing too flashy, but I like it. Keeps me grounded.”
I smile, genuinely intrigued. “That sounds amazing. Can you... talk to plants or something?”
He chuckles, shaking his head. “Not quite like that. But I can sense them, understand them in a way, help them grow sometimes. It’s not as impressive as what some others can do, but it’s reliable.” There’s a quiet pride in his tone, as though he’s found peace in his own quiet strength.
“Reliable is exactly what I need right now,” I say, meeting his gaze. And for a moment, the weight of everything eases just a little.
Then, a thought occurs to me, one that I can’t ignore. “What about Garet?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper, not sure if I want to hear the answer. “What’s his affinity?”
Emmet’s smile fades, his expression hardening. “From what I’ve heard the guards talk about, it’s something to do with...controlling emotions. Or influencing them, at least.”
A cold weight settles in my stomach. “Controlling emotions?” I whisper. The candlelight flickers, casting long, spindly shadows across the room as my mind races through the memories of my moments with Garet. That spark when he looked at me, the way he always seemed to know what to say, how to draw me in. Were any of those moments real? Or was he always pulling the strings? I bite my lip, feeling a queasy blend of fear and anger bubbling up inside me.
Emmet’s gaze softens as he sees my reaction. “Be careful, Eva,” he advises, his voice low, almost pleading. “If what the guards say is true, that kind of power... it can be a dangerous thing.”
