Page 55 of Destiny Redeemed
“Precisely.” She beamed. “Nothing clears the mind like a gallop through the forests.”
“Uh-huh.”
We fell into step together, Lennox trailing behind us like a particularly grim shadow. The palace corridors seemed brighter somehow, sunlight streaming through the tall windows and casting golden patterns across the marble floor. I found myself squinting slightly, my eyes still adjusting after the murky darkness of the dungeons.
Rosalind nudged my shoulder playfully. “Why the long face? You look positively miserable.”
“Like what?” I asked, attempting innocence.
“Like someone stole your favorite toy and cut it into tiny little pieces right in front of you.” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What have you been up to?”
I certainly wasn’t about to mention my little prison visit. The last thing I needed was another person telling me how reckless I was. “Nothing at all,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “Just wondering why my one and only friend didn’t bother to visit while I was recovering from near-death.”
Rosalind scoffed. “Don’t blame me! Blame your princeling. I tried to visit, but he was guarding your door like a rabid wolf.”
Was he, now?
My ears heated up instantly. He had that effect on me these days. “Anderic is notmine,” I emphasized the last word perhaps a bit too forcefully.
A slow, knowing smile spread across Rosalind’s face. “Interesting. I don’t recall mentioning Prince Anderic.”
“Oh, please.” I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly strained something. “How many princes does our kingdom have?”
Rosalind’s eyes went comically wide as she struggled to suppress a smile. “Hmm,” she hummed, tapping her chin. “Let me think…”
I couldn’t help it—a reluctant smile tugged at my lips.
“See?” Rosalind said triumphantly. “It’s not that difficult to make you smile. Just mention the prince’s name and you light up like a Yule candle.”
“I do not!” But my protest lacked conviction, and we both dissolved into laughter.
“But seriously,” Rosalind continued as our giggles subsided, “I went to see you quite a few times. His Royal Overprotectiveness wouldn’t let anyone near you. Not even me.”
“Really?” I asked cautiously, trying not to sound too interested but failing miserably.
Rosalind rolled her eyes. “Yes, really. I haven’t been in the capital for long, but even I remember the look on his face when your maid brought the news that night.” She lowered her voice, glancing back at Lennox. “Your maid must be traumatized. And that elite guard who was assigned to shadow you? Anderic nearly killed him on the spot. Lennox here had to physically intervene.” She smirked. “Poor lad is still cleaning horse dung in the royal stables.”
I listened quietly as Rosalind continued her tale, a treacherous warmth spreading through my chest. My mind drifted to Anderic’s face when he burst into that cell—the raw fury in his eyes, the desperate relief when he found me alive. Could it be that he actually…
Then why doesn’t he say anything?
My mind was about to investigate Anderic’s behavior when Rosalind’s voice snapped me back to reality.
“So,” she asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes, “you’re coming to the ball next week, right?”
“Yes,” I answered, watching sunlight dance across the polished marble floor. The corridor’s vaulted ceiling made even our hushed conversation echo slightly.
“And who might be escorting you to this grand event?” She leaned closer, her perfume—something floral mixed with leather and fresh air—wafting between us.
I snorted. “Myself. I’m perfectly capable of walking through a doorway unassisted.”
“Not with the princeling?” Rosalind wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “One more word about Anderic, and I’ll tell everyone about that time you tripped and fell face-first into that mud puddle trying to sneak a look at Noah last year.”
Rosalind put her hands up in surrender, laughing. “Merciful heavens, please spare me the humiliation.”
I forced a smirk, but as the laughter faded, a small, unwelcome thought crept in. It wasn’t as if I wanted him to, but still… Anderic hadn’t even asked. Not that I expected him to, of course. But the fact that he hadn’t—well, it stung more than I cared to admit.
