Page 4 of Legacy of Glass
Olivia would have been afraid for her, but she knew Mildred was an expert at survival and familiar with every inch of the local area. So she rose unhurriedly to her feet and carefully gathered her flowers back into her arms. Mildred’s departure was a clear indication that someone was approaching, and it might be someone from her aunt and uncle’s household—possibly even Aunt Helen herself. It was time Olivia was returning anyway.
But she had barely stepped away from the tree when the newcomer strode into view. Tall, young, and broad-shouldered, with dark hair and light eyes, the strange man approaching her was certainly not Aunt Helen.
Chapter2
Julius
Julius strode up the grassy incline, enjoying the pleasant warmth of the sun and the slight breeze. The recent hot spell had made venturing outside the palace grounds an unpleasant prospect, and he had been starting to feel cooped up. It felt good to be free again, if only for a single, stolen hour.
He could have left the palace for longer, of course, but then he would have had to tell his parents. And if he’d done that, his mother would have insisted he take guards with him. Usually Julius didn’t mind being trailed by guards, but the itchy feeling beneath his skin demanded true solitude.
His father had dedicated his life to serving the Sovaran people, and the royal family was popular as a result. Julius had never felt unsafe in the environs of the palace, and he had picked his direction based on the likelihood of solitude. He didn’t need guards on this occasion, and he certainly didn’t want them.
He knew his duty, and he didn’t mind fulfilling it, but it was exhausting to fill a role every second of the day. They’d had a visiting delegation for the last two weeks which meant Julius had been on constant show—needing to play a perfect, charming prince day and night.
The Legacy helped, of course—along with a lifetime of training on what it meant to fill the role of Sovar’s crown prince. But usually he was able to regularly clear his head with a brisk gallop somewhere talk wasn’t needed—something he hadn’t managed to do for two straight weeks and hadn’t even been able to manage that day. But Julius at least wanted a brief window when no one expected him to be charming.
But as he crested the hill, he realized he wasn’t alone after all. A beautiful girl stood frozen mid-step, her arms full of colorful flowers and her wide eyes fixed on Julius. He could see little of her clothes behind the profusion of blossoms, but if she was wandering the hill behind Manor Row in the middle of the day, she wasn’t likely to be a servant or tradesperson. But neither did he recognize her from court, despite her memorable face. Perhaps she was the younger daughter of one of the nobles, too young to have yet attended any court functions.
He sighed internally. There was no hope of getting away without polite conversation now.
But to his surprise, the girl wheeled around and hurried away from him, almost as if the encounter was equally unwelcome to her. Worry gripped him. Was she afraid? Of the crown prince?
If he could only speak to her for a moment, he was sure he could reassure her. But perhaps it was shyness, not fear, that drove her away. She needn’t have worried on that front, either. Not only did Julius have the Legacy to aid him, he had been trained in social interaction since he first learned to talk. He was equally as skilled at drawing out a hesitant conversationalist as he was at shutting down or redirecting presumptuous or dangerous lines of talk—all without causing offense, of course.
He watched her retreat with a frown, hating the thought that his presence made her uncomfortable. His presence never made people uncomfortable. And she was even limping slightly. He should offer his assistance and ensure she left the hill with a good impression of him.
He hurried after her, collecting several dropped flowers as he went.
“Excuse me,” he said, and the deep sound of his voice made her start and drop several more flowers.
When she tried to lean over and retrieve them, she only succeeded in losing even more.
Julius chuckled. “Allow me.”
He fetched each of the fallen blooms and gathered them into a rough bouquet, presenting them to her with a flourish and a light grin. She was looking back at him with narrowed eyes, as if she found him at fault rather than charming. Perhaps she blamed him for making her drop the flowers in the first place.
His smile fell, and he tried to tuck the ones he was holding into her arms without upsetting any more or accidentally touching her. It was a tricky task, but he managed it and stepped back.
“You appear to be injured. May I assist you back to…” He trailed off and gestured generally toward the row of houses below them, waiting for her to clarify which was hers.
“Injured?” Her slight hostility melted into confusion. “What do you mean?” She twisted slightly, trying to glance down her body without upsetting the carefully balanced load in her arms.
His eyes followed hers and finally alighted on her feet. One was shod in a slipper, the other was bare.
“Oh.” He flushed slightly and took a small step backward. He should have considered that possibility. Even his own mother wasn’t exempt from losing a shoe at awkward moments.
The girl laughed. At his mistake? At his obvious discomfort? Both? His discomfort grew.
“Are you even Sovaran?” she asked in a pretty, lilting voice. “Surely you recognize the national one-shoed limp?” She laughed again.
Julius stiffened. She didn’t recognize him? He wasn’t sure if that had ever happened before, and it put him immediately off balance.
“My apologies,” he said, unused to the stilted note in his voice. “Forgive my intrusion.”
“Goodness, you’re a barrel of fun,” she muttered under her breath, but Julius caught every word, his ears burning.
Where had his famous charm gone? He had initiated the interaction hoping to put her at ease, and somehow he seemed to be doing the opposite. What was wrong with him?
