Page 42 of Once Upon a Woven Wish
“Why is that, your highness?”
“Because I can remain inside with my books.I’m not much for tourneys.”
“My father loves to read, too,” she said.Because she couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“Does he?”He sounded happy about that.“What does he like to read?”
“Old tales mostly.Folklore and myths.He has a small collection.A few books,” she said.
“Well, then, we shall have to remedy that.Ah!Here we are!”
She didn’t know what that meant—did the crown prince intend to give her father books?—but was unable to ask as they arrived at a set of large double doors.The prince released her and pushed them open, the iron hinges groaning with the effort.
His eyes were alight with excitement as he led her inside, proud to show off the room.
Serena stepped through the door and halted, gazing around the room that had shelves of books soaring high to the ceiling.It was a cozy room, too.A hearth on one end with plush furniture that invited the reader to sit, read, and stay awhile.The floor was covered in a thick jewel-toned rug stretching from corner to corner, wall to wall.Walls that did not host bookshelves were adorned with oil paintings of the royal family.
It was everything she’d ever dreamed of for her father, and for a fleeting heartbeat, she wished she could be the girl who belonged here.But she wasn’t.The Well had seen to that.
“Do you love it?”the crown prince asked.
“It is amazing,” she breathed.
He took her by the hand, holding it in his warm one.“I’m glad.Shall we choose a book?”
Her gaze flicked from the shelves back to him.He looked so happy, so jovial, so excited to sit here and read alone…with her.How could she say no?
“If that’s what you’d like, your highness.”
His hand tightened on hers as he drew closer.“I find quiet solitude with a book and easy companionship with a lady is what I’d like.What do you like to read?”
Truthfully, she wasn’t much of a reader.That was Papa.He was the one with his nose always stuck between the pages.Her life was far too busy to enjoy such a leisurely activity.There was the baking and the cooking, the gardening and the sewing.All to make sure they stayed warm and fed and clothed.The prince, though, lived a life of luxury and would never understand her hardships.
Or the price she paid to be here with him.
But, with a massive library at her disposal, she had one chance to change all that.
“Do you have any books about the Fae?”
His brows winged upward.“You have an inquisitive mind, I see.I like that about you.We have a few.I’ll show you.”
While she picked several books about Fae folklore, he rang for tea and had a servant built a warm fire.Once he had a book about sea-faring adventures in hand, they settled down together in the seating area to read.It could not have felt more domestic.And, for once, Serena craved it.
But as she cracked open the first book, she knew it was not to be.And for the first time, Serena wondered if saving him meant damning herself.
Chapter 16
Hourslater,Serena’seyeswere dry and gritty but she was determined not to give up.Prince Edgar, however, had long since dozed off, his book open on his chest.The gentle rise and fall of his chest indicated he was in deep in sleep.
It gave her ample time to continue her research.Determination was the only thing driving her now.Shehadto find the name of the stranger.
With a glance over her shoulder, she saw the prince continued to doze.Likely he was still recovering from his illness and he needed the rest.She set aside the volume she was reading and returned to the bookshelf where she’d found that one.
Then she saw it.
The Hidden Courts: Folklore and Forgotten Histories of the Fae
How had she not seen it before?With a shaking hand, she pulled the thick book off the shelf.It was bound in a deep green leather, its cover tooled with golden knotwork that seemed to shimmer and glow under the lamplight.With her heart beating rapidly, she headed back to the chair by the fire and opened it.Excitement seared through her.
