Page 26 of Between Sun and Moon

He nodded. “It’s alright. It’s a lot. I know. I understand that you need time.”

I smiled softly. “Thank you.”

“You are most welcome. By the way, I was wondering, would you care to have dinner with me sometime?”

My mouth popped open—someone clearly did not understand the meaning of being friends.

“Aurelius, I—”

“No, not like that.” Softly, he cut me off, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “I simply wish to be in your presence. If you are worried that having dinner with me alone is too intimate, then we can do so in a public setting instead—the dining hall, perhaps?”

My tightly strung shoulders relaxed as I thought over his request. I had heard about the grand feasts that were held in the king’s dining hall before. In fact, it was something the villagers spoke of regularly—in particular, what it must be like to gaze upon tables so full of food, it was a wonder the legs didn’t combust. Apart from the food-occupied minds of starving village folk, they also talked about the people who attended the illustrious dinners. Most notably—theking,himself.

Part of me felt excited, while the other part wondered if dining at the same table as someone you planned to kill was bad table manners. Regardless, it didn’t really matter because declining an invitation to learn more about the king’s everyday life seemed like a wasted opportunity.

I smiled at Aurelius. “I’d be happy to join.”

“Wonderful,” he said approvingly, smiling back at me with those straight, perfect whites.

After we bid one another good night, I opened the door and walked inside, unprepared for the red-faced fireball that waited on the other side.

Sage

“Where have you been?” Brunhilde gruffed at me, her arms folded tightly over her abundant chest, one foot tapping the floor faster than two jackrabbits fucking in the woods.

Lightly, I closed the door as that walking-on-eggshells feeling washed over me. “I was in the courtyard gardens with Prince Aurelius?” I said, posing it as a question in case it was the wrong answer.

Her mouth was already halfway open before I finished, prepared to give me a tongue-lashing, but when she heard who I was with, she clamped it shut. She smiled wide, morphing into a ball of sweetness and pleasantness before my very eyes. “Did you have a nice time?”

“Yes,” I said, drawing out the word, still wondering if it was safe to move. Spending your adolescent years with a woman like Ezra would do that—it would put the fear of older women into you. And rightfully so. They were a force to be reckoned with.

“That’s wonderful to hear, my lady,” she said, nodding. Her gaze dipped, surveying the sorry state of my gown and then her eyes went wide. Judging by the look on her face, she was correlating my time with the prince with the wreckage of my dress.

Heat scorched my cheeks. “We were just walking!” I exclaimed, tossing my hands in front of me in defense.

“Yes, of course, of course,” she said, her words not meeting her eyes. She scuttled over to the armoire.

“I’m telling the truth,” I snipped, somewhat annoyed she didn’t believe me. I traipsed behind her, stopping a few feet away. My shoulder bit into the wall as I leaned against it, arms crossed.

“You were gone for quite some time,” she argued as she plucked out another stuffy-looking dress. She held it up in front of me and poked her tongue out the side of her mouth, one eye closing. Shaking her head, she returned the dress to the armoire and pulled out another—this one even more cumbersome than the last.

“It was a long walk,” I defended before I gestured to the dress. “Do I have to wear that?”

“You are welcome to pick out your own dress,” she muttered as she ran her hand down the sleeve. She grasped the cuff and shook it lightly, weighing if she liked it or not while her head teetered from side to side in silent debate.

“What about a tunic and a pair of pants?” I asked, knowing it was a wishful thought.

She dropped the sleeve, her gaze jumping up to mine. And then she laughed, her laugh so boisterous, so infectious, I couldn’t help but smile—even if she was laughingatme.

“Oh, my lady, you have quite the sense of humor,” she said sweetly, shoving the dress back and selecting a third one. Just like the rest, she eyed it over before she gave it a satisfactory nod.

. . . I guessed the pants and tunic were a no-go then.

She placed the dress on the bed, then came over to me, gesturing for me to rotate.

I turned, saying at the same time, “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Hmm?” she answered distantly, focusing on undoing the busted remains of my corset.

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