Page 59 of A Kingdom of Magic and Rain

My brows flew up in shock. “The one who invaded Emeraldia?”

“Not according to our history,” he murmured, his gaze flicking to me before returning to the portrait before us. “Our history claims that it was King Elias who invaded Aubrielle and killed Oberon, unprovoked.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “That doesn’t make any sense. King Elias erected the wards to protect us from the Fae.”

“He would have needed that protection after slaughtering our king,” he countered.

I scoffed and shook my head before looking back at the portrait.

“Why does your history differ from ours?” I wondered aloud. “And why have I been having dreams about Oberon?”

“You’ve been having dreams about him?”

“Yes. I thought it was you in my dreams, but they felt more like memories.”

“Maybe it has something to do with the prophecy.”

I rolled my eyes. “The prophecy. The one where a Clairborne is supposed to defeat the Fae king. Do you truly believe it?”

“I don’t know what to believe anymore.” His words resonated with me as the more was revealed, the more questions sprang to life. It was as if I were carrying a lit candle through a pitch-black room, illuminating only a tiny piece of a much bigger picture at a time while the rest was still shrouded in shadows. “Sorin believes in the prophecy enough that he ordered your father to be killed even though he knew that would expose us.”

A bitter taste pooled in the back of my mouth. “Did you know that Sorin was going to make an attempt on my father’s life?”

“No,” he said fiercely as he clasped my shoulders and peered into my eyes. “You have to believe me when I say I didn’t know.”

My teeth ached from how hard I was clenching my jaw. “I don’t know what to believe anymore,” I echoed his words as I unfolded my arms to forcefully shake off his hold.

His eyes dimmed as he dropped his hands and curled them into fists, his knuckles whitening. When he stalked away from me, I followed him to the grand staircase at the end of the hall. We climbed the wide stone steps to the second story in tense silence. Down another long corridor we went until we had reached a set of tall double doors. Killian was stationed by them, garbed in blue and silver like the other guards. No longer wearing glamor to conceal his true nature, he looked a few years younger, though his short hair was still gray. Gone was the good-natured butler with a tranquil gaze. He looked like a warrior now, his gray eyes sharp and assessing.

“Your Highness.” He bowed before me when we neared.

I couldn’t bring myself to answer back, deeply hurt by his betrayal. His eyes softened as if in understanding, and he didn’t say anything else as he opened one of the doors to the chambers.

Adrian and I entered the room in silence, and a moment later, the guard closed the door behind us with a soft thud.

My heart fell as I quickly took in my surroundings. A tiny part of me had hoped that Adrian wasn’t truly a Fae prince, but the lavish furnishings and the air of refinery that filled the space more than confirmed his royal status.

“Did you ever consider telling me?” I whirled on him, the words escaping before I could stop them.

He stilled before me, his features drawn in the yellow glow of the lamps.

“I did, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it, too afraid of losing you.”

“Well, now you have lost me anyway,” I said in a hateful tone, and Adrian flinched, my words stinging him as I had intended.

Satisfied with the pain I had inflicted, I spun away from him and headed to the bathing chamber I had spotted from the anteroom. His tormented expression was the last thing I saw before I closed the bathroom door behind me and sagged against it. I wanted to slide down all the way to the floor and wallow in my misery, but by some miracle, I managed to keep myself up. My legs were weak as I walked over to the sink, and my hands trembled as I splashed some water on my haggard face. Bleary-eyed, I stared at my reflection in the gilded mirror. The last few hours had felt surreal. I was in the Fae kingdom, and the last two months of my life had been a lie. Adrian was a stranger who knew me in the most intimate way. A few tears escaped at the thought, but I quickly wiped them away. I couldn’t break down like I wanted. Not here, not now. I was in the Fae territory, and I needed to have a clear head.

“What happens now?” I asked Adrian as soon as I had emerged from the bathroom.

He was pacing the room but halted when I came out.

“I need to get you out of here,” he said so low I almost missed it as his gaze flicked to the bedroom door.

I also glanced at the door as all the things I had read about the Fae through the years began popping up in my head, momentarily crowding out the current of dread and trepidation.

“So it’s true that faeries have a heightened sense of hearing?” I asked, and Adrian nodded instead of replying.

I scoffed. “Good to know. Because the notion about the Fae not being able to lie turned out to be a myth.”