Page 8 of A Kingdom of Magic and Rain

My brows pinched as I flipped several more pages until I found the chapters that talked about our powers. Magic had existed in Emeraldia since the onset of the kingdom. When our people had first settled on the continent, they had found a harsh climate and soil too dense for agriculture. Queen Rosalie, our first monarch, had prayed upon the Stars to grant her people prosperity, and the Stars had answered by bestowing on her the gift of magic. Known as the Star-kissed Queen, she had been the first one to transfer her powers into the land, thus turning Emeraldia into a flourishing agricultural kingdom. What she had given to the land, the land had given back, and over time, everyone in the realm had developed magical abilities.

I stopped reading when I came across the Clairborne family tree featured on one of the pages. Queen Rosalie was depicted at the top, with five generations flowing down, spanning over two hundred years until King Elias and Queen Estelle. My gaze lingered on the miniature portraits of my ancestors. With golden hair and eyes, Estelle was known as the Golden Queen. Many called me the Golden Princess because of how similar we looked.

I turned the page to find the next three generations. Queen Estelle had never married or borne any children before her untimely death. King Elias and his wife, Queen Seraphina, had a son—King Silas, my grandfather. Silas and his wife, Queen Agatha, had begotten my father, Adelard, and his sister, Lorraine. Lorraine and her husband had a daughter, Luna, and from my parents were my brother Sebastian and I.

When the sound of the patio door opening snapped my attention from the book, I looked up at the same time Gray stepped outside. Dressed in a white shirt and black pants, he appeared relaxed, carrying a book in one hand and a coffee mug in the other. He tensed when he noticed me, and his dark brows knitted as his gaze locked on mine.

“Your Highness?” he asked in his deep voice.

“Please, call me Emelin.” I offered a small smile. “Good morning.”

“Morning.” He didn’t return my smile. “You’re up early.” His tone was almost accusatory, making me wonder if he enjoyed his quiet time on the patio every morning, and I was infringing on that.

“I couldn’t sleep,” I admitted.

“I’m sure being in an unfamiliar place didn’t help,” he muttered, eyeing the wicker chair close to where I was sitting.

He looked as if he was unsure about joining me, but after a moment of hesitation, he closed the distance between us and took a seat.

“What are you reading?” he asked, his gaze dropping to the open book in my lap.

“The War of Two Worlds.”

His brows lifted in surprise as he set his coffee cup on the table before him. “The book is written in the old language. You can read Stellian?”

“And speak it, too. All royals are strongly encouraged to learn it to honor the long-standing tradition. Though some of us take the task more seriously than others.”

“I doubt there is anything in that book that you don’t already know,” he pointed out.

I suddenly realized that it might seem strange that I was reading about the Great War. “I was just refreshing my memory. How much do you know about our magic?”

“As much as anyone else. Our powers were bestowed on us by the Stars.” He looked up at the sky.

I followed his gaze to the ominous gray clouds above us. “I wish we knew more about its origin.”

Gray arched a brow. “Your Highness.”

“Emelin,” I interjected.

“Emelin.” He pressed his lips in a thin line as if he didn’t like calling me by my name. “You’re a royal. You should know our magic better than anyone else. Besides, it doesn’t matter where it came from. It’s what we do with it that counts. Or don’t do.” He gave me a pointed look.

“What are you implying?” I demanded in a cold tone.

“Only that I find it strange you haven’t tried to unlock your powers until now,” he replied calmly.

“I did try when my powers first awakened, but then I became consumed by something else…” I trailed off, feeling heat creeping into my cheeks.

“Which was?” Gray prodded.

“I fell in love,” I said simply.

The excuse sounded weak to my own ears. I couldn’t believe that I had lost myself in the relationship, deciding to focus on my fiancé instead of my magic.

Casting his gaze down, the lord chuckled, shaking his head.

Is he laughing at me?

“Have you ever been in love?” There was a challenge in the question.