Page 95 of A Kingdom of Magic and Rain

“Of course. I’m beyond excited for you.”

“Reserve your excitement until she says ‘yes’.”

“I have no doubt that she will.”

We simply stared at each other for a few seconds, grinning with joyous anticipation, until the door to the art room opened and Adrian and Miri walked in.

“There you both are,” Adrian said, his silver gaze immediately ensnaring mine. “Miri was looking for Sebastian. We checked your quarters, Emelin, but you weren’t there.” He looked rather pleased by the fact.

“I’ve spent most of my day here, with the exception of the few hours spent training with Lady May in the gardens.”

“I take it you find the art room to your liking?” Adrian asked when he and Miri stopped before Sebastian and me.

For a split second, I considered lying and saying something derogatory about the room just to hurt his feelings, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. “I do, I love it. It’s perfect.”

“You deserve perfect, and so much more.”

I didn’t want perfect, I simply wanted us from before. We couldn’t return to that, but maybe we could build a new foundation.

“I agree, the room is lovely,” Miri chimed in. “And to think it didn’t even exist two weeks ago.” By saying that, she inadvertently confirmed my suspicion that Adrian had made the new addition to the castle specifically for me.

My heart warmed. “Thank you,” I told him, looking into his eyes to convey how much the gesture meant to me.

“You’re welcome. Are you almost finished in here for the day? I’d love to give you a little tour of the province now that it has cooled down in the afternoon.”

I opened my mouth to turn him down, but Sebastian’s earlier words echoed in my head. You don’t want to miss out on what little time you have together.

“Yes, I’m finished. I just need to put away the painting supplies. Miri wants to show Sebastian the area as well. Why don’t we all ride together?”

Adrian’s face that had lit up a moment ago dimmed. “I would love for them to join, but what I have planned accommodates only the two of us.”

“I thought we were going for a ride?”

“We are, but not in a carriage.” He gave me a sly smile.

Intrigued, I hurried over to the easel to clean up the paints and brushes.

“We, on the other hand, are going in a carriage, and our coachman is waiting on us. Are you ready?” Miri asked my brother.

“I am.” He beamed at her as he offered her his arm. When I peeked at them from behind the easel, Sebastian looked at me. “I’m sure I’ll see you again soon, Em.”

“I’m sure you will. You two enjoy yourselves.”

“We will, and same to you and Adrian. I hope you’ll take what we discussed to heart.”

“I will.”

After he and Miri had strolled out of the art room, Adrian inquired, “What did you discuss?”

“Nothing,” I told him as I finished cleaning up.

I was nervous about spending time with him, only the two of us, because I wasn’t sure how long I would be able to keep my distance. I stood by what I had told my brother—two weeks wasn’t long enough for me to forgive Adrian—but with each remorse-filled apology and thoughtful gesture toward me, he rattled the walls around my heart. Frowning, I looked down at my chest to inspect the invisible wound. It was still there.

“What is it? Are you all right?” Adrian asked, stepping closer to me.

I looked up at him. “When I learned about your betrayal, it felt like a hole opened up in my chest. The pain was excruciating, unbearable. It has dulled over the past two weeks, but I feel it still, and the wound…it’s still there.” I lifted my hand to my heart.

His gaze dropped to my chest before returning to my face. His eyes were glimmering with tears. “If I must spend an eternity atoning for what I did, for the pain that I caused, I will do it. There is no one else, Emelin. There will never be, my star. If the wound never heals, and I have to spend the rest of my existence being unable to touch you again, I will accept that as my punishment and suffer alongside you.”