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“Come on,” he said. “We have dinner with your parents in an hour.”

I looked up at the sun’s position, surprised an entire day had already passed.

When we’d arrived on Two in the late hours of night, I hadn’t said anything to my father, and hadn’t seen any signs of my mother. But I’d committed to dinner this evening, and although I didn’t regret it, I was nervous.

Adrian poked my side. “It’s going to be great.”

I gave him a hesitant smile. I hoped he was right.

We walked back to my family’s manor in silence, following the rolling hills that overlooked their village of Abernathy, careful to stay a good distance away from the people of the village, my resurrection not public.

The people of Two had been told about my death, but the circumstances had been fabricated—the princess, married to a respectable suitor in a city far away from Abernathy, met her tragic end from a sickness that could not be cured.

So, instead of cutting through the main streets that led to the front gates of the manor, we stayed in the hills, entering the grounds of the royal estate from the side.

Estate was really an exaggeration. My family’s land was more like a large farm.

For rulers of Two, my parents lived quite modestly.

At the center of their estate, their two-story manor sat elegantly, with a light stone exterior and a short wooden fence enclosing their large yard: a yard full of flowers that continued past the fencing and into the hills, the fields full of a wonderful mix of varieties and colors.

The windows of the manor were thoughtfully framed, with wooden shutters matching the stained wood of the fencing. And the terracotta roofing on the manor was worn but charming, the final touch to a picturesque home.

While Leo’s castle could be considered foreboding, with cool slate gray and multiple levels, the stonework and lived-in roof of my parents’ home seemed cozier, a sense of warmth to it.

It was summer here as well, the air heavy with moisture.

Adrian had told me it rained here often, making the grass an even more vibrant shade of green than the castle grounds I’d grown accustomed to on One, and making Six’s overall coloring feel drab without the touch of magic.

For someone from another Earth, the commander had seemed well-acquainted with the land here.

Reaching the manor, we entered the quiet living area, the worn leather sofas and floral-printed rugs greeting us with a familiar hello.

The scent of fresh bread and spices wafted from the kitchen near the back of the house, tickling my nose, making my stomach rumble.

I was exhausted and starved from all the running.

Leaving behind the scent of deliciousness, we climbed a set of wooden stairs to the only guest room where we were both staying.

I’d been surprised to learn the shared space with Adrian hadn’t bothered me when we’d arrived; somehow, I no longer thought of him as a brute.

With the secret of who I was now exposed, and our moment in the lake together, he’d been kind. A word I didn’t think many would use to describe him. He was a soldier through and through, but he’d become an ally to me, and I understood why Leo thought so highly of him.

Thankfully, our room had a small bathroom with a toilet, sink, and large wooden tub for washing, where I could have some privacy.

“You can use it first,” Adrian said, following my gaze toward the bathroom. “I’ll go find some fresh clothes for us.”

“Thank you,” I said as he left, closing the bedroom door behind him.

I sat on the edge of the simple bed, giving my body a minute to decompress.

My fingers picked at the pink and white floral quilt, neatly tucked in along the edges.

I smiled. Adrian even made his bed like a soldier.

He’d offered to sleep on the floor last night, but I’d insisted he share the bed with me. We were two adults, after all; we could share a bed and not make it into something it wasn’t.

The second my head had touched the pillow, I’d fallen asleep quickly and slept soundly. The soft scent of rose, the scent of this home, comforting me in my dreams.