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She sat on a polished wooden settee carved with ornate flourishes and upholstered in alabaster velvet, watching me with keen eyes as she sipped a cup of steaming liquid. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating her dark skin and spiral curls, giving her an angelic appearance.
I sat on the matching settee across from her. “Just admiring the view.”
The palace showcased beautiful flowers and plants, both inside and out, that I’d never seen before on Earth. I wanted to learn about each one.
“Mom used to garden and taught me a lot about flowers.”
“I am referring to whatever is lingering on your mind. What I saw on your face from the moment you entered this room.”
I’d done my best to hide it, but my mind kept replaying the words Cyn had whispered while getting dressed after what happened in the kitchen.
“We’ll work on biscuits next time.”
The fact that he’d remembered how much I wanted to fix the biscuits for Grandma, even though she wasn’t here anymore, made my heart swell.
Then I remembered what he’d told me about his childhood. No wonder he’d hated me back when he thought I’d done the same thing: manipulating him with magic into believing something that wasn’t true.
“Would you like to talk about it?” Quinfina asked when I didn’t respond.
I shook my head. “No.”
Whatever was going on between Cyn and me wasn’t her business. I was already unsure of my own feelings for him, so I didn’t need outside opinions to muddy the waters even more.
“Why am I here? Rinlora said you wanted to speak with me while the guys were with the council.”
“You’ve not bonded with the others.”
“Seriously? You wanna talk about which prince I’m hooking up with too?”
The first thing the council talked to me about after my arrival was my bond with Ash. Now this?
Quinfina snort-laughed. “Not particularly, no.”
“Then what?”
“I only wish to share an observation. The process isn’t important, though I want to ask if you intend to complete your tether with the others.”
I glanced to the side. “What does it matter?”
“I suppose you need more from me.” She looked down at the liquid in the cup held on her lap. “Your connection with the others is different from that of other Shyrlivi.”
“Different how?”
“With every tether you complete as you bond with the others, the stronger they become. Both as individuals and as a unit. Your bonds are the cornerstone of Elyrdin’s lasting prosperity.”
So the only reason everyone seemed to have a vested interest in my relationships with the guys was what they could do for Elyrdin? Not whether the guys were happy? The politics were grating on my last nerve.
Everyone had an opinion about who I should bond with and what those bonds meant for Elyrdin, but they expected me to decide without knowing what the hell I was agreeing to.
“You’re disgruntled.”
“Understatement.”
She hummed, taking another sip. “Care to elaborate?”
Quinfina had done nothing to wrong me. Yes, she’d given me the book that turned my life upside down, but she’d warned me before I played the stupid little game that changed everything. And she’d come when I’d been in dire straits in Cholian.
I needed to give her more.
