When we arrived at Mr. Nevio’s burrow, I followed Minerva and her candle down into the dark parlor as usual. As we descended, the shadows and quiet halls did little to distract my mind from thoughts of the deceitful prince. Tiny stings pricked at my heart as his gray eyes flashed through my mind amongst the shadows. It made sense that he was a prince. He had been so bold and fearless when we met by the river and had been well trained to handle intense scenarios. I was certain the royal family of Ashbourne would have taught their heirs to be resourceful, but I didn’t believe they had taught them to be compassionate...
So why had Killian seemed so genuine?
He had shown consideration for me since our first meeting. It would have been so easy for him to let me drown, but instead, he risked his life and even got horribly injured just to save me.Could that heroism really have been faked?It seemed obvious to me now that his true intentions were likely to marry me, but that didn’t entirely match up with his motives, either. He had heard the story of my adoption and knew as well as I did that there was only a slim chance that I was Estelle. Without a full confirmation of my identity, marrying me could just as easily damage his chances at becoming king as it could help. So why did he bother? Why did he pretend to care so much? Why did he look so broken when I left?
Was he truly being fake or had some of his real self gotten intertwined with his ruse?
It was easy to pretend that you cared for someone, but I didn’t know anyone who could pretend to be so hurt. Maybe I just couldn’t believe that his pain was faked—and if it wasn’t faked, what made it real to him? Was I truly just a pawn in his game to become king? That seemed like a shallow thing to get worked up over, and he had never seemed shallow. My head was pounding with unanswered questions and theories, so much so that when Minerva and I were seated, I didn’t even hear Mr. Nevio ask me a question.
“Nixie?” he asked again. “Have you enjoyed your time in the west?”
The dim lighting made it easy to lose focus, and I blinked out of my daze. “Oh, yes, it’s been quite refreshing. I must admit that I do miss home, and I look forward to returning once the river is safe to cross, but Minerva has made it easy to feel at home in the west.” I turned to give the woman a gracious smile, but when I met her ice-blue eyes, I noticed a slight bit of tension flickering behind the candlelight.That’s odd... I wonder what’s bothering her?
Mr. Nevio shared a quiet look with Minerva, and her expression softened. “Isn’t it wonderful that Nixie has grown to appreciate the west in such a short amount of time? She hasn’t even been here for a full month and already compares it to her home. Why, I’d imagine in a few more weeks, she might even think twice about leaving.” She laughed casually, resting her delicate hand upon her cheek.
I curiously observed Mr. Nevio as he settled back into his armchair. He seemed slightly more at ease for some reason. “I’m pleased to hear you’ve adjusted well under the circumstances, Nixie,” he said coolly. “I do hope that you’ve found my own home comfortable as well. I would hate for our visits to be anything less than familiar at this point.”
My mind quickly scanned through any polite responses. In all honesty, his home made me deeply uncomfortable. The cramped walls and sunless rooms felt more like a prison than a home, but I couldn’t tell him that. This poor man was simply trying to offer whatever hospitality he had, and it would be rude of me to insult his home.
“You have been a most excellent host,” I said sweetly. “Your craft certainly shows around your home, and I am honored to be able to witness the inner workings of such a skilled builder and sorcerer. Your home is truly an extension of yourself. I thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Nevio.”
There, that should be cordial enough.
“The pleasure is mine, Nixie,” he said with a tip of his head. For a brief moment, I thought I caught the twitch of a smile on his lips, but then again it may also have been a flick of the candle. “And please, call me Milo. Mr. Nevio is far too formal now that we’ve grown acquainted.”
This time he actually did smile, no trick of the light involved. His expression grew warm and inviting at the change, and for a moment, I didn’t recognize him.
I returned his smile. “Of course, Milo.”
It struck me as strange that Milo had been so insistent on forgoing formalities, but I didn’t particularly mind. Minerva had been hinting that something eventful would happen in our visit today, and perhaps this was it?
We continued to chat mindlessly for a few more minutes until Minerva cleared her throat. We both turned to give her the requested attention, but instead of speaking, she winked at Milo. I found the exchange rather perplexing, but my thoughts were still too focused on my conversation with the foreign prince to think any more of it. My head was too jumbled to make sense of anything today, so I simply waved off the pair’s odd behavior as simply misinterpreting the room.
Milo nodded in some sort of silent understanding, then rose from his seat. He never moved from his chair during his visits due to the position of the light, so this was certainly out of the ordinary. He continued to move about the room until he was directly in front of me. I arched a brow, and a nervous knot began to form in my stomach. He wasn’t very tall, but it still felt as if he was towering over me as the candle back-lit his dark silhouette.
“Is everything alright, Milo?” I asked sheepishly. It was impossible to see his expression with the light behind him.
“Yes, Nixie,” he said calmly as he slowly lowered himself on his knee and reached for my hand. I tensed under his touch, but remained far too frozen to object.What is he doing?His head was slightly lower than mine now, so I could see the top of his silver hair glittering in the dancing flame’s light. “Nixie, we may not have known each other long, but I believe that fate has brought us together for this very moment...”
I gasped loudly.What. Is. He. Doing?
“Nixie, my eyes have taken in so little beauty over the last twenty years, but your lovely face has made up for all the absence of light in only a few weeks.” He reached into the pocket of his tweed coat and pulled out a ring with the largest diamond I had have ever seen. “Nixie Greene, will you marry me?”
My mouth dropped open as I stared dumbly at the kneeling man.Where did this even come from!?Milo and I had barely known each other for a few weeks, and we certainly never established any type of romantic connection. Why would he believe I had any interest in marrying him?
I could hear Minerva bite back an excited squeal beside me, but I was in too much shock to be angry at her for failing to warn me about this atrocity.She had known about this... What were they thinking!?I could never marry Milo! He wasn’t a bad person, but I couldn’t stay here with him. I needed to return home and find my mother, and I could never reside in darkness for the rest of my life.
Silence ensued until the tension began to pick at Minerva. “Nixie dear, don’t leave the poor man waiting. Tell him you accept.” Suddenly, her usual sweet voice sounded far steelier.
I turned my awestruck expression to her and noticed her lips had been pressed into a fine line and her hands were balled tightly against her chest. My confusion only heightened as I noticed her stiff posture. It was as if she was tenser than I was—which I found very difficult to believe under the circumstances. She wasn’t the one staring down at the glimmer of a diamond big enough to be a pea.
I looked back at Milo, who hadn’t moved from his kneel since asking the realm-shattering question. “Uh... I just—” I bit my lip, a cold sweat forming on my brow. I slyly slipped my hand out from Milo’s grasp to tuck a tuft of red curls behind my ear. “That’s very kind of you, Milo, but I feel as if this is all a little sudden...” A touch of guilt tapped at my heart as I began to formulate the rejection. When I looked back at Milo, he didn’t seem terribly disheartened; instead, he looked over at Minerva, who appeared rather flustered.
“Oh, of course it’s too sudden!” she said a little frantically, rushing over to grab my arm with a sympathetic pat. “I suppose it’s only been a few weeks since you’ve known each other, but in due time, I’m certain your union will feel more natural.”
What!?I opened my mouth to protest, but Minerva quickly stood and pulled me to my feet with her. “We’ll be going now, but we’ll return tomorrow as usual. Have a lovely day, Milo!”
Without warning, Minerva snatched the candle on the tea table and dragged me back to the surface. The entire situation was so disorienting that I didn’t even realize we had made it back to the cottage until I was sitting at the table. Minerva pulled up a seat next to me, then pressed her hands into her face with a heavy sigh.Why is she getting so worked up over this? I was the one who received an unexpected proposal!?