𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒐𝒍𝒅

chapter forty-two

Emriana

"Add a tiny bit more blue over there. Use the one I took for this flower,"

"Okay," I reached for a clean paintbrush and dipped it on the pallet before softly applying it to the canvas. I tried to concentrate, but my mind kept rushing back to my encounter with Prince Lorino.

Our short discussion raised so many questions that a tiny part of me wished he would come back. That was only a small part, though, as the rest of me felt terrified at the idea of being in the presence of a prince again.

The rest of the time, I was thinking about them. It was the first time I had allowed myself to even think about them since I had left. The three boys I had banned from my heart and soul were all of a sudden occupying my mind.

Some part of me wondered if Kove had perhaps lied about them too. If only I knew the extent of his lies, what was true and what wasn't. I knew the prince part of the story was real, it was so obvious that I couldn't believe I had failed to see it myself. But the rest... was it all true? Had they been playing a game with me? Did they really not care about me at all? Were they the cruelest people ever? Had they killed people?

I shook my head a little and tried to persuade myself to just focus on my work to make time go by faster, but the size of the canvas took much more time than anticipated. It didn't help that every sound had me tense as I always expected a member of the Royal family to just waltz by.

I didn't hate painting with Miss Adelina, but I would be lying to myself if I said that it was truly what I wanted to be doing right now. I wanted to be with Akira, his absence was getting harder to bare. I also missed the few friends I had made in Ekudal. I even wondered if the Royal family had been pleased by the work done in the chapel. But I also wanted to go home, my real home, and forget about all of this.

If only I had listened to Grandma Roe...

"What's going on with you today?" Miss Adelina asked, and I looked away from the flower I was working on and turn my head to see her already looking at me.

I sighed, hesitating about what I should say. Knowing she had such powerful connections made me wary of saying too much out of fear it could get me in trouble.

"I just don't like being in a castle," I regretted the word as soon as they left my lips. It made her frown in question.

"You've been in a castle before?" I knew she would ask that.

"No,"

"Then, what's wrong?" She questioned.

"I just don't like being so close to the Royal family," I mentally face-palmed myself at my poor answer. Why did I just say that?

"Why?" I wanted to tell her to stop asking questions, but I felt like I owed her an answer. She had been offering me shelter for the past few days.

"It's scary," I mumbled under my breath, and she smiled a little.

"I know exactly what you mean. The first time I was hired to paint a portrait of the Queen, I was trembling so hard that I still wonder how I was able to do my work," she chuckled a little.

"As time went on, I realized I had been wrong about them. They weren't cruel and power-hungry. They were genuinely nice people. The King always asked me for more portraits of his wife and children that he can have in his office. He loves them so much. He's truly kind and caring," she explained, a smile gracing her lips.

"Prince Lorino is actually one of the most pleasant people I have met, and even if he wears the title of a prince, he's still humble and kind to others," I could tell she was speaking from her heart and felt suddenly guilty for being so cold toward him earlier.