Charmed

Chapter Fifteen

The next two weeks were fairly uneventful compared to the last month. I resumed my duties as a servant, acting as if I wasn't descended from one of the most powerful witch families in the world and that I wasn't in love with the prince. The latter was much harder for me to do; Darius would find time to whisk me away during the day while I was doing my chores. Sometimes it would be in the stables and other times it would be in the laundry room. We would eat breakfast together (Nancy would give me two plates on a tray instead of the usual one to take to his chambers) before I had to go about my day.

Every evening, after dinner, I would head up to Darius' chambers. He would help me control and understand magic. I had almost perfected fire, now moving onto levitation. While Darius had the ability to make himself fly, I could only just manage to make a vase move to the edge of a table.

The Elders were true to their word when they said that they would send someone to monitor my magic. Once a week, an intimidating man named Bastien would collect me from Darius' chambers and take me to one of the training rooms that Claude and Darius had practiced in when they were children.

I would often forget the spell I had to use or what it was I had to be doing when I was in the same room as Bastien. He radiated power and strength, of which I had none. However, forgetting what I had to do made it look like my magic wasn't as advanced as it actually was, which Darius said was good, and it seemed to satisfy the Elders. 

And, once all the magic lessons were over, I had time to spend with Darius. When we were together, he wasn't a prince and I wasn't a servant. We were just two people who were madly in love with the other.

The seasons had also changed quickly, and now we were halfway through spring. Glydale was beautiful during this time of year, flowers blooming all around the castle and the grounds. The snow had melted away fairly quickly, and the trees were regaining their healthy green leaves. The streams could flow without ice being an obstacle. The castle felt much warmer, too, and the need for a cloak became much less frequent, to the point where it would only be needed at night.

"I thought we should do something today," Darius said as I placed his lunch on the table.

I raised an eyebrow, making him smirk. He wrapped an arm around my waist, dragging me down into his lap. I practically melted into him as he began planting several feather-light kisses along the nape of my neck.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked, trying not to let my voice or body give away how much he was affecting me.

"We could go for a ride," he suggested. He took my hand in his and began tracing patterns over my skin. "The mountains have a beautiful view at night."

I swivelled in his lap so that I was straddling him, my skirts hitched up to my thighs. "You mean..."

"We can stay there overnight," he smiled, kissing me softly. My hands wound into his sandy-blonde hair. "No need to worry about who might walk in or hear us."

"Darius!" I gasped, my cheeks flaming red in embarrassment.

"Because we both know you're not very quiet -" I clamped my hands over his mouth to prevent him from saying anything else. I must have been the same colour as his bedsheets. Despite how embarrassed I felt, I couldn't stop laughing.

"My lord?" A knock at the door made us freeze. Neither of us recognised the voice, and Darius and I became a scramble of limbs.

"One moment!" he called, grabbing my waist and setting me back on my feet.

I darted for the scrubbing brush that I had left in the corner of the chamber, not having the chance to empty it before lunch. Darius looked over his shoulder as he reached for the handle, watching me fall to my knees and begin scrubbing the floor.