Chapter: 31: Forbidden Tales

My heart thundered when I accepted Prince Atlas’s arm.

His heat surrounded me like a warm blanket, but it wasn’t soothing. It was breathtaking. And I didn’t breathe again until I heard the door close behind us, leaving the curious gaze of the media behind.

The room was not grand like the rest, and I couldn’t recall seeing it during our adventure last Saturday.

A long, old chestnut table was placed on a crimson rug in front of an abandoned fireplace that didn’t appear to have seen the shadow of a flame for many years.

Crystal chandeliers adorned the wooden ceiling, and a few paintings saved the walls from looking naked.

That was it. There was nothing more to decorate this giant room.

However, at the end of the table was a golden instrument I’d only seen in the storefront displays of expensive stores during one of our rare visits to the Golden Region.

“Please, take a seat, Miss Aldwyn,” Prince Atlas said, pulling out the chair in front of the instrument.

I clenched my fists behind my back and ignored the painful itch of anxiety prickling my skin like tiny needles, and took my first independent step toward the awaiting prince.

“Thank you,” I whispered, settling in the solid wooden chair.

The hairs on the nape of my neck rose when the prince pulled out the chair across from me and sat down.

I didn’t look up.

After our last encounter and the things I’d said during Arawn’s interview, I feared what might await me.

“Have you had time to settle in yet?”

My eyes darkened as I forced the first strange sound across my lips.

“A-a little,” I stuttered, wringing the dress’s delicate fabric in my hands. Faye would be so mad if I tore it.

“It has”—I gulped to clear my throat—“it has been very o-overwhelming, but, I-I have found s-some friends wh-who have helped me adapt to these new s-surroundings.”

I didn’t mean to stutter. I intended to seem confident in my claim, but my throat kept strangling the words I wanted to say.

“I am happy to hear,” Prince Atlas said, his voice as calm and confident as I would’ve liked mine to be.

“Did the books bring you the comfort you needed on your first night?”

Blood rushed to my face as I was reminded of that terribly humiliating night when I’d forced Faye to join me on a stupid mission for my own childish benefit.

“I-I want to thank you for not telling anyone about that night!” I exclaimed, the power of my voice startling me.

Instinctively, I looked up and noticed that even the prince appeared partly stunned.

“Sorry,” I whispered, bringing my gaze down again to inspect the carved lines on the wooden table.

Then the prince started chuckling. “You appear to have forgotten that I was also going for a forbidden evening stroll myself, Miss Aldwyn,” he said, leaning forward so I could glimpse his folded hands.

~Right. I had forgotten about that.~

“However, I believe it would be cruel to deny my guests the pleasure of reading. Would you not agree?”

I did agree, but I didn’t dare express it.

The prince sighed when I didn’t answer him, the sound making my chest sting.

I was failing harder than I’d dared to imagine.

“Do you know what this is, Miss Aldwyn?” Prince Atlas asked, referring to the beautiful instrument in front of me.

The wind gate was broad and segmented into ten different pipes, each diameter decreasing in size as the instrument elongated into a wide loop.

The pipes then assumed various proportions to resemble a golden flower at the crown.

“The blooming pipes,” I said, my voice barely distinguishable from the silence.

The prince nodded. “Have you tried one before?”

I shook my head.

“Do you know how they work?”

That I did.

The pipes each had a different sound. So, an Air Iridis could compose endless melodies if they forced wind through them in a specific sequence.

I’d always wanted to try one, but it was intimidating to do it in front of an Iridis who had mastered his element to perfection.

“Why don’t you give it a try?” Prince Atlas said, leaning back in his chair, his pose more relaxed than I thought I’d ever see the crown prince of Heliac act.

I nodded reluctantly, not wanting to deny the prince’s request. My hand trembled when I slowly lifted it to the wind gate of the blooming pipes.

Wind rushed through my body until I felt it slither around my hand. I gasped when a loud, distressed sound came from the blooming crown.

“I-I don’t think I can do it,” I said, reluctantly pulling my hand back.

I looked up, my breath hitching as Prince Atlas grabbed my hand.

“Try again,” he said, guiding my hand to the wind gate again. “Focus on the individual pipes and experiment with the different frequencies.”

“I—um…,” I said, my mind too chaotic for me to concentrate on anything. “Prince Atlas, I’m not—”

“Close your eyes and test the individual pipes,” he said, interrupting and refusing to let me go.

I shifted in my seat and did as I was told, knowing I wouldn’t be allowed to leave before I’d at least appropriately tried.

It took more than a few attempts for me to keep the wind confined to one pipe.

The pipes in the middle produced a deeper pitch than the pipes on either side.

Forgetting who I was sitting across from, I began practicing the tune of a lullaby that Mom used to sing for us when we were younger.

It wasn’t great, and most of the tones were off, but I could still discern the right melody behind the discordant notes.

“You’re a fast learner.”

I opened my eyes again, realizing that Prince Atlas was still there and had let go of my hand.

Embarrassed, I pulled my hand back to hide under the table and lowered my gaze. “Thank you,” I said, curling my toes.

“I believe Uncle Arthur is going to enjoy teaching you the trade of air,” Prince Atlas said, and pride tugged the corners of my lips upward. “How was your first session with him?”

I blinked a few times, questioning why he would even ask.

“I’m afraid I’m not allowed to discuss my training with Master Art according to my contract,” I said, ashamed that I had to deny the crown prince something as trivial as an answer to that.

Prince Atlas snorted, then laughed deeply. It made my body stiffen. “So, that sly old man has already requested you call him Art.”

Heat shot to my paling cheeks. If I was this careless in front of the crown prince, how would I ever be able to keep this blood mask from cracking in front of the cameras?

“He has never liked the formal ways of the royal houses,” Atlas continued, running a hand through his soft waves. “But I’ve heard from the whispering walls that you prefer casual manners as well.”

I pressed my shoulders down so they wouldn’t automatically rise to my ears.

Faye hadn’t addressed me by my formal title when she’d called for me on my first night because I’d asked her not to.

Adriel addressed me by my first name too, but I couldn’t see how Prince Atlas would know about that.

“I’m just not used to this life yet, Your Highness,” I admitted.

“Would it be more natural for you if I called you ~Willow~ rather than Miss Aldwyn?”

~What?~

“Is that appropriate?” I asked before I could stop myself.

Prince Atlas smiled, amused.

“Could I ask you to stand up, please?” he said, rising to his feet before he offered me his hand.

I let him pull me to my feet, but I kept my gaze lowered so I didn’t look at him.

My time with the prince was coming to an end, and I had achieved nothing but embarrassing myself.

I gasped when I felt something prod my back and involuntarily looked up. A warm hand gently caught my chin, forcing my gaze to meet Prince Atlas’s.

“You’re not a servant anymore, Willow,” Caiden whispered. “You’re a royal suitor. Your gaze is meant to meet mine, not avoid it.”

My face paled again, but he let go of me before my heart could stop beating.

“You may not be here for the crown, but it would be impolite of me to ignore you on such meaningless terms.

“On the contrary, I aspire to make your time here as painless as possible, and if that implies our relationship to remain informal, then so be it.

“I simply ask that you address me by my chosen name: Caiden.”

My body grew unnaturally still. Time slowed.

~Caiden.~

What a strangely traditional name.

“Well, Willow,” Prince Atlas said, stepping forward only for me to take a step back. “I’m afraid our time together is coming to an end for today.

“We must return to the cameras before they become suspicious.”

Prince Atlas bowed before me and offered me his arm.

The golden heir, bowing before me. The same heir who taught me to play an instrument I was never meant to touch and who requested me to address him by a name other than his royal title.

~What is happening?~

“Willow,” Prince Atlas said, bringing me back to my senses. “Are you ready?”

I cleared my throat. “As ready as I can be,” I said, bringing my arm around his.

Prince Atlas smiled and gestured for us to start walking.

“Can you keep a secret?” Prince Atlas whispered as we approached the door.

I sighed and nodded. What was one more secret among the numerous ones I was already keeping?

“This competition scares me senseless.”

“What?” I whispered just as the doors started to open.

“Remember to smile.”

Blue, flashing lights blinded me.

I didn’t fall only because the accustomed prince maintained a steady grip on me.

His reminder reverberated through my ears. Smile.

I tightened my grip on Prince Atlas’s arm and twisted my lips into a delighted smile as if a long dream of mine had just been realized.

“Thank you for a delightful meeting, Miss Aldwyn,” Prince Atlas said, bowing as I curtsied before he shifted his attention to the next suitor in line.

His cape swayed in time with Avery’s sparkling dress as they walked toward the door.

My shoulders suddenly felt a lot lighter. I’d dreaded this moment since the beginning, and now it was over.

The prince was surprisingly…friendly. There had been more hiding behind that royal exterior.

The glimpse of commonality and compassion I’d seen in the mansion might not just have been a figment of my imagination.

~Caiden~, I thought to myself, smiling softly.

Such a simplistic name.

“You were in there for quite a while.”

I glanced beside me, seeing Calla peek at me from the corner of her eye.

“I was?” I whispered, not daring to turn my face in fear of Evie’s wrath.

She nodded quietly. “For at least ten minutes. What were you doing in there?”

I smirked, knowing that I was going to leave her hanging. “I’ll tell you tonight.”

She quickly grazed my arm to express her disapproval. “Rude.” She giggled.

“Girls!” Evie hissed swiftly, hoping to hide our disobedient behavior from the king and the cameras.

We straightened our backs and fixed our gaze on the white horizon. Calla seemed to be struggling as hard as I was not to laugh, but we both managed.

Piper was the last suitor to have a private conversation with the prince.

They were still chatting when the doors opened, but unlike the rest of us, he didn’t follow her all the way to her spot in line.

Instead, he bowed before her in front of the king, and she walked back alone.

“Tonight, you can expect to receive a personal greeting from me, and I hope you will enjoy it. I will be looking forward to seeing you again soon.”

~A greeting? What kind of greeting?~