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THE SURPRISE ON ROSE’S face was immediately washed away and replaced with suspicion. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked Theo.
He watched her eyes narrow, and he suddenly felt irritated. He was entitled to his secrets, same as she was, and he told her so. “We all have secrets, Rose.”
Instantly, Rose crossed her arms over her chest and prepared for battle.
He inwardly groaned. He did not want to fight her, especially now, when they were supposed to be having a good time, celebrating Isra’s engagement.
“You still should have told me,” Rose insisted.
“We have enough to do as it is,” Theo replied. “You just said it yourself: Magdalina is our first priority.”
“That doesn’t mean that we just push everything off to the side,” Rose said. “Especially when we’re face to face with the issue like we are right now.”
Bachas cleared his throat. “I think I’m going to take my leave,” he said. “My leg is better, but still sore, and I don’t think I want to get caught in the middle of a fight.”
“We are not fighting,” Rose snapped down at him.
Bachas smirked slyly. “Call it what you want, Princess,” he said. “But I’m not stupid.”
Before she could correct him, he snapped his fingers and disappeared.
“We are not fighting,” Rose repeated, as if saying it again would make her believe it more.
“I don’t want to fight you,” Theo told her. “But you are keeping secrets from me, too, and if I’m forced to tell you mine, I want to hear yours.”
“You don’t want to know my secrets,” Rose told him, her voice suddenly so weary Theo almost wondered if he should sit her down somewhere.
Maybe I should leave her alone. This has been a long day, and we will be heading back to Rhone soon.
He decided to go. He did not want to have to tell her about his family history, and it was easier just to leave. “Excuse me,” he said, before heading down the hall.
Theo was not surprised when she started following him. “Where are you going?” Rose asked, as she followed him. “We’re not finished talking.”
“I don’t want to talk to you right now,” he told her.
“Why?”
“I already told you.” He pushed open a door at the end of the hall and found himself outside, on a small balcony overlooking the gardens. “I don’t want to talk about Annalora, any more than you want to talk about what’s bothering you.”
Rose grabbed his arm and stepped in front of him. “Don’t you trust me?”
Theo stopped. “That’s an unfair question, Rose,” he said.
“Why?” Rose put her hands on her hips.
“Because I know you were lying when I talked to you in the caverns,” he said.
“I’m just trying to protect you,” Rose snapped.
“I don’t want your protection,” Theo argued. “I want the truth.”
“There’s no need to get angry about it.”
“If that were true, why do you need to know about my family?” Theo asked.
“Are you worried I would judge you because of them?” Rose asked. “Because you know I wouldn’t. You have never done that to me, even though the King has never warmed up to you.”
“No,” Theo said. “You know I don’t talk about them much, and that’s because I don’t know a lot about them myself. When Enrique told me about my mother’s death, I didn’t know what to say.”
“There isn’t much you can say,” Rose told him, as she stepped up beside him.
“It’s still a shock,” Theo told her. He made his way over to the edge of the balcony and gripped its wall. “After Thad told me he’d found my uncle’s letter to our grandfather, and I learned more about them, I knew there were connections to the Magdust trade. But I never imagined it would go this far. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“According to Bachas,” Rose said, “Annalora is using Elva’s magic to protect herself. You might be the only one who can really help him, since you’re related to her.”
“I don’t know what good that will do,” Theo said. “My mother and father still died.”
“By Everon’s hand,” Rose reminded him gently. “Not Annalora’s.”
“I guess so.” Theo shrugged. “You know, I never thought about it much, but this is part of the reason Jesus said not to judge. I can’t help but wonder if my parents deserved to die, for participating in the Magdust trade as they did. Especially after hearing all of this.”
“You’re the one who would tell me that we’re all fallen,” Rose said as she came up beside him. “You would also tell me that good things can still come from bad things.”
Theo gave her a sad smile. “Is this your revenge for when I try to comfort you?”
“Maybe,” she teased. “But not really. It’s true, isn’t it? If nothing had happened to your parents, I never would have met you.”
“Just like if you hadn’t been cursed, we might have never become friends.” Theo sighed. “And I would have had to watch you grow up with all those suitors around, watching them fall over themselves as they charmed you, and you would have been charmed by them.”
Rose made a face. “I would not,” she insisted. “Some of them were terrible. Even without my curse, I wouldn’t have liked them. They were still too focused on what I looked like, anyway.”
“Are you saying that your beauty is more of a curse than the one Magdalina bestowed upon you?” Theo asked. He reached over and tugged on a lock of her hair, teasing her back. As Rose laughed, Theo found himself running his hand through her hair. It was soft and delicate and strangely enthralling.
Under the light of the moon and surrounded by the magic of night, she was more irresistible than ever.
Even when she stopped laughing, he had a hard time letting the last of her locks slip through his fingers, forcing himself to step back.
“Either way, I don’t think it matters too much,” Rose answered. “I know you’re worried about your family, and wondering about them, too. But it’s just like everything else we face. We’ll work it out.” Rose laid her head against his shoulder. “Together.”
Theo let her comfort him for a long moment. “Do you really believe that?” he asked.
“I do.” Rose nodded.
“Then why don’t you tell me what happened in the caverns?” he asked.
Rose jerked away from him. “You just had to ruin it, didn’t you?”
“Ruin what?” he asked, keeping his voice innocent.
“How nice it was, being out here, with you,” Rose shot back. She pushed back her hair, and he thought he saw her blush. “I mean, it could’ve been so nice. I comfort you, we feel better, and then we go back into the ballroom, have a nice evening, and then everything’s fine. But no, you had to bring up Magdalina.”
“I didn’t bring her up,” Theo said. “Not exactly. I just wanted to know what happened in the cave—” He stopped as he realized what she said. “That’s what happened. You saw her.”
Rose turned away from him, crossing her arms.
“That’s it,” he said again. “You saw her, and you couldn’t defeat her.”
“There’s no need to rub it in my face!” Rose yelled.
“What did she say?” Theo asked. “Tell me, Rose.”
“She told me she would take off the curse,” Rose said.
For a moment, he was only full of hope and happiness. But then Theo remembered the anger and sadness in Rose’s eyes as she came back to them, following the attack by the traders in the Wandering Caverns. “But she didn’t, did she?”
“She said she would.”
Theo walked around and stood in front of Rose. “If you did what?” he pressed.
Rose sighed. “If I married her son and made him the next King of Rhone.”
Theo did not know if he was more shocked or outraged by the thought of Rose marrying Everon. Either way, he was too distracted by Rose’s further silence to decide properly.
“What did you tell her?” he asked.
“I told her I was tired of people wanting to marry me,” Rose said.
He felt his breath leave him in a rush.
“She had some nerve to try to convince me it was a compliment of sorts, but I didn’t believe her. She told me I had until my birthday to decide.”
“But you told her no, right?”
“I tried to tell her no,” Rose replied.
“Rose.”
“Theo,” she muttered back. “Come on. You don’t know what it’s like. When I hear things like what Rolez just told us, about how the Magdust trade has ruined my country’s hope, then I worry. I want to know that everything will work out the way I want, but there’s no guarantee.”
“You’re saying that you would marry Everon, in order to save yourself?”
“Myself and my kingdom,” Rose insisted. “But only if that was the only way. And I mean, only.”
“And you actually believe Magdalina will fulfill her promise?”
“Well, it’s already something I don’t want to worry about,” Rose said. “So I haven’t really thought about it much. But I guess you’re right. I don’t trust her, either.”
Theo shook his head. “I can’t believe you,” he said.
“I thought you would be more upset that I didn’t manage to kill her,” Rose admitted.
“No,” Theo snapped. “No, I’m angry you didn’t tell me about her deal, and I’m angry you didn’t think it mattered enough to tell me, and then I’m angry you’re not ruling it out entirely.”
Rose huffed. “Well, can you blame me? My birthday is almost here, Theo. I only have four months left.”
“Still, it’s—”
“It’s what?”
“It’s not supposed to work that way between us. I have been beside you, suffering as you suffer, working as you work, for more than half our lives now. I’m not like Felise or Natala or even Sophia and Ethan and Philip. I’m not someone who just passes through your life, Rose. I’m not just going to leave you.”
Theo took her by the shoulders, attempting to steady himself. He realized less than a second later that touching her was the wrong thing to do.
“What are you saying?” Rose asked. She seemed to sense the change between them at the same time. Her hands gripped onto his arms as her eyes found his.
“I’m saying there shouldn’t be any secrets between us,” he said, as he found himself under the spell of the moonlight once more, too swept up in the scent of the gardens, the warmth of the palace, the echo of music in the air.
“Theo?” His name came out as a whisper.
His eyes slipped down to her lips, and he heard her breath stop. “Rose.”
Theo let himself take a step closer. She was not moving away; she was only watching him, waiting on him to move. He had to tell her. He had to tell her the truth.
“Rose, I—”
“Princess?” Lannister’s voice called out from behind them, and the air between them suddenly turned cold.
“Remind me to retire him,” Rose murmured, as they reluctantly stepped away from each other.
Theo caught her disappointment and hid a smile. He felt a little better, knowing she was as jarred by the interruption to their interlude as he was.
“Princess?” Lannister’s voice called again.
“Over here,” Rose responded. She stepped out from behind Theo, heading back toward the castle.
“Oh, there you are,” Lannister said. “Good. I was looking for you. And you, too, actually,” he added, gesturing toward Theo.
“Is something wrong?” Theo asked.
“Your brother and the Reverend Father have arrived.”
“Thad’s here?” Theo’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes. They are both looking for you and the Princess. The King heard about Isra’s engagement and sent them as envoys.”
“That’s wonderful,” Rose said with a large smile on her face. “This means that the King is in agreement to the arrangement. I can sign the papers for Isra and Philip without worrying he could object.”
Theo watched as Rose gave him an uncertain glance. He turned away; the moment between them had passed. And now his brother was here, waiting for them. “Let’s go see them,” he said.
“Yes,” Rose agreed.
Together, they followed Lannister back into the castle and headed off to meet with Thad. Theo allowed himself one last look behind him, glancing back at the magic of the night, wishing he’d had the courage to confess his love for Rose when he had the chance.