Cillian’s POV
I knew Rosalind was hiding something although I couldn’t pinpoint what exactly it was. We might have reconciled after her kidnapping but she felt distant and she seemed to be keeping something from me.
I didn’t push her because even if she claimed she was treated well there, I had no way of knowing if it was the truth or if she simply wanted to put me at ease so that I wouldn’t worry so much.
We had also managed to circumvent the whole talk about her being engaged to Killian but still seeing me on the side. It felt like an impossible situation so we avoided talking about the elephant in the room for as long as we could.
Upon entering the meeting room, I was immediately put on edge by the fact that I couldn’t see Killian. This meant this meeting had been called especially for me and I had a good idea why.
I settled on my chair seemingly without a care in the world.
“What is this about?”
Arthur spoke first of course being the pacesetter that he was.
“It is time for you to mate with your mate chosen by the Princess Trials.”
Adelyn.
A wolf who I could barely tolerate looking at after the stunt she had pulled by accusing Rosalund of theft just before the Princess Trials simply because I had made the mistake of telling her about my feelings for Rosalind.
As if that was not enough, she had tried to kill Rosalind during the Princess Trials without any reason. She had all but won already at that point, she didn’t need to. She just wanted it and Goddess forbid Adelyn didn’t get everything she wanted.
And now she wanted me so her father naturally had to do the needful.
Too bad I wasn’t willing to play their little game.
“I said before at the altar and I will say it again. That will not be happening.”
Levi, a close friend of Arthur on the council, tried to intercede. “But the creation of an heir”
I cut him short before he could complete his sentence.
“Will be carried out by my brother and his mate.”
The words hurt coming out but this was the front I would keep of a brother supporting his brother until I found a solution to this problem.
They hadn’t marked each other yet so I still had time. A little bit of time but time nonetheless.
“If that is all, I will be excusing myself.”
The sound of Arthur’s voice gave me a pause.
“You agreed to the Princess Trials, you cannot simply make it void afterwards. You insult the Goddess, you insult the priesthood. Even as a prince, you cannot get away with that!”
I turned to face him, a smirk settling on my features. I was beginning to understand why Killian didn’t give a fuck about the council and their wishes. They were just a bunch of old men squabbling for power.
When the earthquakes happened, they had been the first to go under but that everything was back to normal, they were back looking for who to manipulate but it wouldn’t be me.
“I am a prince as you have stated and you are just a council member, it would be best if you knew your place while talking to me or I will be forced to find someone more aware of their plans once my brother ascends the throne.”
Then I walked straight out of that room before I broke someone’s face or more.
I needed to see Rosalind.
When I reached her room, she was fast asleep on her bed and once more I doubted where she had been because it was far too early for her to be in bed again.
I stood up to leave, I had petitions to sign and draft, things to organize but I found that I couldn’t make myself move. It had been too long since we had spent quality time with each other and I realized that I missed her desperately.
I locked the door so that we wouldn’t be disturbed then I kicked off my shoes and climbed into bed with her.
She shivered as my arms went around her then she relaxed in my arms and I buried my head in her nape.
We would be just fine.
****
Rosalind’s POV
When I woke up, I felt warm all over and I was in bed with Cillian. It must have been midday already but it felt decadent good to be in bed with him so late.
Adelyn’s warnings flitted into my mind for all of a few seconds before I waved them away. I would be with him and no one could stop me.
I snuck out again. This time was easier than the last because I knew just where to avoid, the guards’ schedule and I slinked past.
River came right on time. “You are early tonight.” He commented dryly and I glared at him in return.
“Get us out of here before they catch us chit-chatting.”
River bowed with a sardonic edge then he wrapped his arms around me and we were gone.
“I want to try out something magical again.” I informed him as he tossed me to the ground once more during our training.
Maybe I was itching to beat him for once instead of being the one being beaten regularly.
River didn’t take my bait as he offered me a hand to get up.
“You know Estella hasn’t signed off on it yet and I rather like my brains where they are currently. I don’t want you to fry me.”
I rolled my eyes and took his hand dragging myself up before taking my spot opposite him again readying my muscles.
River rounded me and I held up my fists.
“What is her problem with me anyway? I know she isn’t signing off on it because she wants me to remain powerless.”
River’s blow hit me on my shoulder.
“Point.” He breathed and I buckled down harder. “Maybe you should focus more on this fight than your imaginary validation of my leader.”
“Imaginary?” I scoffed, barely avoiding a cuff.
Fuck. He was fast and he didn’t seem like he was any close to breaking a sweat after almost three hours of training while I was keeping myself up and running purely with adrenaline, free will and stubbornness.
“You really think so? Estella has been on my case from the first day I landed her and she gives me this look like she doesn’t think that I belong here.”
River blocked my attack easily and gave me an almost disappointed look before flipping me on my back, almost dislocating my shoulder.
He didn’t pull me up this time, settling for crouching next to where I lay on the ground, sand in my mouth and on one side of my face.
“Pay more attention to your body. You give everything away before you even move.” River tapped the middle of my forehead.
“Aye, master.” I teased, my voice far too heavy and shaky for what didn’t even amount to a strenuous workout session for him.
“I’m not done.” River cut me to the quick. “If you want to learn magic, not only do we need her approval but you also need to build your endurance or casting your first major working will kill you.”
I froze on the ground. “Kill me? What is a first major working?”
River sighed dramatically. “Talking to you is like talking to a child sometimes.”
I say upright and groaning from the pain and stretching my muscles. “That isn’t my fault. You purebloods recruitment program fucked up and forgot to pick me up. So are you going to tell me what a first major working is and why it could kill me or are you going to keep laughing at me?”
The sides of River’s lips worked. “I won’t go into the details but believe me when I tell you that our ‘recruitment system’ is foolproof. You are the one who is the exception.”
Lucky me I thought but I didn’t voice it out because River didn’t look like he could take a joke right now but slowly his annoyed expression eased into a more neutral one.
“A major working is a milestone for a beginner-level pureblood.”
Thank the Goddess that he was finally telling me about it but I was still confused. “What are milestones?” I asked. “I mean I know what a milestone is but how does that relate to magic? Are there like levels of proficiencies like in a game before you become a pro?”
“Please let me finish my explanation Rosalind before asking a million questions.” River chided and I blushed slightly.
“A major working” He continued. “Can be seen as a continuation of a pureblood’s speciality yet divergent. For instance, if my speciality were water and I were to produce ice showers, that would be a major working. Or if my speciality was plants and I were to make a forest with all the various degrees of growth from primary to secondary cover, it would be a major working.”
I was stunned silent, I knew magic was… well magical but imagining myself doing any of those things seemed unbelievable at the same time, too good to be true.
I looked at River’s unnatural black eyes. “Is there a cost for wielding power like that?”
His features stilled. “If there were and you would be the only one to bear it, would it stop you from doing it?”
I didn’t answer him and he gave me his hand again pulling. me up and we continued training. I didn’t ask him about learning magic again until I returned home.
It wasn’t that I was already dissuaded from practicing magic but I was more…. thoughtful. I didn’t know what the cost would be but if I was going to be the one to pay it, could it be all that bad to wield power?
I knew how it stung to be powerless. I would never choose that life for myself again…
When I slipped into the room, Cillian was no longer there, worst, Killian was the one waiting for me.
Killian eyed me from head to toe with suspicion dripping from his every movement and his voice was sharp when he spoke.
“And where do you think you are coming from?”
I was wearing a duplicate dress that I had packed again. He had no way of knowing where I had been so I wore false bravado.
“I don’t understand.” I frowned.
Killian tilted his head to the side regarding me suspiciously.
“Don’t you?”
I moved past him hoping if I acted like I was tired of this line of questioning he would grow uncertain and drop it.
“I went for a stroll. I need to change.”
Killian didn’t let me pass, his hand grabbing my arm tightly.
“I woke up last night and I wanted to see you but you weren’t in bed all night long.”
He has caught me in a lie. Fuck. What could I say to cover this up?
“I went to see Cillian.”
I saw jealousy spark in his eyes.