Page 24 of Back to Claim His Crown
He’d forgotten he was still wearing them. He took them off and shot her a deliberately broad smile. ‘Better?’
She blushed and helped herself to something from a silver dish.
‘The sun on the water in Piri-nu is very bright, just as it is on the snow in our mountains here. My eyes are very pale,’ he found himself explaining.
She nodded. ‘Was your sight damaged in the accident?’
‘Fortunately not. But there wasn’t good medical care in the immediate aftermath and I declined plastic surgery subsequently. I don’t want to pretend that it never happened.’ He ran his fingertip across the raised scar as he saw her frown. ‘You think I’m wrong about that?’
‘No, I don’t think we can forget the events that have shaped us. At the same time, there’s something to be said for healing the best you can so you can move forward and not live a life that’s too impaired by something that could actually be sorted if you wanted it to be.’
She was right up to a point, but this was different. He needed to see this in the mirror every morning—to focus.
‘Physical reminders matter.’
‘Maybe. I guess everyone has scars, whether they’re visible or not.’ She looked at him. ‘My skin reveals secrets without my consent. I can go all blotchy just by thinking something stupid. It’s a real skill.’
‘You’re sensitive, that’s not a bad thing.’ She was human—vulnerable. ‘Does anything help?’
‘Avoidance of any sort of mortifying situation.’
She shouldn’t be avoiding anything. She’d been hidden in a castle in her own country and she was choosing to hide again now. She should have far greater freedom.
Instead, she had another enormous dinner, tucked away in a corner of the palace, secretly keeping him company.
‘This is just delicious,’ she declared happily as she had yet another slice of caramel apple tart. It amused him that she liked it almost as much as he did. ‘Why do I still feel like I haven’t eaten in weeks?’
He had no idea, only that for him it was the same.
‘I struggle to remember this isn’t the last time I’ll ever have this. But that I’m home. For good,’ he growled. ‘It’s ridiculous.’
She smiled at him a little sadly. ‘It’ll sink in eventually, I guess.’
He didn’t want her pity, he wanted distraction. That was all. ‘Talk to me, Princess.’
She sighed. ‘I’m not sure I have the energy for the monologue tonight.’
‘It’s been a challenging day?’
‘Actually, I’ve made great progress on all your books.’ Shy pride briefly illuminated her eyes before dimming. ‘But I’ve been going round in circles about the future.’
His stomach tightened. Had she decided what she wanted to do? Was she leaving already?
‘Oh?’
Zara desperately needed a more detailed plan. Instead, she was the failure her sisters had predicted she’d be when they’d patronisingly encouraged her to remain in the country and care for their parents because that was what she was ‘good at’—the implication being that there wasn’t anything else she could handle.
But they hadn’t realised she’d done more than simply bring them trays of tea and cake. She’d ended up running the castle, being the one to deal with the contractors and suppliers in the never-ending quest to stop it falling down. So surely she could figure out her future, it couldn’t be anywhere near as complex as repairing the collapsed north wing had been.
‘Maybe being stuck in the library all day isn’t ideal,’ he said. ‘Some physical activity might help your mood.’
She felt that frisson scrape her nerves. ‘Does it help yours?’ she asked softly.
‘Often and absolutely,’ he answered with a glint in his eyes. ‘Not just my mood but my entire wellbeing.’
‘Gosh,’ she marvelled. ‘So what physical activity is your favourite?’
He almost smiled. He knew, didn’t he, that she was endlessly curious about him, that she was even more intrigued by that elusive smile and the brief flashes of the charming young prince he’d once been. But he didn’t pick up on the less than subtle sensual turn their conversation was taking.
