He looked thoughtful. “Is someone threatening you?”
Why couldn’t he be stupid when I wanted him to be?
“I can protect you, you know, and your family. I am the king.”
Like I needed a reminder of that. “Even you can’t protect me from it.”
He tried to read me. “Why not? I am not afraid.”
Either he was still a child in some ways or he was heroic. “Can you protect me from the power that corrupts human nature? Would you ever go against your family’s wishes? Just for a nobody?”
He touched my hand. “You are not a nobody. I looked for you everywhere, and I thought you really hated me.” He looked sad, really sad.
Midnight hissed again and I understood what was bothering her. “I see,” I said and petted her. “Good girl.”
Jonathan looked at me with a questioning look.
“You should leave through the back door.”
He had a puzzled look on his face. “Why?”
“You might be good for a king, but your hiding abilities are nowhere to be found. Someone followed you, maybe from your circle of people. That’s why Midnight was hissing, and this person is certainly not your friend.”
He looked at me in awe. “Would you sell her?”
I scowled, but I was kind of proud. “Certainly not!”
“Then I have to stick close to your cat.” He grinned. “What did you mean if I could go against my family’s wishes? Is someone from my family threatening you? Who?”
Why did he remember my previous words?
“They’re not threatening me. It was actually a concern about you. No one’s threatening me.”
Anger flickered in his eyes. “Did he tell you to stay away from me because you couldn’t associate yourself with me?”
Yes.
“Because I was going to be a king?”
Yes.
“Because you were just a peasant girl who happened to heal us all?”
Yes.
His jaw tightened. “It was my uncle, wasn’t it? I am going to kill him.”
Give the boy a medal! I wasn’t happy he had figured it out. What if he confronted his uncle? “You should be careful with him; he seems a dangerous man.”
Jonathan’s look softened as he looked at me. “Don’t worry about me. I am fine. And I wasn’t serious about killing him. I am just so angry at him. He doesn’t like Alec; he thinks he is too kind and influences me. He doesn’t like when we go to the village; he doesn’t think it’s suitable for people of our class.”
That sounded exactly like him. “And he wants you to marry someone of your own class.”
He looked confused. “How did you know?”
“He might have said something like this.” I shrugged.
Jonathan threw his hands in the air. “I can’t. I just can’t do it. I am the king, but it feels like I am moving at his will.”
Like a puppet, I thought sadly. “Persons who have power only crave more. If you give them power, they will never let go. That’s another reason why I don’t like royals.”
He shook his head. “He’s not like that, he’s—”
“A dangerous, calculating, and a manipulative man.” He looked ready to object, but I didn’t let him; he needed to understand. “When did he say that he didn’t like Alec?”
He thought for a moment. “Before we left Spain and he warned me not to take him with me.”
I had a bad feeling about this. “And when did Alec start having this illness?”
He looked helpless. “Shortly after. You don’t think he...”
“Would kill him? No, someone else did this; but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was his order. He thinks Alec is a threat to you, and coincidentally, Alec gets sick after his warning. I don’t know about you, but I don’t believe in coincidences.”
He looked whiter than paper, so I fetched a drink from the counter. He raised his eyebrows.
“For medical purposes. I don’t think you should be coming here, even if now you know where I am.”
After finishing the drink, his color began improving. “Alec?”
“I will go see him tomorrow, and I will think about his lodging.”
“Thank you.” He nodded and then he hugged me.
Uh-oh! What is this? His hug was warm and I felt safe. That was odd. The only people I had ever felt safe with before were Ritta and my mother.
“How am I going to talk to you?”
Is he serious? “I don’t think it’s important for you to talk to me unless it’s an emergency. You can use my cat. She will know when to come, but you can call her to come to you too. You lived for years without me and survived; I doubt you’ll need my help.”
His face flushed and his jaw clenched. I didn’t understand why he was getting angry. He banged his fist on the table. “Survive? I barely survived! I needed you, but you were nowhere to be found. I searched for you everywhere. And you were just around the corner.”
Portugal is not around the corner... exactly.
He took a breath before continuing. “I asked around the village, but no one knew where you were or if you would ever return. It was like you vanished into thin air.”
Who knew he would be so upset with my leaving? Maybe Ritta and my mother were right and I should have told him something.
“Alec told me not to worry and that you would eventually return, but you never did. Year after year, I hoped that I would see you scowling at me in the village with your basket. I still hoped every day. How could you leave your mother like that?”
I raised my eyebrow. He had gone to my house? But why had he gone to such lengths? “My mother knew.”
He stared at me. “Excuse me?”
I braced myself. This was going to be bad.
Both his hands were fisted at his sides, and his jaw tightened even more. “And she didn’t tell me?”
“Why would she tell you? You are not someone important to her.”
He winced as though I had hit him. “I was worried about you. I thought maybe you were hurt or something.”
Hurt? Me? But why would he be so worried about me? We were just acquaintances after all. “No. I am fine. But why would you be worried about me? I can take care of myself. I am not stupid like you are.”
He swallowed and took a deep breath like he had a huge weight on his shoulders. “I was thinking about you every day, and I couldn’t do my work properly. You were there even when you weren’t.”
What was he saying? He better not be—
“I always liked you, but when you were away, I realized that I didn’t only like you—”
No, please, no. If I didn’t stop this, there was no turning back. “Stop!”
He looked determined. “Why?” He picked up my hand and held it.
“Because you have responsibilities and I am a nobody.” Because I can’t be with anyone.
“You are not a nobody. You are someone to me, and I can do whatever I want. I am the king.”
I pulled my hand from his. “Right now, you can’t do anything, and you can’t be with anyone you like. There is a protocol.” Who am I to talk about protocols? And why am I pushing him away like this?
He waved his hand. “I don’t care about the protocol. I want to be with someone I like. Do you like someone from here?”
Yes, you. The flames on all the candles flickered and died as if all the oxygen had been pulled out of the room. That was what happened when I was emotionally charged. Midnight meowed loudly. I lit a candle. Don’t get excited. I did not do it with magic; I am not careless. I used a tinderbox and let some of my magic trickle into it unseen. Magic had extinguished the candles, and magic had to be used to light them again.
“What happened?” Jonathan asked.
“The candles went out,” I informed him.
“I can see that,” he said. “I meant why.”
Because I am emotionally charged, and you don’t help the situation. “How should I know? Maybe your friend out there took care of
that. It’s closing time anyway. You should go while you can, and use the door in the back.”
He crossed his arms. “And leave you with this mannequin? No way am I doing that.”
“Thank you, but I can take care of him. I doubt he is watching me. It’s you he is watching. See? You always bring troubles with you. Leave.”
He didn’t have much of a choice, but before leaving, he took my hand again.
I pulled it back. “You are not kissing my hand!”
I couldn’t see much in the light from one candle, but I thought he smiled. “Right, you want something special, but I don’t have any flowers.”
I looked at him incredulously. “I don’t want flowers. I want you to leave. Now.” I had forgotten how annoying he could be.
He smiled and blew me a kiss, and then he was gone. Fortunately, it was dark or he would have seen me blush. Unbelievable. How can someone make me feel happy and so furious at the same time? I took my basket, cast the invisibility spell, and locked the door; the mannequin was still there waiting for the king to leave. Well, he could wait all he wanted, but the king was not going to come out anytime soon. After a few steps, I noticed the houses were dark. Why? Usually, people were at home at this hour. Oh no! I had extinguished every candle in every house near my shop. Jonathan had made me leave all these people trapped in the pitch-black. I couldn’t let people stay in the dark. I pictured hundreds of candles being lit at once, and the soft glow of candlelight once again showed through the windows of the homes.
When I returned home, I told Ritta what had happened. Ritta’s jaw dropped. She inhaled sharply, and yelled, “You are unbelievable! He was about to make you a sweet proposal, and you rejected it. And from a king no less.”
I petted my cat. “He’s a king and a human. Do you know how dangerous that is? People will be around him all the time; I want to be able to be myself, and I can’t be a witch if someone is always watching me.”
She sighed. “You are right. And I had hopes...”
Keep dreaming, Ritta. Something like this was impossible. I told her about the new situation, but I omitted some crucial details about his uncle. “I told you he was a bastard,” she said.
I rolled my eyes. “But a bastard with power is dangerous. I have to think what to do with Alec now. He can’t stay at the palace. It’s too dangerous for him to stay, and he hasn’t recovered yet.”
Her eyes lit. “Oh. Oh! He can stay here.”
“Are you crazy? He can’t come here. What if he sees us?”
She looked disappointed. She liked Alec, but everybody liked Alec. Well, except one person. He was easy to like.
“Then the small blue house?”
That was not a bad idea. The small blue house wasn’t very far from here. A brother and a sister lived there, and they came by my shop a lot, mostly for tea products rather than healing herbs. They were nice and funny. “I’ll ask them tomorrow before going to see Alec.”
She smiled and we went outside to lay the food in the garden. On sunny days, we had a picnic in the garden and ate outside sitting on the grass.
In Hiding
The next day I went to see Alec. I found him arguing with one of the soldiers.
“My prince, you have to stay in bed. You are not well enough to—”
Alec didn’t let him finish. “First, don’t call me prince, and second, I am well enough to do things. I can’t just stay here. Give me something to do.”
It seemed I have arrived in time. “How about a walk in the gardens? Or is that boring too?”
Alec turned and greeted me with a huge smile. “Eva. Thank God you are here. They won’t give me something to do and I am bored.”
I laughed. “A prince who wants to work. Imagine that.”
He looked at me expectantly.
“If you are really feeling well, then we can go walk in the gardens. It’s not that far.”
He smiled. “Really?”
I checked his pulse and felt his forehead, but he seemed well. In my experience, if a patient said he felt well, then he was—no matter what the doctor said.
“Miss Eva,” someone said behind me.
Oh no. It was Nathaniel, the soldier who had brought me here when Alec was sick and dying.
Nathaniel stepped closer. “Thank you for healing our prince. We will forever be grateful to you.” He coughed a little. “I passed by your shop the other day, but you weren’t open.”
I looked at Alec who smiled and headed to the dressing room to put on appropriate clothing for a walk in the garden. I tried not to scowl at him. “I don’t have stable hours, I am afraid. I hope it wasn’t urgent?”
He shook his head. “No, of course not. Just to express my gratitude. I might be in luck next time.”
Don’t count on that. “Well, you expressed it very nicely. You seem to have a great deal of respect for the prince.”
He smiled at me and moved closer, which I did not like. “He is very nice to everyone, and the other day he helped my wife very much.”
If you have a wife, then why are you so friendly with me? “I hope she’s better now.”
Alec stepped out of the dressing room. “I am ready for our walk.”
“Are you still feeling good enough?”
He smiled at me with a knowing smile. “Yes.” He took my arm and guided me through the grounds, and I realized I had no idea where the gardens were.
I had heard this place was the second palace of the king of Portugal, but he rarely used it. I couldn’t believe he had a second palace. Most people were lucky enough to have a roof over their heads, and he had two palaces?
We walked through a gate and into the gardens. The gardens were beautiful with a variety of flowers and plants. I could sit here all day admiring them.
“So, you have a second admirer,” said Alec.
There was no question who was the first. As his friend, he must know it, but even if he hadn’t told him, Alec was quite perceptive. Then again, my mother and Ritta obviously saw it. I was the only one who was blind and had not noticed it. I really didn’t want to discuss admirers—first or second. “I doubt it. He has a wife and I am pretty sure she’s quite lovely.”
He smiled. “She is and actually you might know her. I think she visits your shop from time to time. Her name is Martha...”
I smiled sadly. “Oh. I see. I understand now.”
He looked at me with a questioning look in his eyes.
“I can’t talk about my customers’ deals or what I heard from them. It’s private and it will be rude to reveal anything...” I had made the connection now. The woman had married for a better life and not for love. She had married a soldier so she wouldn’t live in poverty like her family. Soldiers were not rich like the royal family, of course, but soldiers were wealthy enough to lead a comfortable life.
The first time Martha had come into my shop and asked for a love potion, I had stared at her. She was desperate because she thought her husband didn’t love her, and she was right—their marriage was one of interests and convenience. She had married him for money and status in the society, and he had married her to have a wife to show off at public appearances like the balls of the palace.
Despite the reasons they had married, she still wanted to love him and give it a chance. I felt sorry for them. He cared for her on some level, it seemed because when she was sick, he was always beside her to help her. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop him from looking at other women when they passed.
Alec pulled me from my reminiscing. “So, is there a reason why you came here today? Because I don’t think you came here just for a walk in the gardens.”
I sighed. “No, although they are very beautiful.”
He smiled. “They are indeed. So what’s wrong?”
Did Jonathan tell him anything? “How do you know there is something wrong?”
Sadness filled his eyes. “Because you always come in times of danger.”
That reminded me that I was an heir from the ultimate wi
tch who had only showed up at times of danger. Well, so I did too, it seemed. “I hope you won’t associate me with danger from now on. I still like hanging out with you. I don’t know if anybody told you—”
“They didn’t tell me anything except that you’ll come to see me. What is it?”
I turned to see if anyone was around, nobody was interested in the gardens today. Still, with the situation, I didn’t want to risk it, so I pretended to be looking at some white roses. “You are in danger. I can’t tell you much now, but your illness, was not an accident, I am afraid.”
He sighed. “It was him, wasn’t it? He sees me as a bad influence. But why not just send me away?” He didn’t understand much, but he had to learn as fast as he could, or it would be too late.
“There is a game here, and you are his pawns. You must leave, or I won’t be able to save you again. Take only necessary things. You will, after all, be here every day. You just will not be here every night. I doubt they will notice. They are more preoccupied with the kings, I assume.”
He tightened his lips. “Does he know?”
I nodded. “He’s in danger too, but if he’s smart enough, he’ll survive.”
Alec furrowed his brow. “And what are you in this game?”
What I wanted to do was to take both of them and run, but right now, I could do nothing. “I am nothing yet. I am on the sidelines, but if I decide to play, I will be the queen.”
He smiled. “A little wild, aren’t you?” He looked at the clouds. “There are difficult times ahead, aren’t there?” I wished I could have laughed, but I couldn’t. I wished this crisis would be gone easily, but I was very much afraid it wouldn’t, and it would cost us.
Alec took some things from his room—he was the only one who didn’t have servants—and we left. I was worried about someone seeing us, but the corridor was empty. Why? “Where is everyone?”
“Being friendly with servants has its perks. This is a secret corridor and no one will notice us.”
We left the palace and entered the city. We headed to the East Park where I took him to a hidden door that was the beginning of a secret passage.
“What’s this?” he asked. “What if someone finds it?”
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