The Wayward Prince (The Redfern Legacy Book 1) by N.C. Hayes

Author:N.C. Hayes [Hayes, N.C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Catchfly Publishing
Published: 2021-09-22T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Five

Even with my tincture, it took nearly two hours to fall asleep. I tossed and turned, playing the evening back over in my head. The coronation, the ball—and Stefan. I wasn’t sure which was the cause of the knot buried in my gut: his confession, or the stories he told me. Gerridan had an explanation for one, but what about the others? I shook my head, feeling silly. Stefan himself had told me that there was no proof Aydan had been involved with Lord Vesper’s death. And why should I care if the king had broken courtships? He’d lived for more than a century, of course he would have had courtships over the decades. I’d had my own fair share of lovers long before I ever knew I was a sorceress— I was a hypocrite for even having an opinion on the topic. Aydan’s love life isn’t for me to worry about, I told myself as I drifted to sleep. The knot in my gut did not go away.

A couple hours later, I woke with a start and sat up straight in my bed, surrounded by darkness. I cast a ball of light to the ceiling and saw that the room was empty, save for Catchfly, who snoozed quietly at the foot of the bed. My nightdress stuck to my skin and I shivered, my breathing ragged, though I could not understand why. Perhaps my tincture had gone rancid.

Now thoroughly awake, I realized I was hungry. I looked up at the clock—half past two in the morning. Too long to wait for breakfast, so I hauled myself from bed and stepped over my discarded ballgown to look for a shawl. Not wanting to bother any servants for food at this hour, I wrapped it around my shoulders and headed into the corridor. I was nearly at the arched entrance to the north wing when I heard footsteps behind me.

“Shaye?” It was Aydan, still fully dressed from the ball, the rose crown on his head. He looked concerned as he stepped toward me. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing—I just woke up. I thought I’d find something to eat in the kitchens and go back to bed.” Relief washed over the king’s face.

“For a moment, I thought you were sleepwalking,” he said. After a pause, he added, “I wasn’t ready to sleep. I took a walk to clear my mind, and then before I knew it, it was the middle of the night and I was starved. Would you like to join me?” He gestured toward the door to his chambers.

I tightened my shawl around myself, remembering that I wore only a nightdress, but it wasn’t the first time he’d seen me fresh from sleep.

I followed him into the chambers and down the now familiar corridor to the private council room the Cabinet met in nearly every day. He waved a hand over the table and produced plates of cheeses and fruits, as well as some leftover chicken and bread, a bottle of liquor, and two short glasses.

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