now?”
I give him my best ‘are you joking’ look as I deliberately look him up and down. “You’re not going like that, are you?”
Surprise crosses his face as he glances down at what he’s wearing. “What’s wrong with this?” He sounds genuinely confused, and I shake my head in response, unable to hide my smile. His white shirt is hanging open, his bronzed, chiselled chest is on full display, and the form-fitting trousers that he favours don’t exactly hide much of his muscled physique. Most of the male courtiers and elves around the castle wear tailored jackets with various emblems that I’ve yet to learn about, but I’ve only seen Eldrin wear a jacket like that a handful of times, usually as he’s leaving for the border.
“We’re going to meet the queen, and you’re dressed like that?” My tone is amused as I gesture towards his clothes, trying to pull my eyes away from his exposed chest.
“I’ll do my shirt up before I see her,” he replies with a roll of his eyes, and this time, I can’t hold back my smile as I laugh. His eyes widen for a second at the sound before he’s scowling at me again. “Not all of us are obsessed with clothes.” His voice is sullen.
“Well, the queen will be.” I may not know the queen well, but it’s obvious that she likes to collect pretty things, her subjects included. Eldrin is already in her bad books, so it wouldn’t do well for him to turn up like this.
“Fine,” he growls out, realising I’m right. After all, he knows first-hand what his queen can be like. “We’ll stop by my room on the way to meet her. Can we go now?”
I don’t bother to reply, only nodding as I walk to his side and out the door as he opens it for me, gesturing for me to go ahead. Closing the door, he joins me, and we stroll down the corridor in silence, although we reach his rooms much sooner than I’d expected. In fact, we are only five doors down from my room. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, seeing as Naril is just as close, but for some reason, this fact takes me aback. Opening his door, he motions for me to sit on one of the comfortable looking seats situated in front of a large window.
“I won’t be long. Sit. Don’t go poking around,” he orders, but it lacks the bark he usually has behind his words. Nodding, I do as instructed, taking a seat and admiring the beautiful view. On either side of the window are two huge bookcases, the thick spines of the tomes embellished with swirling gold letters. For some reason, I’m surprised by this. Eldrin didn’t seem like the kind to curl up in a comfortable chair and read a book, more like a warrior.
I guess I don’t know him as well as I thought I did, I ponder as I glance around the room. It’s neat, much neater than I’d expected, and again, I wonder where I got these perceptions of him from. Soft noises sound behind me, and I have to fight the urge to look over my shoulder and watch what he’s doing. Instead, I focus on the view, trying not to fret about what the queen wants to see me about.
A set of booted footsteps walk towards me before his shadow falls over me. “You didn’t snoop.”
Pulling my gaze from the window, I push out of the chair and look at him with an arched eyebrow. “No, you told me not to.”
The corner of his mouth pulls up into a smile. “I didn’t expect you to listen, you usually don’t,” he teases, and something about seeing his more light-hearted side does something to me. I’m used to him being rude, but this feels different.
“I guess I like to surprise you every now and again,” I reply, fighting my own smile.
He stills, and something in his expression changes. I curse myself for spoiling the moment. “Clarissa, you are a constant surprise.” I can’t identify how he’s feeling when he says this, but his voice is loaded with meaning.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He’s not joking around anymore.
His eyes run over my face, taking in my confused expression, before he slowly nods as if I’ve just confirmed something for him. “Never mind, let’s go.”
Holding out his arm for me, I only now take in what he’s wearing—a dark green jacket in the same style of