be seen, Persephone, and even that of Sophia, though I could not read the expression on her face.
The more I listened, the more words came to my mind to speak. When her brown eyes glanced up and met mine, the rest of the world fell away. I watched until I could no longer be so far away. Placing my glass down onto the table beside me, I rose from my seat, going to her, so she looked away. Beside her, my hand trembled as I fought my desire to touch her, my fading reason urging me to remember we were not alone. So, I stood there only for a second longer before taking the seat beside her. The notes she played flooded my mind, and the words I wanted to say became clearer. I did not have the talent for singing, but I could speak over her melody, and I wanted to, so I did.
“It is not by a ray, which the sun rises and falls.
But by my memories of you.
Words I revised a thousand times,
The walls of my heart disallowed me to speak.
What I feel only treasuries can keep.
Be it not for your hellos and goodbyes
Never would I have fallen this deep.
Now my soul bellows to your soul
Desperately for a reply,
Endeavoring forever to have you at my side.
By you my Achilles' heel and Golden Fleece
I decipher the days.
Dawn is revealed at the sound of your voice
And dusk is the masterpiece of stars in your eyes.
That is by which I know the sun rises and falls.”
When I finished, she looked at me and played gently, drifting off to the end of the melody. When she was done, her hands lifted from the keys and came to rest on top of mine. Smiling, they interlocked.
“Did you—”
“Forgive me, Your Majesty. I feel unwell. I think I will go back to bed,” Sophia said abruptly, capturing everyone’s attention.
She was shaking all over, her face clenched tightly as if she were trying to fight back whatever emotion was about to show. Even her hands were in fists.
“Yes, of course. Goodnight, my dear,” my mother whispered, her eyes wide and glossed over as she watched her.
Sophia turned to me and nodded before rushing out of the room. The door already held open by the butler.
“I should go check—”
“Go.” Odette nodded, letting go of my hand.
Rising from the piano, I rushed out as well, quickly down both halls, seeing her lift the bottom of her dress and running up the stairs.
“Sophia,” I called out, going after her, but she just kept running, and just as she got to the top of the stairs, she tripped forward.
“Sophia!” I hollered, going two, three stairs at a time until I got to her.
She didn’t move, just stayed kneeling, sobbing.
“Are you all right—”
“Do not touch me!” she screamed, smacking away my hands, and I pulled back, not sure what to do. “How could you bring her here?”
“What?”
“How could you bring that woman here today! Today, was my—was our introduction day! Arthur and me. May eight! None of you remembered? No one spoke about him today! He hasn’t been gone a year!” she screamed in my face, and I could only stare at her in horror because I did forget. She pushed herself off the ground, wiping her eyes harshly. Lifting her head high and standing straighter, she composed herself.
“Arthur remembered everything about you. He would never speak of anything else if anything important were happening to you. Your birthdays, your graduations, your honors, your scandals, and stupid mistakes he spent days fixing! ‘Gale needs my help. Gale is more sensitive than you think. I have to be there for him. Yes, he did something stupid, Sophia, but what can I do? He is my brother. It is harder to be the spare than the heir’ is what he would say. Over and over again.”
The tears slipped from her eyes, and she did not bother stopping them.
“And now, here you are, the new heir, and you are still selfish! Because you are still Gale. And you have never thought or cared about helping Arthur! Now he is dead! He is gone forever, and the least you could bloody do is honor his damn memory! But still, you refuse! It has to still be about you! Your fiancée is here, so we must all leap for joy with you. If Arthur was going to die young, he should have at least been given a better brother than you so he could have