day after tomorrow.
But I couldn't have watchful eyes on me. I couldn't have him studying me as I pored over every pro and con to decide if I could do the unthinkable and follow through with the marriage that had been determined for me when I was too young to even understand what it meant.
When we'd been children, I'd often forced Holden into pretending to marry me. Like a typical boy, he'd been tormented to have to stand beside me while I announced him my husband for life. He'd hated that after our vows were uttered, I'd forced him to do my bidding. My father did everything possible for my mother, but I hadn't understood that she never asked for it. The subtle nuance of having a man who purely wanted to give me everything I desired wasn't lost on me any longer.
Holden would care for me in his way. He'd do what I asked of him, and I knew he loved me, would cherish me, but he'd never go out of his way to anticipate my needs. We just didn't have that sort of relationship. I'd been disgusted when I got older and learned what truly came of a marriage, and that it wasn't just an excuse to be friends as adults and have a man do what I bid.
The white marble halls of Oshal glistened in the setting sun that shone in the massive windows to the West of the building. I ran fingers along the walls as I wandered through the corridor. My mind inevitably drifted to Lantis and what Aric's palace may look like.
What it might feel like. As beautiful as Oshal may be, the cold stone beneath my fingers did nothing for my personal tastes. I enjoyed the warmth of a fire and the cozy quality of a cool night. In my dreams, I'd always imagined a mountainous home with a view of my Kingdom below me.
I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something like that would fit Aric.
Holden's home consisted of plains of farmland that made his nation a primary supplier of grains. Flat and boring. Dusty and warm. My own Kingdom was more a bustling city and seaport than anything else.
All my life, I’d wanted to fall asleep with the scent of pine in my lungs.
The library doors loomed before me, large and ostentatious, and I put a hand on each of the handles and pulled them open with a heave. Stepping into the room and immediately surrounded by the scent of books, I drew in a deep lungful. There was no fire roaring in the corner with a comfortable chair to read in and no warmth of wooden bookshelves. The space was whitewashed as was the rest of the palace, but I stepped over to the shelves and ran my fingers along leather spines, drawing comfort from the familiar texture.
"Bristol," a feminine voice said, making me spin in place. I huffed a sigh of relief when the sight of Mallory greeted me.
"Mallory," I smiled, touching my chest dramatically. "You scared the heavens out of me."
"I'm so sorry," she laughed. "I was hiding. By the time I realized it was you, it was far too late for me to make myself known in a way that wasn't reminiscent of a serial killer."
"Well, saying my name was slightly better than it could have been, I suppose," I teased, stepping over to the corner where she'd poked her head out.
She stuck her tongue out at me. "Just be glad I’m not a serial killer. I have to be forgiven, though, because for a library this place has been pretty popular today.”
Leaving the doorway, I tucked myself into the alcove she'd chosen as her sanctuary. “Oh?”
Waving her arms emphatically, she nodded with the enthusiasm that had made her known all through the school we went to, even though she was quite a bit younger than I was. “Yes! Your future husband was here, looking for you. I trust you’ve seen him?”
“Well, I talked to my father and that’s why he was looking for me, I do believe.”
“Then, just when I was pretty sure I could relax, who else but comes bursting in but that hunk… who was it? Ah, yes, Aric of Lantis.” Mallory made a pointing gesture and it was guilt, pure and simple, that had me hunching my shoulders.
“Hunk?”
“Sure, he’s pretty hunky. Tall, dark, broad shoulders. I just bet he could lift you up with one sweeping motion and cart you off. Don’t you