Black Keys (The Colorblind Trilogy #1) - Rose B. Mashal Page 0,81

made me press the numbers again, making sure that I had them memorized. He praised me when he found out that I still remembered them, and then carried me again the same way he’d carried me when we first came.

“I can walk,” I said.

“I know you can,” he replied, but didn’t put me down. “Just relax, Princess.”

I didn’t argue, I just rested the side of my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat, relaxing in his arms. Our walk back to the palace was just as silent as the ride back to the stable. The tension between us was so thick you could cut it with a knife, and I didn’t know where we would go from there.

When we made it back to our wing, the first thing I did was call Mona. It was the first time I’d ever done that, and the prince did notice it. I was a bit worried that I would be waking her up, but then yesterday I had woken up almost at the same time as now or a bit earlier and she’d said she was already awake because it was time for her to pray or something like that, so I figured she should be awake now as well.

I heard a knock and then Mona came inside, asking if I needed anything. Her smile was smaller than usual, and I felt even worse than I already did.

“This is for you,” I offered her the roses and her eyes widened. “I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier.”

“Oh, Princess Marie,” she said. “You didn’t have to apologize, I was pushy and you didn’t yell at me or anything.”

It was a lie. I did yell at her, and it did make her upset, I could see it.

“I’m not above apologizing for my mistakes, Mona,” I told her. The words I just spoke made me pause as I remembered how many times I had said hurtful words to the prince and never apologized to him. I didn’t know why it was so hard for me to do so, nor why I never did it – my own actions were confusing even to me.

“Thank you very much, Princess,” she smiled widely, taking the flowers from me. “Is there anything you need? Can I bring you something to eat now?”

I chuckled at her obsession with feeding me and shook my head. “No, thank you. I’ll just take a shower and head to bed. It’s been such a long day.”

“Let me prepare the bath for you, Princess,” she said. Her words were kind of pleading, as if she was afraid I’d refuse. I just smiled and nodded.

When she walked out of the room and not into the bathroom, I figured she went to put the flowers in water or something. Before she came back, the prince spoke, “That was kind of you.” My reply was nothing but a small smile.

I didn’t believe it was kind or anything. It was a must-do, so I did.

“Just pick me something comfortable, please,” I told Mona when she was about to leave the bathroom to get me something to wear. My legs were really dirty, and the wind had managed to blow some soft sand into my hair, so I had to wash both with extra attention.

Mona came back with a set of pink lace panties and a bra, and a pink tank top with spaghetti straps and a little white bird on the left breast. She also brought me white cotton sweatpants with loose legs and the same little bird on the right thigh, but this one was pink. Once again I admired Janna’s taste.

When I came out of the room, the prince was nowhere to be found. I wanted to ask Mona if she knew where he was, but didn’t want to at the same time–I refused to let it show how I was thinking about him.

I went to the dresser that was near the window and sat down on the chair in front of it. Mona started blow drying my hair right away, and I guess I turned my head to the sides several times as I kept looking for the prince around the room because Mona said, “Prince Mazen showered in the guest bathroom, Princess Marie, and he’s offering his prayer at the moment in the living room.”

Oh!

Though I didn’t know why I felt a bit more at ease when I learned where he was, I wanted to let out a snippy comment about how I hadn’t