"Is he alright?" I asked Rhon. The worry in my heart growing deeper with the continuous glow of the bracelets.
Rhon scanned the room along with me. None of us could catch a glimpse of him. He truly meant it when he said he wasn't going to make it to the party.
"He isn't here," Rhon let out.
"Who are you looking for? Why are your bracelets glowing? What do they mean?" prince Caelan bombarded me with questions.
His concerns and worries were the least of my problems. My heart ached to know that prince Zephirin was alright and unharmed by my magic.
"I will go and look for him and see to his condition for you," Rhon excused himself. I nodded and permitted him to leave.
To get confirmation that he wasn't in the least affected by the dark energy I emitted was my greatest hope. Weirdly so, the moment the bracelets began to glow, I felt a light like no other course through my veins.
Like fresh untainted light was being pumped into me. The feeling was new, sweet and calming to my soul. It was hope. Hope that I could reclaim everything that I had lost and find my way back to who I used to be.
The thought frightened me more than losing myself. Getting back to my glory meant that I wouldn't be broken anymore. Prince Zephirin won't be in the shadows, always appearing at the right moment to catch me before I fall.
He won't give me advises about how to act and how to live. Or hold me in his arms and pat my head softly to calm me down. Prince Zephirin will cease to be by my side forever.
My throat clenched and I found it difficult to breath. The idea of the Evil one going away from me, becoming a fragment of what was, hurt.
Deep in my core, I wished for things to remain as they were. For the pain in my heart to prolong as long as it meant it keeps prince Zephirin by my side.
"Laith, what is going on?" Caelan inquired.
I averted my gaze from the crowd and glanced over to him. I saw the solution to my problems. Prince Caelan was the source of all the ache in my being and the stain in my soul.
A dark though crossed my mind. To stay close to the second prince. Watch him fall deeper and closer to princess Zakishi and have my heart break each time.
"Don't ever stop loving her," words escaped from my lips.
"What?" he sounded shocked.
"You said you were sorry for hurting me. If you want to make it up to me, then never leave Zakishi's hand," I explained.
Caelan froze.
Surprised by my request. It was unexpected considering the situation we were in. No one would expect that a person mending a wounded soul from love would push the one they love into the arms of another. That too with their eyes wide open.
"You were right, the choice you made is what's best for all of us," a weak smile made way on my lips. I crossed my fingers and hoped that Caelan's relationship with Princess Zakishi would strengthen over time.
The more he gets drawn to her, the closer prince Zephirin and I will get. It was the perfect plan to keep the one person who understood what it means to be me by my side.
"Your bracelets are glowing again, Laith," Prince Caelan pointed out. I inhaled deeply, the dark essence in my veins felt exhilarating. Like a drug making high in the moment.
"That's a good sign, it means being around you is working," I admitted happily and let out a chuckle. A new glow echoed in me, shouting out loud of the joy coursing in my heart.
"What do you mean? What's working?" Caelan grabbed my hand. His eyes filled with worry and confusion. "You aren't making any sense at all. What is going on with you?"
I wanted to laugh at the sudden concern. His eyes spoke of feelings that I didn't understand. Any other day, I would have read in into the look in his eyes. To convince myself that he truly cared for me.
However, I had seen what selfless care looked like and his fake concern hardly moved me.
"Are you alright, Laith?"
The unfamiliar heartbeat I feel each time in close to Zephirin resonated in the air. His rich smoky scent of winterberry and snow wafted into my nostrils.
My lips stretched from one ear to the other. An untold happiness blooming in me. Floating like a butterfly in clouds of darkness.
My eyes flashed across the room to the door. Spotting the subject of my thoughts standing at the entrance with Rhon by his side.
"I knew you'd come. I mean I sent a very loud invitation that can't be ignored," I smirked.
Prince Zephirin frowned.
The room fell into silence. The crowd shocked at the unforeseen appearance of the deposed crown prince. The King and queen inhaled sharply, stunned by his arrival. No one expected him to attend the party even though he received an invitation to the party.
The last the ton had seen prince Zephirin was at his coronation when the prophesy was revealed. They watched the ungodly act that the king had unleashed down on his son out of fear. Before forcefully replacing him as the crown prince.
It was the last the people had seen of the once promising boy. Every once in a while they chanced upon rumours of him. How he was as a person and his isolation from the world.
His calm and composed stance by the door caught everyone by surprise. Their jaws dropped at his presence.
His sharp roman features and good looks striking them to silence. The rumours spoke of him being hideous and hiding his face from the world in embarrassment. However, even with his golden mask, it was visible for anyone with eyes that he was a good looking gent.
"You invited my brother here?!" Carl an stood up. Stunned and bewildered by the scene playing out before his eyes. "Why?" he shot me a dangerous glare.
"He's the only one in this kingdom whose company I desire," I admitted getting lost in the allure that came with being close to prince Zephirin. Without bothering to explain further, I got up and walked away.
My feet guided me carefully around the high table to the aisle in the middle of the room leading to the door. I wanted to run into his arms. To hug him. To feel his warmth on my skin and listen to the sound of his voice.
I took a step down the aisle. A cold familiar hand grabbed me and pulled me back. Caught off guard, my body gave no resistance to the pull and I ended up falling into his body.
The smell of mint and vanilla oozed off of him. Prince Caelan wrapped his hand around my back and held me in place. "Don't go," he whispered. My heart jumped in shock.
The second prince was holding onto me. In the presence of the ton, he was pleading with me not to leave him.
I was speechless.