Chapter 141: Intrigue

Reinera POV

How did it all end up that way? She thought to herself bitterly as she stared across the field at Julius. She hadn’t even known he was in her Applied Combat class until just now. She would have never spotted the black-haired boy if she wasn’t actively replaying that entire night in her head. His face was constantly in the corner of her mind.

He wasn’t outrageously handsome nor did he stand out in any way. He was around average height and had a slightly tanned complexion that went well with his fairer features. But his presence was very forgettable. He slipped into the crowd of faces and if not for her subconsciously trying to look for him around every corner she would never have even noticed him.

It was just too bad the memory of that night made her want to throw her face into her pillow and scream.

She had truly been enjoying her time at the Golden Wheel. Her older cousin Tina had told her all about it from her time in Heston a few years back. Reinera didn’t quite believe her, after all her cousin wasn’t always to best person to listen to.

Shockingly, it had been as amazing as Tina described and more. Truthfully, it was better than anything she had ever had. The royal chefs had nothing on the Golden Wheel, in Reinera’s opinion they could not even compare.

As much as she loved Richard and the palace chefs she had to admit that there was a special spark of magic in the kitchens of that Golden Wheel restaurant. In fact, she already had ideas about asking her mother about somehow having some of the palace chefs learn underneath this restaurant so that they could bring it back to the capital.

It was an utter shame that the night ended like it had. There weren’t many times in her life that she felt so comfortable around people who weren’t her family.

Reinera found it difficult to find true friends among her peers. Sure, many were friendly, but she learned the hard way that most of them had their own agenda.

She rarely found people who connected with the true version of herself. Not the acted-out version with the pretty dresses and royal attitude. But the version that enjoyed food, that enjoyed reading, or that enjoyed learning magic.

That was why she was so happy to be eating with a bunch of other people her age who weren’t clamoring for her attention. Granted, she had been wearing a disguise and she expected that if she showed her true identity, it wouldn’t have gone the same way.

Still, she had tried to enjoy it while it lasted. It wasn’t often that she could enjoy a meal without someone engaging her in conversation just to make a connection with her. In fact, everyone at the table had treated her like an equal. There were times when not a single person talked and shoveled food into their mouths.

The girl, Aubrey, who had invited them over, and the man next to her certainly were devouring their food at an impressive rate. Even the black-haired boy that she found out was named Julius, was similarly destroying his food with enthusiasm.

Though, it wasn’t that surprising. She already knew that he had a formidable appetite for good food if the cake was any hint.

Another thing that stuck with her and resonated deep in her bones, was something that Lily had talked about. It was true that most of the people treated her and her family with fear, and not respect. When your father is one of the most powerful men on the entire continent, people tend to you differently. It was just something every member of the royal family learned to deal with.

Thus, she found herself appreciating the moments when it didn’t happen all the more dearly.

Then Amelia had to go and ruin it. She knew that Amelia hadn’t liked how Julius treated her the night before, but she didn’t think it extended that far. She didn’t know that Julius bothered Amelia so much.

She still remembered the conversation she had with Amelia that night after the six of them left.

***

“Why would you do that?” Reinera asked angrily as she swiveled to look at Amelia. Her frustration and disappointment were clear on her face. “I finally get to enjoy a night out without people ‘cleaning my toes with their mouth’ as she would put it. And what do you do? You go ahead and you start a fight with them.” She spat out venomously while pacing back and forth, frequently glancing at the direction they left in.

Amelia had the self-awareness to look ashamed and bowed her head at her. “I am sorry my princess. I lost my composure.”

“I…” Reinera cut herself off before she could say something again. She was about to continue berating Amelia, Gods knows how much she wanted to, but the look on Amelia’s face seemed sincere. She was most likely kicking herself more than Reinera would ever be able to.

If there was one thing that Reinera knew about Amelia, it was that nobody put more pressure on her than herself.

She took a moment to calm herself down using the meditative aura techniques her uncle had shown her. And once she centered herself, she asked Amelia, “What made you do that?”

“It was his attitude. I couldn’t help but get angry over the arrogant way he was speaking to you,” Amelia answered.

She pinched her nose in irritation. “First, you have to remember that when I am in disguise, I am no longer a princess. If you treat me like a princess it ruins the whole disguise. We talked about this in-depth before. Second, you know that I have dealt with arrogant nobles much worse than that. And you were still fine after they talked to me with such disrespect. I want to know the real reason.” Reinera demanded, using some of her princess voice to let Amelia know she was serious.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Amelia didn’t answer right away and a wave of silence enveloped them for a minute.

If she was being honest with herself, she had part of the blame as well. She should have stopped it before it went any further. She could have said anything, it would have been better than saying nothing.

She looked around at the street around them before she heard Amelia take a breath to speak. “I think he noticed me,” Amelia finally said after some time. Reinera watched as Amelia crinkled her brow and bit her lip.

“Pardon?”

Amelia looked at her with eyes of uncertainty. “When we met him that night, I think he knew I was there. I swear I watched his eyes scan right over me and stop for a second.”