The prince just sighed and rested his forehead in his palm. “I told my father that I saw you for what you were. A tool that we needed and nothing more. That I had you in my palms, and you would do as I told you. That it—we—were nothing more than a means to that end.” Her chest tightened at the weakness in his voice. “Vhalla, I don’t—”

“I know.” She cut him off. It hurt to hear he said it, but she knew he only did what he felt was best. Or at least, she hoped. He looked at her skeptically and she squeezed his hand lightly.

“My father told me that he hoped I was correct because too much rested on my shoulders for the Empire to exhaust or invest much on a common girl, no matter how magically special.” Aldrik rolled his eyes at the paraphrased statements.

“Your brother was there, wasn’t he?” Vhalla realized.

Aldrik gave her a small nod.

If not for your sake, then his, Prince Baldair’s words repeated in her mind. He’s using you, Vhalla. It made her pause. Baldair would’ve seen all of Aldrik’s interactions with her in a very different light than she did—as the object of the crown prince’s affections.

“What will your father do? If he ...”

“If he found out you stayed the night with me?” Aldrik asked. “Or that I’ve fallen in love with that special common girl?” He smiled sadly at her.

“Both?” Vhalla reminded her insides that now was not the time to be fluttering.

“The former, I may be able to talk my way out of.” Aldrik pinched the bridge of his nose. “The later, I’m not sure.”

Vhalla took it for the truth, though something in the distance of his eyes made her suspect that he had a guess. She let it drop; perhaps some things were better left unsaid. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For telling me honestly.” It wasn’t lost on Vhalla how hard it likely was for him.

Aldrik laughed and shook his head. Vhalla pulled him closer to her and he obliged, leaning forward. Their lips met briefly, but that was all it took to reassure her about almost everything she thought she knew in the world.

“You need to get ready and edit that book.”

Vhalla stood, and he grabbed her wrist. “Will you come again tonight still?”

She blinked at his question. After all he just told her?

“I don’t know if that’s really—” she started, knowing full well now that it wasn’t just a bad idea, but a potentially dangerous one.

“There’s a secret entrance,” he said quickly.

Vhalla stared incredulously at him. “If there was a secret entrance, how come I didn’t use that to begin with?”