She had completely forgotten her situation and who she was with. She was with the crown prince, ignoring him for old books. Instead of being surprised or irritated with her, he was instead asking her questions.

  “Can I borrow these?” she asked. She never felt comfortable having conversations in libraries. When he nodded, she picked up the books. “Let’s go to my quarters now.”

  She liked reading in privacy better, curled up in an armchair, in her nightgown, uninterrupted by other people. She would save the books for the evening. She started to leave the library with the books under her arm when the crown prince stopped her. Instead, he gently took the books from her and called the librarian.

  “Please have these books sent to the princess’s rooms,” he said. He paused for a moment.

  Vayu had forgotten the luxury of having other people do everything for her. In the monastery, she had been responsible for everything related to herself. She washed her clothes, cleaned her room, and cut her hair herself. Everyone pulled their weight to make the monastery running and to keep everyone fed and clothed. Here, she didn’t have to lift a finger.

  It was a blissful existence, having everyone around her ready to make things more convenient. But it felt like an existence she couldn’t get used to. It had been taken away once before. In Daivia, she didn’t even have the security of a birthright. As if it were natural, the crown prince took her hand in his and ushered her out of the library.

  His hand was so much bigger than hers, and warm. She was used to holding hands with her fellow novices at the monastery, but that was sisterly and playful. They would walk, arms swinging, to the local village. This was different. The action of holding hands felt like a silent proclamation. She could gently extricate herself, walk a few steps away. But people were unpredictable. She did not know how a crown prince would take a gentle rejection from her. Before she could steel herself to remove her hand, Cheran moved closer to her, looping her arm around his. He leaned down to her ear, and she felt his breath on her neck before he spoke.

  “There are a few courtiers on the path, looking at us. I think it would benefit you— us, if we appeared to like one another,” he said. “We can stop once they’re out of sight.”

  She saw them seconds later, a gaggle of women and men glancing over at them under parasols, from a nearby path. So it was a pretense.

  “Now, continue what you were telling me earlier,” he said. “You said you liked knowing the past.”

  She had forgotten what she was going to say to him. There was something about their proximity that she couldn’t ignore. He was taller than her, and she liked the way she stood in his shade. As they walked, it did not feel so wrong to walk arm in arm.

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  “I like learning about people, I suppose,” she said. “History tells us about people and their motivations. It tells us how to avoid their mistakes, if we read carefully.”

  “What kind of mistakes?” he asked.

  “I was reading earlier about the alchemical era. I’ve read a few books on the period, and it’s a story of fear and greed. People feared the power of magic, and they were greedy for the miracles that some mythical creatures could perform. Unicorns were hunted to extinction for their blood. Dragons were shot out of the sky. Perhaps it was covetousness too. The people of Noumin worshiped the sea and its gods, but saw its magical beings as enemies. We fought against the mer and selkies until they retreated so far into the ocean they must have forgotten the surface.”

  “You believe in those old tales?” the prince asked.

  Vayu shrugged. “I don’t think it matters if the stories are true. The sentiment is true. Time after time, people find differences among each other, to form factions and fight against one another. The concept of unity depends more on what differentiates us from another group, rather than what we have in common with our allies. Wars have the power to convert normal people into villains, for the justification of greed.”

  “Like the war that just ended?”

  “I admire that about your father. He does not hide behind a facade of ideology or righteousness. He wanted access to Noumin’s ports. His objectives were clear from the beginning.”

  “You don’t know him very well, yet,” he commented. His tone was darker now, and Vayu decided to change the topic.

  “I don’t always just read history and philosophy,” she said lightly. “Sometimes I like reading novels. My friends and I had to smuggle them in from the village. Most novels were romantic ones, you see, and the priestesses did not approve.”

  “No doubt,” the prince said, his earlier dark mood gone. “I liked reading novels as well, when I was younger. The library has a collection of adventure novels. I heard that they belonged to my uncle, from his childhood.”

  They reached a garden and Cheran let go of her arm. The garden was different from other ones she’d seen on the castle grounds. There was less manicured grass in this garden. Pools of water were covered in lotuses and water lilies. Instead of manicured bushes, there were trees with low-hanging branches, offering shade to low stone benches and intricate statues of sleeping animals.

  Cheran sat one of the low benches and Vayu sat next to him. The garden was cold, and she gratefully took Cheran’s jacket again.

  “I don’t really like reading,” he admitted. “I like riding horses, fighting, drinking, and a lot of other things the priestesses would disapprove of.”

  “You didn’t live in a monastery,” Vayu said. She shrugged. “I’m not surprised.”

  “I want you to have a good life here, Vayu. It will not be easy,” he said. “The empire is not kind to newcomers, no matter what benefits they bring. It’s good that they will think we are fond of one another, but there will be expectations for you.”

  She knew what he was saying. She understand why he wanted to discuss what he wanted later. She could ask for little things, but she could not live in the castle like a visitor. She was to be part of the family, and everyone in the royal family had a role. The queen was long gone, and she would have to fulfill some of those responsibilities. Coming from a hostile nation, she would have to prove her loyalty to Daivia. She would eventually be expected to produce an heir. The crown prince could marry again if she failed, but she did not know the empire’s attitude towards barren wives.

  “I’m only telling you because I want you to be prepared,” Cheran said. “I can imagine that your life from before was peaceful and simple. From now, it definitely will not be.”