The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Two: Beyond the Veil Read Free Page B

then all of her grandchildren will choose not to reproduce. My parents, thankfully, are a bit more understanding. Though I know my mother would like to see me at least attempt to find a groom. I simply do not have the time. Or the desire.”
    Eyes filled with concern, Calie came over to settle herself on the sofa next to her friend. Aiva could feel Calie’s stare, searching her gaze. “I think you should make an effort tonight,” she suggested. “Just give it a chance. Dance with some of the boys. Maybe talk a little. Surely one of them will catch your interest. There has to be at least one man in Tanispa that can make your heart flutter the way Shaelyn claims Lord Herryk does to her.”
    “Oh, do not even mention Shaelyn,” Aiva wrinkled her nose in distaste. “The girl knows nothing of love.”
    “How do you know? Maybe she does. Have you ever even kissed a boy before?”
    Aiva closed her mouth, blankly staring into the distance. It was not a subject she wanted to discuss. And how could she? If she admitted the truth, Calie would want to know names. How embarrassing it would be to tell her friend that she’d been so close to Callum. Calie’s own brother. It had been fifteen years since she’d last seen him, but the memory of his farewell never faded. At times she’d even tried to force it from her recollection by imagining his face replaced by some other boy at court. Nothing ever seemed to work.
    She wondered, even now, what Callum was doing. After his departure for the military, he’d sent an occasional letter, always directed to her brother Edric, filled with a line or two in which he requested a hello be passed along to the royal family. Over the last several years the correspondence had been fewer and further between. His training had become more rigorous, not allowing him the opportunity to write with any frequency. Aiva never dared to ask the General about his progress. Cadell was a smart man. She feared he might notice something in her eyes or tone which would belie the innocence of any inquiry she might make.
    “Aiva?”
    “Hmm?” She blinked, pulled from her reverie by the sound of Calie’s voice. “Oh, right. Yes. Of course I have kissed a boy before. I have kissed lots of boys. It means nothing,” she lied. Awkwardly she rose from the sofa, moving to check her reflection in the mirror, hands smoothing over any stray strands of ebon hair, not wanting to arrive for the joust looking a mess. “Kissing is ultimately pointless. Nothing but lips against lips. Do you not agree?”
    “I cannot say I do. When Lord Kaemin kisses me, I feel all – fluttery inside. My heart races. If you want my opinion, I think it is very important. Maybe you just are not kissing the right boys.”
    Aiva laughed at the thought. The right boys? If only Calie knew! “Calie, you should not be kissing Lord Kaemin anyway. If your father found out, he would discharge him from the military and send you to the temple to live out your days as a priestess. Honestly, I do not think their bland-colored smocks would do anything for your complexion.”
    Humor felt hollow all of a sudden. A familiar depression settled over Aiva. One that had tormented her for months. Absently she ran her fingers along the smooth skin of her pale cheeks. Staring back at her in the reflection was a woman, though in her heart she still felt like a child in many ways. She didn’t feel prepared to deal with the responsibilities of an adult. Her existence felt empty. Smiling for the courtiers, pretending to be pleased with the heritage she was born into, while plagued with the burdens that came along with it. Chin up, shoulders back. Put on a show. And in the process she had to learn how to deal with the problems presented by the citizens on a daily basis, care for her younger siblings, keep up with her studies, and at the same time somehow find a husband who fit the standards of her grandmother. Some days she feared she would let her entire family down.