My pale, blonde hair sparkled in the midday sun as I waited outside with Ryia. I toyed with the end of the loose French braid that, against my better judgment, I’d asked Ryia to tie up with the pale blue ribbon. She hadn’t given me the side eye I’d anticipated when I asked her to add it, which I was thankful for. She’d probably been too anxious to comment on it this morning and given the way she swung the picnic basket between her hands as we waited, her nerves hadn’t seemed to ease up at all.
When the carriage finally pulled around, and the two men stepped out, it was clear Ryia wasn’t the only nervous one. After nearly tripping when getting out, Lawrence quickly bowed before he and Oliver greeted us. With a quick exchange, Lawrence scooped the picnic basket out of Ryia’s hands before she could protest. Without the basket to busy her hands, Ryia turned to fiddling with the fabric of her lilac skirt instead as she directed us through the perfectly manicured gardens and towards the back corner of the estate where the pond was situated among meadows and willow trees.
As Ryia and Lawrence pulled ahead, making pleasant small talk about some noble drama I knew nothing about, Oliver fell into place beside me, strolling casually with his hands in his pockets. As we walked in awkward silence, he looked me over, and his eyes sparked when he noticed the end of my braid, making me quickly flip it back and off my shoulder.
“That’s a really pretty hair ribbon you got there, June.” He intentionally spoke loud enough to make sure that both Ryia and Lawrence could hear.
“Thank you,” I replied sweetly, keeping my face forward and unbothered as I walked.
“It’s a really beautiful color, looks absolutely stunning on you, really compliments your eyes.” I may have blushed if I hadn’t known better. It was just a ploy to get under my skin, and much to my frustration, it was working.
“Thank you again, and yes, the color is very pretty.”
“Where’d you get it, it’s so stylish. You must have such good taste if you were the one who chose it.”
“I got it as a gift, and yes, it is very stylish,” I said through gritted teeth. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his smug grin. I flashed him a fake smile that screamed I’m going to kill you, but his grin only broadened in return. I took in a deep, calming breath, thinking only zen thoughts that did not involve tripping him.
In front of us, I could hear Ryia leaning over and whispering to Lawrence, “I never knew Oliver was so enthusiastic about hair accessories.” I nearly snorted at the genuine questioning in her voice.
“Neither did I,” Lawrence shrugged, just as confused by Oliver’s antics as she was, “who knows, he’s been acting weirder than usual lately.” Lawrence looked over his shoulder and smirked, taunting Oliver. As I tried to pass my laugh off as a cough, Oliver scowled at me. I raised my eyebrows at him, saying I mean, he’s not wrong.
❧
The sun was beating down on us by the time we made it to the pond, and the only reprieve from its heat was the slight shadows cast by the willow tree we sat under. The grass around us was a pale green, speckled with short, white wildflowers that a few creamed-colored butterflies flitted between. It was serene, a stark contrast to the last time we’d hung out as a group at the ball.
Everything was going perfectly, minus the sour face Ryia made when she had to put out the food that she hadn’t been able to make on her own. She’d practically begged me not to tell the boys that she wasn’t exactly a stellar chef. Though I had agreed to keep it a secret, Oliver would most definitely know about it by the end of the day. I figured it was important that he remain up to date on any potential threats to Lawrence’s well-being, at least that was the excuse I was going with. I couldn’t have told you exactly what we managed to talk about, or how long we were there, but I did know that seeing everyone smiling and laughing made me the happiest I’d been since coming here. After all the food was gone and conversation slowed, Ryia asked if anyone wanted to walk the path that threaded through the meadows, which Lawrence immediately agreed to.
“You guys go ahead,” I said, standing up and stretching, “I think I’m going to sit by the water for a bit. You two go have a good walk.” I added, trusting that Oliver would get the hint to stay behind as well. Regardless of getting Ryia and Lawrence to spend alone time together, I had something I needed to talk to him about.
“Won’t you be lonely?” Ryia asked.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep her company.” Oliver came up behind me and winked at Ryia, much to her surprise and amusement. He was so going to pay for that. Lawrence and Ryia exchanged a look that I refused to read into before heading down the path together. Despite the annoyance from their marked glance, I was happy to see both of them walking and speaking comfortably together after their initial nerves.
Oliver followed as I wandered down to the edge of the pond. The pond itself was rather large, nothing like the small goldfish pond I’d grown up with in my backyard. Water lilies dotted the surprisingly clear waters, and cattails sprouted up in tufts that interspersed the shorelines. Small fish dodged through the stones lying on the pond bed, coming up to snip at bugs that got too close to the water’s surface.
“We need to figure out our plans for the rest of the summer pretty soon here considering the trade conference coming up,” I said to him, crossing my arms.
Taking place in a secluded manor in the Northern Province, the trade conference was a yearly event in which the most powerful families in the empire got together and discussed topics I was too bored by to bother reading. Considering Ryia wasn’t allowed to go, and it was just chapter after chapter of non-romantic development, I had just skipped through it. The only real purpose was to make Sawyer look like some smart and capable ruler by tearing down any plan Lawrence offered up, so it wasn’t like I was missing anything. Sadly, there wouldn’t be a ‘next chapter’ button I could click to skip over the next few weeks.
“Why did you have to remind me?” He groaned, tipping his head back “it's gonna be what, a week or two until we’ll be able to talk to each other again?”
“Three if you include travel. I’m going to go stir crazy without anything to do,” I sighed, attributing my disappointment to the fact that I wouldn’t have any schemes to enact for the next few weeks and absolutely no other reason.
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“You could try talking up Lawrence while we are gone, really play into the whole ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ thing,” he said, “and I’ll try my best to defend Lawrence and keep Sawyer from doing as much damage to their reputation as possible.”
“Wait, you need to be careful when it comes to Sawyer,” I shifted my tone with a grim face as I paced across the grass on the edge of the pond, “I couldn’t really explain this before, but… I know for certain that Sawyer was responsible for Lawrence’s death, and how he did it.”
Oliver stopped skipping stones and looked over at me. “I thought Lawrence was killed by those monster things?” he asked, furrowing his brows as he took in my serious tone.
“He was, but Sawyer is the one who released them, and he can control them. Anyone with royal blood can.” At his confused stare, I explained everything I’d learned about the Pythias Gem and how Sawyer used to make Lawrence’s death look like an accident. He nodded along to me explanations, less confused than I expected.
“That actually makes a lot of sense. I could never figure out how Sawyer had managed to defeat the monsters so easily during the final battle when even Lawrence couldn’t,” he said, flipping a smooth stone over in his palm before skipping it across the water.
“What final battle?”
“You know, the big finale where Sawyer slays the leader of the demon army?”
“I kinda, sort of never actually finished the novel,” I laughed nervously, fidgeting with the cotton of my cream dress, “I got pissed after Lawrence died and stopped reading.”
“So, you don’t know anything about the final battle, or the book’s ending?”
“Nope, not a clue. How did it end?”
“Well, I don’t want to spoil it for you.” I stopped my pacing and gave him a blank stare. Lawrence must have had the patience of a saint. After giving me a grin that only irritated me further, Oliver summarized the book’s ending to me.
After Lawrence’s death, Ryia managed to find a hiding place while Sawyer faced off with what the readers were told was the leader of the undead army, barely escaping death as he fought. Knowing what I did now, it was clear that everything about the ending had been a charade set up by Sawyer.
“Did it mention anything about him wearing any jewelry during that scene, specifically with a purple gem?” I asked, resuming my pacing on the pond’s bank.
“I think they said he was wearing the broach he was given when he was officially declared the heir to the throne, do you think it could be that?”
“That’s got to be it!” I quickly turned to face him, but my excitement disappeared as I realized that my heel had dug into the soft soil at the edge of the pond. The sudden stop sent me tumbling right toward the water. Before I could hit the water, Oliver grabbed my hand in a familiar motion that pulled me back with enough momentum that he tumbled into the pond instead.
“Are you okay?” He asked as he sat up, looking at me through strands of wet hair. After a quick once over to make sure he was fine, I kneeled on the shore to help him up.
“You’re the one sitting in a pond, and yet you’re asking me that?” I stifled a laugh as I reached my hand out, “you’ve got to be careful. I’ll feel bad if you get hurt helping me.”
“It’s okay,” he laughed, his calloused hands rough against my skin as I helped him up, “I don’t mind helping. Besides, this will probably annoy Lawrence, which is always fun to do.” I pouted as he stepped onto the grass, his clothes soaking wet. He shook out his hair before slicking it back.
“Ugh, you’re getting water all over me,” I giggled, blocking my face from the water droplets. Oliver stopped in his tracks, making a face that I couldn’t quite read. Through my fingers, I saw him look down at his soaking clothes, then up at my own, which were still relatively clean, and more importantly, dry. He shifted his feet, getting into a low stance as if he was about to pounce. Warning bells immediately went off in my head as I caught the wicked glint in his eyes.
“Don’t you dare,” I said, biting back my smile as I cautiously backed away.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” As soon as I saw him bite his bottom lip, I turned on my heel and made a mad dash up the hill. Despite my head start, he caught up easily and half-jokingly reached for me. I slipped to the side and out of his reach, sending him stumbling.
“Dammit.” Despite me skirting out of reach, he was laughing when he tumbled down into the soft grass underneath the willow tree, propping himself up on his arms. I sat down next to him, my dress victoriously dry. I picked at the grass, sprinkling a few strands on Oliver’s still-damp clothes. He gave me a side-eyed scowl but didn’t brush it off.
It wasn’t long until Lawrence and Ryia came into view, laughing together as they returned. Oliver and I took one look at the Queen Anne’s lace tucked behind Ryia’s ear before high-fiving each other.
“Lawrence has stepped it up,” I whispered, quieting as the two of the got closer, “you think she put it in her hair or that he did it for her?”
“He got a bit of a confidence boost after the ball,” Oliver said, “and ten bucks says he did it for her.”
❧
“Do I want to know why you’re soaking wet?” Lawrence asked, leaning against the willow tree while Ryia stood sheepishly at his side. He took a deep breath and rubbed his temples as if annoyed, but I could see the slight amusement in his expression.
Without skipping a beat, Oliver answered with a smile, “June pushed me into the pond.” Both Lawrence and Ryia turned to me in unison. Ryia looked concerned while Lawrence looked rather pleased with me.
“I did not push him in. I almost fell into the water myself, and Oliver being the charming gentleman that he is,” I sneered, nudging Oliver with my shoulder, “caught me but ended up falling in instead.” I stood up and dusted off my dress. “Did you two have a good time?”
Lawrence’s face brightened, and he glanced at Ryia before nodding. “It was a very pleasant walk, there are many beautiful flowers blooming in the meadow right now.”
Ryia turned away from him as a slight blush crept over her cheeks. “Do you want to use the blanket as a towel?” she changed the subject, picking the picnic blanket off the ground and folding it in her hands.
“I’m okay, thank you. I wouldn’t want to ruin it,” Oliver said, politely declining Ryia’s offer.
Lawrence blinked before looking at Oliver, annoyance twinging his face. “So you’d rather just get the inside of my carriage muddy?” he asked, taking the blanket out of Ryia’s hands with a nodded thank you.
“Exactly,” Oliver said a little too smugly. He shot me a quick, satisfied look that said I told you it would annoy him.
Lawrence faked a smile, then shoved the blanket toward him. “If you don’t take the blanket and dry yourself off, you will be walking home.” Oliver snatched it out of Lawrence’s hands and grumbled what I assumed was a curse before wrapping it around his shoulders.
❧
“So,” I said, still waving at the carriage that was leaving, “where’d you get the flower?”
Ryia answered without the hesitation that I’d expected. “Lawrence gave it to me,” her lips pulled into a soft smile, “he tucked it behind my ear then said that I deserved a flower as beautiful as I was.”
I stared at her, mouth slightly ajar, “he said what?!” Since when was Lawrence this brave? Looked like I owed Oliver ten bucks, not that either of us even knew how to get our hands on our own money here.
Ryia giggled, her hand toying with the flower that still was still nestled behind her quickly reddening ear. “I know, right? It was awfully sweet of him.” The blush on her cheeks gave her already beautiful face a warm glow as she continued to smile, creases forming at her eyes.
“So,” I started, wiggling my eyebrows at her, “do you think you might, you know, li-“
“I like the idea of him,” she cut me off, holding out a hand to stop me, “I like the freedom to choose whom I love. Whether I like him specifically is… still up for debate.” Up for debate was good enough for me. I listened as she hummed a honeyed tune on the way back, her steps light and excited. We turned a corner, nearly bumping into a hurried, red-faced butler coming from the opposite direction.
“My ladies,” he said, bowing as we stopped in front of him, “his grace has requested your presence at dinner tonight. It seems he has something urgent to speak to you about.” Ryia and I exchanged a worried glance before nodding, thanking the butler for his message.