17. Adrianna

17

ADRIANNA

“ A re they burnt? We should have used magic,” Nora grumbles, a pout taking over her face as she stares down at the atrocity before us.

Desperate to keep her spirits up, I reach for one, gulping with panic as I try to find something positive to say. “No they’re just…strong?” It’s a question, not a statement, and we both know it.

Dammit.

“They’re supposed to melt in the middle,” she whines, breaking a cake apart to find it just as rock solid inside as it is outside.

Yeah. There’s no redeeming them at all.

Nora’s bottom lip wobbles and I snap my fingers before I can think about anything other than her disappointment. My focus is set on the cookbook we’ve been working from, but this time, instead of taking the hands-on approach, I use the alternative set of instructions for magic users.

My air magic perfectly weighs out the ingredients and mixes them together. The concoction instantly looks different, and I chance a glance at Nora to see a smile back on her face. It’s the push I need to continue, and a moment later, I’m embracing my fire magic to bake the chocolate cake we’re trying to indulge in.

A squeal bursts from her lips a moment later as I step back. Tentatively reaching for a knife, I offer it to her and a coy look washes over her face. She nips at her bottom lip, eyeing the fresh batch that billows with steam on the countertop.

“If you don’t do it, I will,” my father calls out, reminding us of his presence, and it’s the push she needs.

She sinks the silver through the middle of the cake and we watch in delight as chocolate oozes from the center.

“Yes!” She fist pumps the air, her joy infectious as we swiftly plate up three cakes, saving the rest for the others.

As I sink down at the table with Nora and my father, a calmness I haven’t felt in the longest time washes over me. If I close my eyes, it almost feels like I’m back on the farm, like my time at the academy hasn’t begun yet.

A heaviness weighs down on my shoulders as I realize how much has changed in such a short span of time.

She was pissed at me last night, leaving me worried she would only get angrier with me, but here we are… hopefully making progress.

A distraction is what I needed this morning. After the heaviness of Clementine’s dramatics, I relented at my father’s insistence, and opted to take some time to be… me. Well, big sister me. Last night taught me a lot, but one of those things was how I’ve been letting Nora down. I spoke of good times and new opportunities, but that’s not even remotely what I’m offering her.

“How is it already so late?” Nora asks, pointing toward the dusk settling outside the kitchen windows, and I startle at the darkness.

My father doesn’t seem all that surprised, though. He simply chuckles, a knowing look flickering in his eyes. “Because we’ve been having so much fun.”

“You mean she has,” I say with a snicker, cutting into my cake with the tip of my fork.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Nora retorts defensively, and I give her a pointed look. I may be soft on her—there’s no question about it, not after everything we’ve done today—but I refuse to let her play dumb.

Taking a bite of my cake, I aim my chocolate-coated fork toward her. “I followed you through every room while you tried every bed. We’ve been here for how long now? And you somehow convinced me that you were worth uprooting someone else if you thought their bed was better than yours.”

Every. Damn. One.

Even those that have two twin beds set up. Every mattress now has the imprint of her body nestled in the middle, the remnants evident in the slightly crumpled sheets.

“I had to check all the options before I made a final decision,” she retorts, avoiding my gaze as she stuffs her face with cake, and I shake my head at her.

“ Then we had to go back through all of the bedrooms while you compared the en-suites available,” I add, a chuckle coming from my father, which he fails to hide behind his hand.

“Some have bathtubs and a rainfall shower,” she insists, looking at me with her innocent eyes that capture me under her spell like always.

“I’m now aware of the fact. Thanks for that,” I grumble, amusement softening my tone, and she winks at me. Glancing at my father, he says nothing, simply watches us with his full attention. “You’re not helping. Especially when she declared she already had the best room.”

He shrugs, making my eyes narrow, but that only makes his smile widen. “I’m enjoying my two favorite girls bickering like old times. I thought it might be strange being back in the castle and not being the king, but watching you two interact like you always have confirms it.”

“Confirms what?” I ask, my heart rate kicking up a little as his eyes grow watery.

“That everything is as it is meant to be, Addi. It confirms that you are everything I hoped you would be. That you are as resilient, fierce, compassionate, and true to yourself, just as I knew you to be.”

“Dad,” I grumble, dipping my head to focus on my cake to avoid his stare, hoping he’ll stop with the unnecessary compliments, but it seems he’s far from done.

“I think you need to hear it, darling,” he murmurs, reaching across the table, his hand encasing mine with a softness only he can offer. Pulling at my inner strength, I meet his gaze and find his watery stare remains. “I’m so proud of you, Addi. Queen or heir or not. I love both of you so much it hurts my old heart.”

“Your heart isn’t old,” Nora insists, and my father rolls his eyes at her.

“Maybe, maybe not, but I know the truth when I see it.”

My gut twists, like I know the words that are coming next are going to pain me.

“Which is what?” Nora asks, finding the words I can’t muster as my father swipes at the single tear that tracks down his face.

“I don’t truly know what happened all of those years ago. With your mother, I mean. She loved you so fiercely once. I don’t know what changed, but I know in my heart that how fiercely she cared for you wasn’t an act. Her love for me might have been, but that wasn’t. I know it,” he insists, his jaw ticking as his nostrils flare. “That woman doted on you with every breath. She would be so proud of you. So proud of the women you’ve both become, just like I am.”

I can sense Nora tremble beside me. He has never brought up our mother, not like this, and not without a push from one of us. But those words mean something, maybe too much. Especially now that there’s no possibility of a response from the woman herself to know for sure.

“As long as we’re proud of each other, that’s all that matters,” Nora breathes, a weak smile touching the corner of her lips as her gaze flits between our father and me, and I nod.

“I will always be proud of you, Nora,” I murmur, reaching for her hand as my father stretches for her other. The three of us are linked as one.

“If you’re proud of me, Addi, why didn’t you choose a role for me?” she asks, her eyes fixed on the table as my chest tightens and my heart freezes.

Shit. I hadn’t… fuck.

“If that’s what you want, I will find you a seat on my council in a heartbeat, Nora. I trust you with my life, but as much as this has been my birthright, it doesn’t mean it has to be yours.” Her eyes find mine, pain dancing in her orbs as her jaw opens, but before she can speak, I push on. “Every memory I have of us here, in these halls, in these rooms, out in the meadow, all involve a twirling Nora. You danced, and danced, and danced to your heart's content; humming and singing as you went. I want you to have the opportunity to be that girl again. The pain you’ve lived because of me will haunt me forever. For. Ever. But Kryll has given you this new possibility and now those distant dreams have the chance to be your reality again. I’ve already impacted your life enough as it is. It’s time for you to explore it for yourself.”

Tears stream down her face as two leak from my brimming eyes, and my hold on her hand tightens.

“Addi,” she whispers, but I shake my head.

“You can walk, Nora. That means you can dance. That means you can dream big again for no one else but yourself. You deserve that. I want you to have the opportunity to explore every avenue before you make a decision. If sitting on my council is the happy place you find at the end of that path, then I will announce it immediately, but deep down, as it stands right this moment, I think you’re way too creative for that shit,” I admit, and she smiles through the tears.

“Language, Addi,” my father murmurs teasingly, and it eases the tension filling the room.

Running my thumb over Nora’s knuckles, I clear my throat. “If you need to use your mind magic to delve into my head and confirm it, then have at it. It’s the truth.”

She shakes her head instantly. “I know it is. I can see it in your eyes,” she admits, sagging in her seat like she’s used all of her energy storing that pain. Now that she knows the truth from my end, she’s exhausted.

“I love you, ladies,” my father declares, expanding the warmth exuding from my heart as Nora and I reply in sync.

“We love you too.”

A ring of laughter echoes around us as we release each other’s hands before Nora tilts her head at my father. “So, what’s going to happen with Julietta now that you’re here?” she asks, referring to the woman he seems to be fascinated with back in the kingdom of dragons.

He blushes instantly, waving a dismissive hand at her as he looks anywhere but at us. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Are you sure?” she pushes, a hint of mischief in her eyes as she laces her fingers together on the table. “I could have sworn I saw you two kissing when?—”

“Please stop,” he pleads, hiding his face in his hands as the two of us giggle. Apparently, teasing him is fun. Dealing with Nora on a permanent basis must be exhausting for him.

“If you like her, you can make it work, Dad,” I state, assuring him that there’s no objection from me if this is something he wants to pursue. He nods, a soft smile stretching his lips.

“Maybe, but that’s not a conversation for now,” he replies, nodding at the door. I follow his line of sight to find Flora leaning against the door frame.