Eris Vanserra Fanfiction-A Land Of Lavender And Thistle-Book One

CHAPTER XXXVII

Eris

The whisp of a paper sheet echoed through my study. A second later, the soft sound of the pencil on paper filled the room all over again, the daylight coursing inside through the windows behind me. In one of the armchairs across, Ruth was curled up with her feet tucked under her. Her face was blank of emotions as her pale green eyes scanned the pages of a classical novel she's taken from one of my shelves an hour ago.

Twelve days had passed since Kaen's death.

Had I not known better, I would have thought the event rattled her. However, I knew my brother's passing had little to do with the sudden distance which had been present between Ruth and me ever since. Although we still slept in my bed, aside from a brief touch or a soft kiss, we hand't done anything since the day she collapsed in the training room.

Looking up from the thinning stack of papers under my palm, I spared a look in Ruth's direction. In these nearly two weeks, I had barely heard more than a handful of her teasing comebacks per day. That mocking, sly glint in her eye was gone, as if a dark hand came and extinguished the playful spark of her soul.

I could still remember the startling alert which had ran through me ten days ago. It hadn't lasted long, a few minutes perhaps - but it had been potent and sharp, alarming. I blamed it on paranoia, but ...

"Yes?"

Her voice jerked me out of my troubled pondering and I heard myself let out a heavy breath. As if that would rid me the weight hovering over my shoulders all these days.

I shook my head and turned back to the papers on the desk. I felt her gaze linger on me for a moment before she returned to the book.

I'd asked on multiple occasions what was wrong.

She would mutter something each time, giving me a warm, false smile of assurance that she was simply not in a mood for intimacy. Every time she cleverly blamed it on the overwhelming of her power that occured in the training room, saying it drained her more than she initially thought.

While I believed the event had left a toll on her, I knew deep inside that was a far cry from being the cause of her odd behavior.

In the meantime, Beron had cancelled my engagement to Duana. Although, due to the political arrangement, in order to prevent warfare between the continent and Autumn Court, the foreign Fae princess had to marry one of us. With Kaen off the list, only Elfoso was left.

While my brother didn't seem to mind half as much as me, it appeared that this time Duana was the dissatisfied one. Two days ago, during a so-called family lunch, the princess brought up Lucien.

My mother withdrew at the mention of his name and it appeared as if her quiet only grew thicker. Beron, on the other hand, grew red and ended the topic of my brother as quickly as possible.

Ten minutes later, only a third of the papers left under my palm were left, all waiting for my signature. I made to pick up another sheet when a scrap of paper appeared next to my ink pot.

I groaned in distaste.

I needn't read the words neatly written on the note to know who it was from.

"What is it?" I heard Ruth ask as sve loweree the book on her lap.

"I'm holding back from burning someone's eyes out." I gritted out, reading what Rhysand's note said.

Cassian and Nesta just left. They will be waiting for you at the border. Don't make them wait.

I heard the soft moan of wood of the armchair across from me. When I tossed Ruth a look I found her leaning over and attempting to read the note. "Night Court duties?"