Beautiful, Beautiful

The King's Library

Sun sat in the king's library, quietly flipping through the pages of a romance novel that was fated to end tragically. Even though she could guess the ending, she couldn't help but to continue, devouring each paragraph as if it were her last meal.

The story was about a young maiden sent to work for a very wealthy man who'd inherited his father's estate. He was very handsome, soon to be wed to the town's wealthiest women, but the moment he laid eyes on the maiden, he couldn't resist her.

He told his betrothed that he was in love with another and ended the engagement. But he hadn't realized how wicked he'd made her. A month passed and he took his maiden's hand in marriage, and on the night of their wedding, as they lay in bed entangled in a lover's dance, she murdered them.

Sun closed the book, blowing a strand of hair from her face as she exhaled. "So much for happy endings."

"I was beginning to think you'd read all day," a raspy, masculine voice called from across the room. Sun jumped from the window seal, turning toward the sound. Her heart was in her throat as she gathered herself and put the book down. How long had he been standing there?

Prince Crow leaned against the door, the dark side of the room concealing his expression. His arms were folded at his chest, his dark, curly hair spilled over his face, intensifying the mystery. Even in the shadows, his eyes glistened like a cave of onyx. He was cold and deadly, the kind of man a father warned his daughter about, but that didn't stop Sun's attraction toward him. No, Sun didn't have to fully see him to know that he was the reason for her thunderous heart beat.

Crow stepped out of the shadows, his small smirk becoming apparent. "Did I frighten you?"

"No. Yes." Sun inhaled. "How long have you been watching me?"

"Not long." Crow casually strolled toward her, burying his hands in the pockets of his trousers. His eyes swept the library as if he'd find something interesting. "I thought to grab a book to read and found you here, instead."

"You don't strike me as the type to read," Sun blurted out, biting down on her bottom lip in rebuke.

Crow chuckled once, closely passing her by as he walked toward the bookshelf to her right. His hands traced over each book as he studied the titles- the sound of skin against leather was soothing to Sun's ears.

"I read when I must understand the way an enemy works," Crow stated, selecting a thick, black book from the shelf. He studied the gold writing, which said 'A Guide through the Gifts: The Curses and Blessings of the Gifted Folk'.

"This book has a record of all gifts and their benefits and weaknesses. It was written over a time period of a thousand years. It houses the most common gifts, such as greed. A gift I find myself needing to understand if I am going to allow it within this castle."

"You're speaking of King Nander."

Crow's head lifted in surprise. "How much of our conversation did you overhear?"