retrospectxveâ:
âI hope Iâm helping with you having a good time here. Youâre not totally hating my company, are you?â Berlioz asked, giving her a small smile. âSo youâre liking the independence, then?â That seemed like a good reason to enjoy being away from home. It probably helped dull the homesickness a little. When she apologized after hearing about how his mother had been single, he shook his head. âItâs alright. Everything turned out for the best, and my mom met someone she fell in love with and theyâre more than happy together. Thomas is a better father-figure than I could have asked for.â He didnât find his upbringing tragic at all, if he didnât factor in the kidnapping and attempted murder. He had a mother who loved him and Thomas who felt more like a real father. âAnd you can tell me anything too. I like to believe Iâm not a very judgmental person.â When he looked down at the maze with her, he caught the pair kissing. It felt like too intimate a moment for them to be snooping on, but he figured that it wasnât such a bad thing. âI wonder too. Maybe they knew each other before and couldnât be together where theyâre from. I donât know.â He looked over at her. âHave you ever been in love like that? Where you would sneak around, try not to get caught?â
âNo! Youâre ridiculous,â Celine nudged his shoulder with hers and laughed. âIâm very much enjoying your company, and this really does feel a bit like an adventure.â The roof might not have sounded exciting to anyone else, but anything new to explore was fun. âI am, I was treated like a child back home. Not purposely, I think, but just being the only sister. I was always protected.â Though apparently not enough, since she was at the palace now. âSo your story has a happy ending, then. Good, I was hoping for that,â she smiled down at her feet. âThatâs quite a romantic story. Two people in love finding each other no matter what. I didnât take you for the romantic type.â Celine smiled down at the pair before looking away, not wanting to intrude too much. âI suppose I have,â she nodded. âI had a best friend from town, and we used to always be together when we were younger. Security tightened and I wasnât allowed in town anymore...weâd meet in the woods sometimes, and just talk. I loved him, but not romantically, really. But it was the only time Iâve ever lied to my parents,â she shrugged her shoulders. âI was courted once by someone I nearly fell head over heels for, but I learned he was only interested in power. It definitely hurt,â she winced. âBut I always wanted a love like that. Something real, not based on politics or negotiations. Someone who loved me just because I like to dance in the rain, or because I always bite my nails when Iâm nervous.â She believed that could happen, one day. Whoever he was, he was out there somewhere. âWhat about you? You must have fallen in love at least once.â












