Ruined (Ruined, #1)(29)

“No. Sometimes I get a few looks, but no one expects me to just be wandering around the city by myself, so they don’t notice.” He stopped at a cart with an umbrella over it. “Three, please.”

The man reached into the cart with a pair of tongs and pulled out three steaming buns. He put each one in a separate paper bag, holding his open hand out to Cas without giving him much of a glance. Cas dropped a few coins in his hand and took the bags.

“Cheese bread,” he said, handing one bag to her, and another to Galo. “Every time you come to the city, you buy one. It’s a rule.”

She opened the bag and peeked inside, the smell of fresh bread wafting through the air. She grabbed the bun and took a small bite. It was soft and chewy, with a hint of cheese flavor, and she took a second, bigger bite.

“It’s delicious,” she said.

“I’m glad you like it. The marriage might not have worked out if you didn’t.” The edges of Cas’s mouth twitched.

“How tragic. The union between Lera and Vallos destroyed over cheese bread.”

Cas laughed, revealing the dimple on his left cheek. His eyes sparkled in the sun, and it was easy for Em to forget for a moment that he was the prince of Lera. He was more relaxed than she’d ever seen, like the castle sucked half his energy away.

“Cas takes his food very seriously,” Galo said. The prince didn’t blink at being called “Cas” by a guard.

“I don’t blame you,” she said. She took another bite of her bun.

They finished their bread and Cas led them down the street. Em realized they hadn’t even been in the busiest part of town, as the crowds and stores increased the closer they got to the shore. Something must have made Galo nervous, because he said something to Cas, and they cut across to a less populated street, lined with small homes and apartments.

The ocean came into view, and Cas looked both ways before crossing the wide street dividing the city from the beach. Em followed him, stepping one boot into the sand, then the other.

The beaches of Vallos and Ruina were rocky and often chilly. She’d never seen one with white sand stretching out as far as she could see in either direction, the ocean glittering in the sun. Several ships were docked at the harbor in the distance, their sails flapping in the wind.

A few groups of people dotted the sand, many dressed in strange outfits. The men wore loose, short pants, with sleeveless shirts. The women wore something like very small dresses. The hems barely reached mid-thigh, and their arms were totally bare. Em’s mother had been a fan of flesh-baring fashion—Em remembered a dress with a neckline that went all the way down to her belly button—but this would have gotten an eyebrow raise even from Wenda Flores. Then she would have immediately demanded one of her own.

Cas took off his shoes and socks and left them in the sand like he didn’t care if someone came along and took them, so she did the same. Galo left his on, hanging back as they headed closer to the ocean. They walked until the cool water rushed over their feet, and Em curled her toes around the sand.

“Can I ask you a question?” Cas asked.

“Sure.”

“Why didn’t you bring anyone with you? Friends or maids or guards? If I were leaving my home, I’d want to bring as many people with me as possible.”

“There aren’t that many people left,” she said, squinting out at the ocean. “My parents are gone. A lot of people I knew were killed after the attacks on the Ruined began.”

“And your parents never had any children besides you, did they?”

“No,” she lied, a sharp pain stabbing through her chest as she thought of Olivia. “My mother wanted to have more, but she couldn’t. I would have had ten brothers and sisters, if it was up to her.”

“Was it lonely?” he asked.

“Sometimes. It was tough, not having anyone around who really understood what my life was like. You know what I mean?” She looked to him for confirmation, and he nodded. “But my mother brought other children our—my—age into the castle, so there was always someone around to play with. Two boys became very good friends. Aren is one of them, actually.”

“Just friends?”

She glanced at him. His voice seemed intentionally flippant, and she wondered for the first time if he was jealous of Aren.

“Yes, just friends,” she said honestly. “He’s like my brother.”

“Ah.”

“You don’t think I would bring a boy I was in love with to watch me marry someone else, do you?” she asked with a laugh.

He shrugged, his expression a bit sheepish at having been caught. “I guess not.”

“We did try to kiss once. We were thirteen. Neither of us could stop laughing long enough to actually do it.”

“Did you have someone you left behind?” Cas asked. “Someone you loved, I mean.”

She lifted her eyebrows. “Are you sure you want to know that?”

“Sure. You can tell me the truth.”

“Not really.” Damian’s face flashed in front of her eyes. “I had a friend who would have liked to be more, but it never became anything. My mother was very disappointed in me, I think.”

“Why? She liked him?”

“Everyone liked him. He came from a powerful family, but he was still everyone’s best friend. The kind of guy who never forgot a name. Always made everyone feel special. It would have been a good match, but my mother didn’t force me.”