Page 14 of Dewpoint
“I don’t doubt you, just…”
“I know,” I forgave, glad she let it go and we were on the same page.
What we were doing was dangerous and I had a lot of enemies—alotof people who didn’t want to see me in power.
More than she probably even knew.
“None of that tonight. Enjoy another win and relax. We all need it,”Iris said in my mind, Eloise agreeing.
Yeah, it was what we needed. I turned off my brain and decided to really enjoy myself. I’d been handling more than anyone should ever need to and… I needed a break.
We started with kebabs, Eloise finally getting her lamb which made her happy. Myriam chuckled that she might not have enough cash on her with the way I was eating. I was worried, but she promised it was fine and some places she could use her phone to pay.
Okay, good, because… I really wanted to eat.
“We do need to talk about you losing weight,” she hedged, sighing when I flinched. “Are you dieting? Why, when you’re—”
“I can’t hide that I need to eat more food than other dragons when I’m watched so much,” I muttered, upset she thought I was letting people influence me that way. “Some of it is stress. Shocking but…” I shrugged.
“Okay, then there are ways around that,” she lectured.
“I know, it’s just I’m trying to limit how much I change things around here on everyone or—they don’t like me at home.” It was tough to be vague, but we needed to be out in public and she was pretty quick to catch on always.
“That’s changed,” she said firmly, nodding when I glanced at her. “They see now you weren’t the problem and—the guilt I smell when most of them even look at you is unreal. Stop hiding your training now that you kicked ass and tell them you need to eat more. Have meals in the family dining room be family style and it won’t be obvious.”
I gave her a hesitant look and she simply chuckled and said she’d handle it with Raquel. Even blame her and Treena needing more fuel too.
“I was—thanks.”
She didn’t say anything until we past the next stall. “I was wrong about you too. Glad we could find out the truth.” She cleared her throat and moved along to a stall that sold spiraled fried potatoes that were beyond heaven. I couldn’t get over how amazing they were and was wiggling like Eloise as I ate more.
I didn’t understand the look of pity Myriam gave me, but then when I got excited at the next stall selling some type of cheesy corn, it clicked. This was what normal people experienced and it was all foreign to me.
And it was where I was from. Nerthus was my home and I was acting like a tourist. Worse than and I was almost thirty.
When we reached the hot dogs and cheese sticks wrapped in pretzel dough, I thought Eloise was just going to declare we lived there now.
Fine, it wasn’t just her.
“Okay, tell your dragon we will come here after every fight if she’s good or I will at least and get you some food,” Myriam chuckled. She shook her head when I furiously nodded and ignored every royal protocol as I double-fisted different options.
“What about in winter?” I whispered, not sure I could go back to not having this fun in my life.
“I’m sure there’s something else or I can grab fast food you’ve never had,” she answered quietly, looking like she was losing the fight to laugh.
“We should see if Treena wants some too. Maybe bribe some off-duty guards to get it for us?”
“Smart,” she praised. “They wouldn’t fuck with your food like delivery to the castle might.”
I hadn’t even thought of that. Was food delivery even allowed to the castle? I couldn’t see my parents ever doing that and I’d never even used food delivery.
“Another night, Sagan,”Iris said calmly, trying to get me to turn it all off.
It worked and I went back to my… Pretzel dogs? No idea, but they were fucking delicious.
We were at a fried seafood stall when I did a double take. “Oh fuck.”
“What?” Myriam asked, instantly on guard.
