Chapter 13 #4
“For a moment there, I believed you’d faint, Miss Vednis.
” Dark eyes squinted, he scrutinized her as he guided her to a small table at the side, pulling out one of the carved wooden chairs for her and waiting for her to sit before pulling the second one up next to hers and settling in, eyes on the dance floor.
“Had I known the topic of magic would affect you in such a way, I would have talked about the weather instead.” Niely waved over one of the men circulating the room with silver trays, picking two crystal glasses from it and handing one to Lory. “This will make you feel much better.”
With a smirk, he kicked back the rose-colored liquid in the elegant glass, gesturing for Lory to do the same.
Reluctantly, Lory lifted it to her mouth, inhaling the floral scent of what could have been desert roses and cinnamon, then tasting the sharp and spicy liquid.
“Is this the first time you’re drinking King Ulder’s favorite wine?
” A groomed brow rode up his forehead. “Well, glad to give you a first, Miss Vednis. Perhaps the first of many firsts.” His smirk spoke of dim rooms and lush carpets, of low moans and bad awakenings, but Lory had to admit there was a polished handsomeness to the noble soldier that reminded her of Hadrian Bleek, an entitlement that gave him the confidence to reach for whatever he wanted.
It was as interesting a trait as it was an appalling one.
She swallowed the mouthful of wine, locking eyes with Niely as she whispered, “I doubt you can give me a first of any sort.” Perhaps using his attitude and his own words against him worked better than playing the damsel in distress.
After all, Niely was determined to best Khayrivven.
Every word, every touch, she could tell, was designed to provoke the man whose power would one day destroy Ulder’s rule. “Except…”
“Except?” Niely leaned in another inch, his face close enough to make people’s heads turn.
Lory took a steadying breath. She could do this.
“Except if you tell me what’s really going on.
That attack… Was it really magic wielders?
” Keeping the fear out of her voice was an exercise of self-restraint, but she managed.
She managed, just as she’d managed to control her magic.
Like she’d managed to stay in character this whole time.
Like she was still managing not to screen the room for Khayrivven’s face to assure herself he was still there.
“Or is something worse coming for this city?”
An intrigued grin crept onto Niely’s face, and he lifted his arm, placing it on the backrest of her chair in a casual gesture, his tone so soft she needed to strain her ears, even when he was mere inches away.
“No need to worry, Miss Vednis. Us soldiers have the situation under control. The Pervaille family won’t sneak their rebels into our city much longer. ”
Lory fought hard to keep her face empty of shock.
Thank the Guardians for the Gilded training with Bleek.
Had she not chosen to impersonate Anora Pervaille’s niece during their session, this would have been the first time since the Duke of Criulias had been exiled that the name Pervaille would have come up.
The fact that Anora Pervaille was allowed to live in Criulias was considered a mercy of the king, but Lory wondered if that, like everything else, was a way of artfully hiding yet another ugly truth.
“Are you saying the Pervaille family is responsible for the attack?” She needed to make sure she hadn’t misheard him. “The Pervaille family.”
Was there even a family? As far as the public was concerned, Gentry and Anora Pervaille hadn’t had children before they were separated through Gentry’s exile.
“How many Pervaille families that could be interested in weakening the king are there?” Niely shrugged, leaning back in his chair.
“And that’s all I’ll say. Bad enough I let a pretty lady talk me into spilling secrets.
” He winked as if that wasn’t the only mishap he planned on having tonight.
“How about we go somewhere quiet, and you tell me a little more about yourself, Miss Vednis.”
Everything in Lory’s body screamed to get away from this man before his mindset of entitlement told him to take compensation for information freely given.
The Guardians knew; she wouldn’t be surprised if she’d need to pull that blade from her pocket to keep him at a healthy distance the moment the restraint the hundreds of observant eyes inside the ballroom put on him was gone.
“I’m not sure, Lord Niely.” Lory set down her glass on the table and wound her fingers together in her lap, utilizing the naive expression she’d noticed Anees put on when she pretended to be a lady during Gilded training. “Captain Falcrest might not be so happy about me leaving without a word—”
“It wouldn’t be without a word, Miss Vednis,” Niely reassured her, and Lory believed him.
The bastard would make sure to rub it in Khayrivven’s face just to spite him.
“Actually, why don’t we go over to tell Captain Falcrest goodbye right now.
If I can’t give you any firsts tonight, perhaps it will be a first for him. ”
His grin barely hid the sour edge in his tone, but Lory didn’t object.
Whatever old grudge was going on between the two men, playing along with Niely’s plan was her way to return to Khayrivven safely.
So she got to her feet, putting on her best conspiratorial smile.
“Perhaps you could show me a first after all, Lord Niely.”