25. Chapter 25
25
Chapter 25
Violet
I left the library without saying another word to Sebastian. He was right: I had been living in delusion. It was only a few short months before Calum would have a wife, and I would officially be his mistress.
That was, if Nathara allowed it.
Even if she became a lady in the Mountain Realm, she would be the Sovereign’s wife and as I’d seen with Celine, they had more control of the castle—and the fae within it—than the Sovereign himself.
Not to mention Celine would back her.
I may not even make it a week back home before I had a “tragic accident.”
Now wasn’t the time for me to dwell on this, though. It could wait until tomorrow.
I went to my room and grabbed the dress I had set aside to wear to Lulenacht before heading to Bronwen’s room. When we talked about the ball, she asked that I come to her room to get ready so we could be each other’s escorts. I didn’t object because walking into a ball alone filled with beautiful fae ladies sounded like a nightmare. At least if I went in with Bronwen, everyone’s eyes would be on her, and I could hide behind her.
Lulenacht gave me an uneasy feeling. From what Bronwen told me, it seemed like a worse version of the balls I’d never been allowed to go to back home.
At least I didn’t have to worry about the ladies flirting with Calum.
Just Nathara.
Even so, I still didn’t like the idea of the ball. I would have preferred to stay in my room and attempt to pretend like it wasn’t happening, but the thought of not knowing what was happening or . . . or who he chose as his favorite lady of the night would kill me.
Fuck.
How did I go from Calum to him?
When I walked into Bronwen’s room, I realized this wasn’t going to be like the times before when we got ready in her room.
There were two chairs set up with faeries standing around.
“There you are!” Bronwen said as she stepped out of her bathroom.
“What is all this?” I asked.
“This is the biggest event we have every year in the Night Realm. Fae from every realm come here, so we have to ensure that we look better than them.”
Bronwen motioned to one of the faeries, and they grabbed me and pulled me into the seat before they began working on my hair.
Another faerie began painting my face, which was something I wasn’t used to as I only wore minimal makeup at home.
I had never been pampered like I was today, but I could get used to it.
Once we were ready, Bronwen and I stopped by my room so I could take my medicine. She gave me a look but didn’t say anything. It didn’t matter; I knew what she was thinking.
Drums echoed through the hall, growing louder as Bronwen and I got closer to the doors of the ballroom. A pit formed in my stomach at the thought of walking into whatever was behind those closed doors.
I just hoped with the dress I had chosen that I could blend in with the crowd and not look like an outsider.
But when I walked in, I realized that it didn’t matter what I wore, everyone’s eyes were on Sebastian, too concerned about how they presented themselves to him to notice anything else.
It was mostly ladies, who had come from every realm, with a few men scattered throughout. I had never seen a more diverse group gathered, and it was wild to think that all of this was because of him.
The most feared and powerful Sovereign brought in ladies from all over the kingdom for a chance to be with him.
He was an anomaly.
A Sovereign who had no plans to follow Queen Mother’s rule of marrying from the royal lines, he was a chance for any fae to up their family’s station. And he was beautiful, which helped.
Sebastian sat lazily on his throne, staring at the glass wall across the room. It seemed like his go-to move; he showed no emotion on his face. It was odd to see him like that when he showed a completely different side to me when we were alone. It seemed as if he had an internal switch that he could flip in a second to become what the kingdom thought he was.
But he had become so much more than that.
He was dressed more formally today in a solid black suit that was tailored to fit him perfectly. It would have any female stumbling when they caught sight of him.
Which it did.
Most of the ladies stood back but the few that were brave enough to approach him were given nothing more than a glance before he fixated his gaze back on the spot outside that seemed more interesting to him than the fae fawning over him.
But the part that had my eyes locked on him was something I hadn’t yet seen during my stay here: his crown. The crown of the Sovereign of the Night Realm. The crown that was given to the first Sovereign of the Night Realm after his victory over the others in Queen Mother’s games. A symbol that showed his station and superiority over everyone else in the room.
Even with everything I knew about him, it was easy to forget who he was in our day-to-day conversations.
But with his crown, he looked like nothing but power.
I stayed with Bronwen because even with her wanting to mingle with others, it seemed like a better choice than my other two options: sulking awkwardly in the corner or finding my father and staying with him, which would mean being near Calum and Nathara.
No, thank you.
Bronwen looped her arm in mine as we walked through the crowd. She spoke to a few ladies from other realms, but nothing seemed significant enough for me to pay attention to until she stopped behind a tall, statuesque female with long white hair that was tied back in braids. When my eyes met her gray eyes as she turned around, I knew exactly who she was.
Eira. Calum’s cousin from the Ice Realm.
She was the firstborn of Celine’s older brother, who was the current Sovereign of the Ice Realm, and she was next in line to the throne.
Eira had the same purpose as every other female here today, except she had the upper hand. She was strong as she can wield ice and transfer, and, possibly the worst part, she may have been the most beautiful female I had ever seen.
Eira was poised, elegant, and powerful. She would be a perfect match for Sebastian.
Even though I had no right, and frankly no reason, I didn’t like her being here. I didn’t want him to see her. I didn’t want him to spend the night with her.
“Violet? I didn’t know they would bring you here with them. That’s . . . odd,” she said as she cocked her head to the side. She knew of our relationship, and even though I had never experienced any ill will from her, I never forgot who her aunt was and where they both were raised. There was ice in the hearts of the females of the Ice Realm.
I had read about it before. It dated back to the first Sovereign of the Ice Realm. He was a very charismatic fae who had plenty of fun before, during, and after his victory. He charmed every female he met, except his wife.
Each of the first Sovereigns married from their respective realms to begin their bloodlines, but the Queen Mother handpicked each of these females to ensure the purest start to the bloodlines.
His wife was nothing like the fae he had his affairs with. She had white hair, gray eyes, and porcelain skin, and the Sovereign, well he enjoyed . . . a little more color.
She watched as he showed affection towards others; he had several mistresses. His wife grew cold, even towards her own children. They said because of that, every daughter in their bloodline had a cold and bitter heart.
It sounded like a made-up story, but I experienced it firsthand with Celine. Regardless of her opinion of me, a mother should be warm and loving to their children.
Calum never received that from her. Nothing he did was ever good enough, which meant he was always fighting for her approval. I think that was why he tried so hard to become the perfect Sovereign. He hoped to gain his mother’s love.
“What’s odd is that after decades of rejection, you still show up to Lulenacht in hopes of finally snagging Sebastian,” Bronwen snapped at her. I guess she caught on to her condescending remark.
Eira’s eyes widened. “It would do him well to understand the power he could gain by wedding a future Sovereign,” Eirasaid as she crossed her arms.
“Sebastian isn’t lacking in power. It would take more than that to catch his eye, Eira.”
Bronwen looked her up and down before turning away and walking off. She pulled me along with her.
It was like she didn’t see what I saw when I looked at Eira. Everything about her would catch the eye of a male.
Bronwen was everything I wanted to be. She had confidence and didn’t care if she offended anyone. I guess that was a privilege of being the most-trusted council of the scariest Sovereign in Alentara.
A few hours passed while Bronwen continued to pull me around the room. She seemed to know everyone in attendance, but the few that she didn’t, she made sure to introduce herself and get their entire life story.
I listened to the fae talk about themselves, but they were so boring they barely held my attention. There was something much more interesting in the room: him.
Sebastian never changed position and only shifted his eyes every so often to look at the female standing before him.
And when he gave them only a glance, it seemed to crush their spirits every time.
He caught me staring one time to which I quickly looked away. A few moments later, I glanced back to see he was still looking at me. Even though his face didn’t give any sort of emotion, I could see the smile in his eyes.
I saw Calum and Nathara a few times throughout the night. Once when they were getting food and the rest of the time they were dancing. He either never saw me, or he was doing a good job at avoiding looking at me because he seemed completely focused on her.
My father was dressed for the ball, and he seemed a little less on guard than he had been. It was probably because there were several guards standing at the exits due to the volume of foreign guests. I even saw him smile once while he was talking to Adar and a few ladies that must have already been rejected by Sebastian.
It made me happy to see him like that. He hadn’t been like that since Calum’s father died, and he deserved happiness, even if it was only for a night.
The drums slowed their pace, and the loud conversations turned into whispers as everyone turned to Sebastian.
The night was coming to an end, and it was time for him to choose his favorite.
He stood up from his throne and walked down the steps to the middle of the floor where everyone backed away, forming a circle around him.
Bronwen grabbed my hand and pulled me with her as she pushed her way through the crowding fae so she could get a better view. We made it to the front of the circle where she looped her arm in mine and pulled my body close to hers.
“My favorite part of the night,” she leaned in and whispered.
Dread formed in my stomach as I looked at the ladies and tried to figure out which one he would pick. He scanned the room, slowly looking at each lady that had pushed their way into the front of the circle. Their faces lit up before turning to utter disappointment as he moved on to the next.
I watched as Sebastian crushed the hopes and dreams of several female fae around the room, each giving me a little relief.
When his eyes met mine and a sinister grin formed on his face, I realized what he was planning to do. The look of consideration he gave the ladies was just for show.
Please, no . I shook my head and pleaded with my eyes.
But that only made his smile grow as he walked towards me. I saw looks of disgust and shock on the ladies’ faces around me.
I knew exactly what they were thinking because I was thinking the same thing: how could he overlook them and choose someone like me?
My grip was tight on Bronwen’s arm, but as Sebastian stopped in front of me and reached out his hand, I knew I had no other choice.
This was the last thing I expected tonight. The attention I got from him was always when we are alone, and he always managed to disappear before anyone could see.
But this . . . this was different. No hiding. No secrecy.
And he smiled when he picked me—something I didn’t think he did in front of others too often.
I placed my hand in his and his cool touch sent flutters through my stomach. After following him to the center of the floor, he put his other hand on the lower part of my back and pulled me in close, never taking his eyes away from mine. I gently laid my other hand on his chest and between feeling the muscle beneath and the look in his eyes, my chest tightened.
We danced for a while, and I did everything I could to focus on the sound of the music instead of the whispers in the crowd.
His thumb started to caress my back, and his eyes shifted down before he said, “That blue . . . like the sky.”
Even though I couldn’t admit it, I knew he knew.
This gown was for him.
I chose it days ago. Bronwen had several sent to my room with the intention of me picking a dress. Some more elegant versions of my everyday Mountain Realm dresses, some themed around the other realms that I saw in the hidden room while dress shopping with Nathara, and some that were the perfect depiction of the realm I was currently in.
I tried my best to pick another dress, but I couldn’t stop going back to this dusty-blue dress with jewels on the breast line and straps that draped down my arms.
But it wasn’t for the sky. It was for the eyes that haunted my dreams every night.
I was getting too close, but I couldn’t help it. Something deep inside of me was making me do it. Maybe it was in retaliation for having to watch Calum be with Nathara every day or maybe it was because I had never experienced life. Never had the chance to flirt. And now I was being tempted everywhere I turned here. Tempted by the most enchanting male I had ever laid my eyes on.
It was like he was always there, waiting for a chance to get my attention.
I could feel my cheeks redden and while I wanted to look away, I couldn’t, for I knew the glares around me were far worse.
Sebastian brought his gaze back to meet mine and let out a chuckle at my silent omission. He leaned in and whispered, “You should talk to your Sovereign. He’s not hiding his emotions very well.”
I looked around until I laid my eyes on Calum. He was staring daggers at us. His knuckles were white from how tightly he held his hands in fists.
“Was this why you chose me? To push him? It was all a fun game because you’re bored?” I asked as I shot him a look. The thought of this all truly being a rivalry between Sovereigns hurt, even though I was wrong for feeling this was in the first place.
His eyes softened when he noticed my reaction. “I chose you because I couldn’t keep my eyes off of you since the moment you stepped into the room. No one here compares to you.”
I scoffed. “Do you not see the ladies here? That came for you? I am nothing compared to them.”
He pinched his eyebrows in confusion before shaking his head.
Slowly, a breeze picked up even though we were inside. I heard a few gasps and looked around to see everyone looking at the ground, picking up their feet as shadows slithered through the crowd.
They came together and formed a circle around us, rising high and blocking everyone’s view. It was just me and Sebastian in the circle.
My eyes met his again as he said, “ This is what I see when you walk into a room. Only you.”
I had no words for what he said to me. We continued our dance while the shadows stayed around us, keeping us in our own little world. I heard the music and the voices around us, but I didn’t know how long we actually danced. Far more than one song, but I couldn’t tell for sure because I spent the rest of the time staring at him and trying to figure him out.
I had gone from being terrified of him, to learning to trust him, to feeling like a friendship had developed. All the while he relentlessly flirted because he knew it got under my skin.
I didn’t understand why he had become fixated on me but somewhere along the way, I stopped caring because his attention made me feel alive. Wanted, even.
When he finally let up on the shadow barrier he had formed, I looked around and realized several fae had left and the ball was coming to an end.
Once Sebastian chose his favorite, there was no need for the ladies from other realms to stay. Only Night Realm fae remained, and a few from the Ocean Realm that seemed too drunk to even realize where they were.
“You may want to head to your room. I’m sure Calum plans to visit you after seeing you in that dress.”
A pit in my stomach formed as Sebastian reminded me of the inevitable confrontation with Calum. He wouldn’t understand. He was territorial and would not be happy about what he just saw.