Chapter 16
Games
Several lady’s maids descended upon Evelyn hours before the evening’s festivities were scheduled to begin. She was bathed, primped, and pampered within an inch of her sanity.
Three of the women were dedicated to Evelyn’s hair. They pulled the front sections away from her face and braided them together. The rest of her fiery curls were left long and loose. But it took a surprising amount of wrangling to get her hair to look natural.
When it was time to get dressed, Gabrielle and two assistants joined the other women in the room.
There are more people fussing over me than there are actually running the kingdom.
Evelyn was finally able to see her dress.
The ballgown had a fitted bodice, a sweetheart neckline, off-the-shoulder cap sleeves, a laced-up back, and a full skirt.
The material appeared weightless when she moved, like the skirt was a cloud floating around her.
Something woven into the fabric shone in the light, giving the effect of moonlight reflecting off water.
The tiara Evelyn borrowed from Queen Camille was silver, with a fairly understated design, but it had the sapphires she wanted. The light blue of the dress and the dark blue in the tiara perfectly matched Leo’s eyes.
I’m sure no one else will make the connection, but I love it.
Evelyn met Hannah in the hallway. Her sister wore a V-neck, sleeveless, turquoise gown with lace appliques and a low back. Her tiara was gold with pearls.
“Oh, Evelyn!” Hannah cried. “You are so pretty. You really look like a princess.”
“You look like a fucking mermaid, Hannah!” Evelyn shouted at her sister. “A beautiful fucking mermaid. How is that even possible?”
Hannah laughed, which made Evelyn laugh, and then the two of them couldn’t catch their breaths. The few maids lingering in the hallway stared as the princesses lost their minds.
“What’s all the commotion?” King Tristan called.
The sisters reduced their cackling to giggling and gave their father a hug, careful not to wrinkle their gowns while Gabrielle was nearby.
“My beautiful girls!” he said. “The guests are being seated for the banquet now. The two of you will be formally announced last, to make sure everyone sees you. Are you ready?”
Hannah squealed with excitement while Evelyn blanched.
I will never be ready to be gawked at by every important person in a kingdom.
The three of them descended the stairs and waited outside the entrance of the ballroom, which had been decorated for the occasion.
Branches of cherry blossoms extended from the walls, crisscrossing the room to create a pink canopy over their heads.
Vines of pink roses hung on the walls, draped like garland between sconces.
Tables were arranged around the perimeter of the room, leaving the center open as a dance floor.
Bouquets of pink tulips served as centerpieces.
A long head table, raised above the others, was reserved for the royal families.
Too soon, it was time for the Connollys to be introduced.
“I present to you now His Royal Majesty, King Tristan Connolly of the Kingdom of Carrowmore, and his daughters, Their Royal Highnesses, Hannah and Evelyn Connolly, princesses of Carrowmore.”
Entering the ballroom felt like shining a light into a cave and seeing hundreds of glowing eyes stare back. Evelyn hurried past the blur of nameless guests, her lips forming a disgrace of a smile. Of course Hannah didn’t need to fake her own expression of delight.
They joined King Gerard and Queen Camille at the head table. Prince Alexander should have been there, but he was nowhere to be found.
I’m not impressed that the prince never shows up to anything. Is he going to be like that even after he’s married?
Once she was seated, Evelyn locked eyes with Leo. He sat with Damien across the room and was dressed in finer clothes than she expected for a guard.
This kingdom likes to be fancy. It doesn’t matter what he’s wearing.
Evelyn’s heart raced when he smiled at her. She glanced at Damien in time to catch him rolling his eyes.
Why can’t I sit at a regular table with them? I’m on display up here! I wish Leo would use his magic on me again so no one would recognize me.
Guests were encouraged to dance after dinner. Most of the tables were magically removed from the room, allowing more space for people to socialize. The Connollys were separated by all the movement.
Evelyn spotted her sister’s bright hair and brighter dress, then watched Leo walk up to Hannah and bow. Hannah beamed and dipped into a curtsy. Leo offered his hand and guided her to the middle of the dance floor.
Evelyn hadn’t known that jealousy could physically hurt her. Its effects invaded her body like an infection.
Why Hannah? Of all the ladies in this room, why did Hannah need to be his first dance? And he’s the one who approached her!
Damien appeared at Evelyn’s side as if she had summoned him. He was exceptionally handsome in his full dress uniform, complete with a shortsword sheathed at his side.
“May I have this dance, Princess?” Damien asked like the proper gentleman he was pretending to be.
Evelyn forced an unconvincing smile and took his hand. He led her onto the dance floor but steered clear of Leo and Hannah.
“Did you know your neck goes all red when you’re angry?” Damien teased as they began dancing.
“I’m not angry,” Evelyn grumbled.
“Jealousy is just sexy anger.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“Liar.”
She scowled at him. “Why did you ask me to dance if you’re going to be mean?”
“I would rather you take your anger out on me instead of someone important.”
“You are important,” she said without thinking about it.
Damien grinned. “Thank you.”
Evelyn glanced over just as Leo sent Hannah into a spin. Her gut lurched.
Why her? She’s supposed to be with the prince, so why start with Leo?
Damien leaned down and said into her ear, “You need to stop staring at them.”
“I’m not staring!”
Damien tilted Evelyn’s chin up, forcing her eyes to meet his. “Look at me. Always focus on the person you’re dancing with, or you will offend someone.”
“You will create gossip if you keep touching my face,” she warned.
Damien returned his hand to her waist. “Better to have a rumor about an officer than talk of a love triangle with your sister.”
Evelyn thought about it. “You’re protecting me.”
“I’ve been protecting you for days now, Princess. You and Leo are determined to cause trouble.”
Evelyn fought the urge to look at Leo again. She kept her eyes on Damien like he’d ordered.
“I might be a tiny bit jealous,” she admitted.
Damien spun her around. Evelyn’s skirts flared out and the shimmering fabric caught the light, making her sparkle. When he drew her back to him, she momentarily forgot that there was anyone else in the room. His bright green gaze and easy smile were enchanting.
It was only one spin… How did he distract me that easily with one spin?
I hope he does it again.
“You are the center of attention tonight,” Damien told her.
“I doubt it.” Evelyn scoffed, ignoring the warmth of her cheeks. “Everyone is here to see Hannah.”
“Initially, yes. But Hannah isn’t that interesting.”
“That’s a horrible thing to say!”
“But it’s true. Hannah is sweet and not much else. If she weren’t trying to marry a prince, she would not be nearly as relevant right now.”
“Do you think insulting my sister is charming?”
“I’m not trying to insult her.” Damien’s voice was gentle but firm. “I need you to understand what’s happening tonight.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Look at yourself from a guest’s perspective, Evelyn. A beautiful princess from another kingdom, unmarried and not yet betrothed, with Fire magic no one would believe if they hadn’t seen it.”
Evelyn blinked. “Is that what everyone is thinking?”
“Thinking and talking about, yes. I got to you first, thank the gods, but half the men in this room will ask you to dance tonight. All of them want something, whether that is information or favor or you.”
This is exactly why I didn’t want to be a princess. I can’t even dance without it having some secret meaning.
“Everyone is watching you,” Damien continued. “If all you do is stare at Leo with your big, sad eyes, they will see it. This is a game, and you need to play better than that.”
“Is that what you’re doing? Playing the game?”
“Yes. Me and Leo and even Hannah.”
“Hannah isn’t—”
Damien cut her off. “Yes, she is. Your sister is innocent, but she’s not dumb. She knows how to smile and bat her eyelashes and make people love her.”
“What if I don’t want to do any of that?”
“Then you have two other options.” Damien smirked. “First, you can stand in the corner and glare at everyone. Or, you can run off with me for the night and fake a scandal.”
“Those are your best ideas?” Evelyn deadpanned.
“People are going to talk no matter what you do. So you need to decide what you want them talking about.”
The song came to an end. Damien took Evelyn’s hand and kissed it the way a suitor would. “What will it be, Princess?”
Evelyn gazed up at him. “I’ll play the game. Can you help me?”