Chapter 17
Introductions
Damien rested a hand on Evelyn’s back and led her off the dance floor. “I’m going to start introducing you to the lords. Stand up straight and smile. Pretend you’re a princess.”
“I am a princess!” she hissed at him.
“Then pretend to be good at it.”
“You are the worst!”
They approached a family along the edge of the room.
The man had short, black hair and a sneer on his face.
The smiling woman beside him, presumably his wife, wore a high-necked gown with sleeves pulled down past her wrists.
Evelyn felt immodest in comparison. Two ladies around Evelyn’s age stood next to them in flattering dresses, one gold and one light pink.
“Princess Evelyn,” Damien began formally, “I would like you to meet Lord Stuart and Lady Nadine Fontaine of the Auditory Court.”
Fontaine? These are Damien’s parents! Did he ever mention being a lord’s son?
Lord Stuart bowed. “It is nice to meet you, Your Highness.” His kind words didn’t hold an ounce of sincerity.
Lady Nadine curtsied. “I was hoping to see you tonight, Princess Evelyn.” She sounded genuine, unlike her husband.
“Thank you,” Evelyn said. “I am very happy to meet the family of the man who has been so kind to me this week.”
Lady Nadine’s eyes lit up, but Lord Stuart’s expression was calculating.
Damien gestured toward the girls. “These are my younger sisters, Daphne and Desirée.”
They each curtsied in response.
“I love your dresses,” Evelyn told them truthfully. “You both look beautiful tonight.”
The sisters appeared thrilled and thanked her.
Damien’s father cleared his throat. “And how did my son get so lucky as to secure a princess’s first dance of the evening?”
Lord Stuart doesn’t sound like a proud father. More like he’s collecting information to scheme later.
“He simply asked,” she replied pleasantly.
“I keep hearing stories about the two of you,” Lord Stuart continued. “A lot has happened since you arrived in the kingdom, Princess Evelyn.”
“You’re right,” Damien said passive-aggressively.
“So much has happened. The princess and her unique magic discovered the fate of the four missing soldiers. Then she single-handedly saved nearly a hundred lives after an explosion. I would say that makes Evelyn an asset to the kingdom, wouldn’t you? ”
Damien wrapped an arm around Evelyn’s waist protectively, the gesture not going unnoticed by the lord. The women of the family were frozen in place, anxiously observing the interaction between Damien and his father.
Safe to say they don’t have a good relationship. But what does Lord Stuart want? And why does Damien need to defend me?
“You’ll have to excuse us, Mother,” Damien said, disregarding his father. “The princess needs to meet the lords of the other courts.”
Damien’s mother and sisters dipped into curtsies again, while Lord Stuart didn’t bother to bow.
“I hope we can talk again later,” Evelyn said politely to the women before Damien whisked her away.
“What the hell was that?” she asked when they were out of earshot.
“It would’ve been rude not to begin with my court,” Damien said.
“Why didn’t you tell me your father is a lord?”
“Because it doesn’t matter.”
“You’re going to rule the Auditory Court someday!”
“I have no interest in being a lord. I want to be a general.”
“Why does your father hate me?”
“He hates everyone.”
“That’s not a real answer, Damien.”
He stopped and met her gaze. “It’s not about you. He’s worried about his own reputation.”
“What do you mean?”
“Is his son courting a princess? Was his heir involved with the fire in the city? Will I improve his status or embarrass the family name? My father hates that he doesn’t know what’s really going on.
He wants to be in control and I don’t allow him to do that.
Not anymore.” Damien was obviously trying to keep his anger at bay.
“Why did your mother and sisters look afraid?” Evelyn asked.
Damien closed his eyes long enough to inhale and exhale a deep breath. “We will meet the Aromatic Court next.”
I have more questions, but Damien made it clear story time is over.
They started walking again. Evelyn glanced back at the dance floor. A man with sleek, light blond hair was dancing with Hannah. Leo was with a woman Evelyn didn’t recognize.
Damien caught Evelyn staring. “Do you listen to anything I say?”
“I was checking on my sister!”
He rolled his eyes. “Lovesick princesses will be the death of me.”
They went quiet as they approached two new men.
“Captain Fontaine!” the taller man called out. He had wavy chestnut hair and a big, friendly smile. “I hope you’re here to introduce us!”
“Of course, my lord,” Damien agreed, visibly more at ease with this interaction. “Princess, this is Lord Grégory Lafleur of the Aromatic Court.”
Lord Grégory gave her a deep, almost comically gentlemanly bow. “It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”
“And you as well, Lord Grégory.”
“This is my son and heir, Edmond.” He indicated the young man beside him.
Edmond bowed awkwardly, like he only recently learned how. He was practically a replica of his father but with duller features. His eyes weren’t as bright, his jaw not as sharp. He was handsome but forgettable.
“I’m glad to meet you, Princess,” Edmond said.
Gods, even his voice isn’t anything special.
“Are you enjoying the evening so far?” Lord Grégory asked Evelyn.
“Of course! Gryon certainly knows how to throw a party.”
Lord Grégory laughed much louder than necessary. “I suspect the Taste Court agrees with you on that!” He pointed to a rowdy group seated at a table.
“We haven’t made it over there yet,” Damien told him. “I thought I might wait to introduce Lord Robert until we’ve run out of wine.”
“Did you see all the bags packed on his horses? He brought his own supply of wine!” Lord Grégory cackled.
Is this conversation appropriate?
Damien saw her apprehension. “It’s all right. The Aromatic and Taste courts have always been friends. Lord Grégory will end up at that table with them later, leading everyone in a song.”
Lord Grégory wagged a finger at him. “I forgot you attended that Solstice party! Don’t go telling the princess all of our secrets, or I’ll let her in on your shenanigans!”
Evelyn grinned. “I would love to hear your stories, Lord Grégory.”
Damien glared at her. “No one has enough wine for that. You should be back on the dance floor, anyway.”
“You aren’t going to keep her all to yourself tonight, are you, Captain?” Lord Grégory complained. “I can’t remember the last time we had princesses in this kingdom. My son would love to dance.”
Edmond looked like he would very much not love to dance. But a new song was starting and he knew better than to refuse. “May I have this dance, Princess Evelyn?”
“Yes, of course,” Evelyn said sweetly, compensating for the heir’s lack of enthusiasm.
Edmond didn’t even try to make conversation with Evelyn. To his credit, he was putting a lot of effort into remembering the steps of the simple dance. At least he only stepped on her foot once. Leo, on the other hand, danced gracefully with another unfamiliar woman.
This is not how I imagined tonight going.
When the song ended, Edmond let go of Evelyn like she’d burned him. He should have bowed before leaving, but Evelyn wasn’t about to call him back.
“I think he’s scared of you,” said a new voice.
The blond-haired man Hannah had danced with earlier approached Evelyn. His expression was kind, not the least bit threatening.
Evelyn instinctively relaxed. “I don’t think he wants to be here.”
“Do any of us actually want to be here?”
Evelyn smirked at his honesty. “My sister seems to be enjoying herself. You danced with her earlier, right?”
“I did. I’m Nicolas Auclair, Lord of the Vision Court.” He bowed respectfully.
“Oh!”
I would not have guessed he was a lord. He’s too… nice? Handsome? Young.
The man seemed to know what she was thinking and explained, “I’m the youngest of the lords. My father fell ill unexpectedly and passed away last year.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Evelyn said sincerely.
“Thank you.” Lord Nicolas glanced over her shoulder. “I was hoping Damien would introduce us. I saw you making the rounds with him.”
Evelyn noted the familiar use of Damien’s first name, instead of calling him Captain Fontaine. “We didn’t make it very far. But if you promise not to step on my feet, I would love a dance.”
If I can’t dance with Leo yet, Lord Nicolas is a better option than most men here.
He held out a hand and they returned to the dance floor.
“How do you know Damien?” she asked.
“He and I ran in the same circles for a while,” the lord said mischievously.
“That sounds like a good story,” Evelyn prompted.
“That depends. Damien seems quite possessive of you tonight, Princess,” he observed. “How closely do you know him?”
Evelyn’s cheeks went pink at the implication. “Damien and I are just friends. I was a bit overwhelmed coming here tonight, and he’s helping me with introductions.”
“That sounds like him. He’s an interesting one.”
“How so?”
Lord Nicolas hummed. “Damien is a battle-worn officer in the Royal Army. But he uses his wages to buy his mother her favorite perfume and new dresses for his sisters. People who are that lethal are not usually that benevolent.”
Evelyn tucked those details away to consider later. “So where do you fit into his story?”
Lord Nicolas grinned again. “We were friends… and sometimes a bit more than that.”
Evelyn’s eyes went wide. “A lord and an officer?”
She pictured Damien and Nicolas together. The captain was muscular, with black hair, so different than the lean, blond lord.
I didn’t know Damien was also interested in men. I guess not even a lord can resist his green eyes.
“Am I to be executed for scandalizing a princess?” Nicolas joked.
“No!” Evelyn said quickly. “Please forgive my surprise.”
“I haven’t actually seen Damien in a long time,” he continued. “We had a very pleasurable evening together a few years ago. But then Prince Christopher died, and my father became ill, and everything changed.”
“He’s here tonight,” Evelyn suggested. “And, despite any rumors, won’t be in my room later.”
“That’s good to know.” The song ended, and Lord Nicolas bowed. “It was lovely to meet you, Princess Evelyn.”
I think I made another ally in Gryon.