Chapter 18
Wine
“How are you doing, sweetheart?” King Tristan asked.
“This is the best night of my life,” Evelyn said sarcastically.
“I hope you have been friendlier than that with the lords.”
“I’m always friendly!”
Evelyn chanced another glance at Leo. He was with a different woman, talking and smiling at her.
I’m wearing a dress and tiara that match his eyes, and Leo is dancing with everyone but me. How fantastic.
King Tristan followed Evelyn’s gaze but got the angle wrong. “I know you don’t like King Gerard, but you shouldn’t make faces at him.”
“What? I’m not!” She looked again and saw King Gerard and Queen Camille were dancing near Leo and Miss Purple Dress.
Her father tsked. “You haven’t been very pleasant to each other.”
“He has been rude to me since we arrived,” Evelyn argued. “All I’ve done is return the favor.”
“Gerard isn’t that bad. His kingdom has been through two tragedies in a week, and he is trying to secure his son’s future.”
“He hates me for no reason!”
“King Gerard is not out to get you. He isn’t a monster.”
“He’s always yelling like one!”
“Is he yelling right now?”
Gerard and Camille were spinning around the dance floor. She was laughing at something he said. He wore a true smile that Evelyn hadn’t seen before.
“No,” she admitted, feeling less antagonistic.
“I was at their wedding, you know,” King Tristan said. “A royal wedding is always a big event. All the lords in both kingdoms were invited. Best cake I’ve ever had, probably from Taste magic.”
“Illusions have to be good for something.”
Her father chuckled. “I suppose there will be another wedding soon.”
Hannah and Alexander… I still haven’t seen him tonight.
“Has the prince proposed yet?” Evelyn asked. “Has he even asked for your permission?”
“Not yet, no.”
Evelyn was irritated, and another glance at Leo didn’t help. “Then maybe there won’t be a wedding!”
“Don’t you want your sister to get married?” King Tristan asked.
“Sure, if she loves Alexander. But Hannah’s spent, what, an hour with him all week? She doesn’t even know him.”
“Okay, what about you?” He poked Evelyn’s arm affectionately. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with Captain Fontaine. I’m sure you know him quite well by now.”
Is everyone’s father such a gossip?
“Damien is my friend. That’s all.”
“Gwyneth and I were friends before we got married.”
“Good for you.”
“Damien is the son of a lord. It would be a good match.”
I can’t… Maybe if things were different, I could imagine being with Damien. But he’s not interested in me, especially after his sort-of girlfriend Angelina died in the explosion two nights ago. Anyway, I’m with Leo. Or I’m supposed to be.
I would also like to know what happened to Haydn. Did he survive? Is he in the hospital? I was only with him for a short time in the bar, but there was something about him… If I hadn’t been there with Leo and the night hadn’t literally ended in flames, I would’ve left with Haydn. I hope he’s okay.
Good news: The song ended, bringing a stop to the conversation Evelyn did not wish to have with her father.
Bad news: Damien showed up. And he was smirking.
“Did I hear my name?”
“No!” Evelyn said too loudly.
“There you are, Captain Fontaine,” King Tristan said excitedly. “We were just talking about weddings.”
“No, we weren’t,” Evelyn growled.
“I told her about Gerard and Camille’s wedding. You are both too young to have attended a royal wedding, but they’re great fun.”
Evelyn huffed. “When the people getting married are in love, I’m sure weddings are wonderful.”
Damien was looking between father and daughter when his eyes suddenly went wide.
King Tristan frowned. “Something wrong?”
Damien didn’t seem to hear him.
Evelyn could see the wheels turning in his head. “Damien? Are you okay?”
“Yes!” Damien gasped, coming back to the present. “I was distracted for a moment. I apologize for my rudeness.”
“Distracted by what?”
“I… realized… you both have red hair!” Damien grimaced at his own obvious lie.
“It’s almost like we’re related,” Evelyn quipped.
“Go easy on the wine, Captain Fontaine,” King Tristan advised warily.
“Speaking of wine,” Damien said, “Evelyn hasn’t met Lord Robert yet. Would you mind me stealing your daughter to make introductions, sir?”
“Don’t get into too much trouble with Barbeau,” the king told him.
“Only a bit of trouble,” Damien promised, taking Evelyn’s arm to lead her away.
“What was that about?” Evelyn whispered.
“Nothing,” Damien muttered.
“You realized we both have red hair?” Evelyn repeated.
“Sometimes I forget you’re the king’s daughter.”
“Liar. You call me Princess all the time. So does Leo.”
“Yeah, well, it’s a compliment when he says it.”
“Hey!”
“Hush,” Damien ordered as they approached the noisy table.
A large man with dark hair and a full beard raised his glass of wine to acknowledge Damien and Evelyn. “Captain Fontaine!” he called out in a deep voice.
Cheers erupted from around the table. Additional glasses lifted into the air, and wine sloshed to the floor.
“Lord Robert.” Damien bowed. “I must introduce you to Princess Evelyn.”
“The Connolly girl!” the Lord of the Taste Court announced. “You’re the one born after the war. You don’t look like your siblings. Must be the hair.”
He’s very drunk. I like him already.
“It’s good to meet you, Lord Robert,” Evelyn said. “I heard you met my brother, Rowan, on the border a few years ago.”
“Yes, yes, he was a good lad.” Lord Robert tried and failed to focus his eyes. “I suspect he’s playing king while the rest of you are here?”
“He is. We’re all hoping he hasn’t burned down the castle yet.”
Lord Robert laughed uproariously, as did many of the other people around him.
I’m not certain they’re sober enough to know why they’re laughing.
“My wife is home with the children because our youngest is still nursing,” the lord continued. “But it’s difficult to destroy a manor with Taste magic!”
“How many children do you have, Lord Robert?” Evelyn asked.
“Seven!” He hiccuped. “I keep telling Lucille we could marry each of them off to a different lord’s family in both kingdoms.”
“That would be quite the empire.”
Damien rolled his eyes.
“Will you have a drink with us, Connolly?” Lord Robert offered with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Or can princesses not handle wine?”
This is a challenge.
“I would love a drink.”
One of the women handed Evelyn a glass of red wine. Evelyn drank it in two gulps, then set the glass back on the table.
I’ve never had wine burn like that on the way down.
Raucous cheers erupted from the Taste Court. Lord Robert stood to bow to Evelyn, albeit unsteadily. “Consider this court your ally, dear Princess.”
“Thank you, Lord Robert,” Evelyn said as the alcohol crawled through her body. “You have friends in Carrowmore.”
He collapsed into his seat. “Come to Solstice this summer! You’ll love it!”
Damien observed the whole exchange with an unblinking expression. “Forget what I said earlier. You know exactly how to be a princess.”
“You’re a terrible etiquette teacher.”
Damien smiled down at her. “How is that wine feeling?”
Evelyn swayed slightly. “Amazing.”
“The wine they gave you was from Barbeau’s private vineyard.”
I have a bad feeling about that.
“That explains the delicious taste.”
Damien’s lips twitched with amusement. “It also has the highest alcohol content of possibly anything on the continent.”
Oh no.
“That explains the… taste.”
Damien snorted. “On the bright side, it wears off faster than normal wine. It allows them to drink continuously.”
Evelyn was about to respond, but she caught a glance of Leo over Damien’s shoulder. He was bowing to Hannah, inviting her to dance again.
No! Leo hasn’t even acknowledged me since dinner ended, and he’s dancing with Hannah for a second time? This isn’t fair!
Damien followed Evelyn's gaze and sighed. He sidestepped to block her view. “For now, you are going to dance with me. And I will make you spin over and over until you puke on your pretty dress.”
She scowled at him. “Gabrielle will stab you for ruining one of her gowns.”
“I’ll make sure to flee the kingdom after the ball.”
Damien steered Evelyn back to the dance floor. As promised, he did force her to spin several times. But instead of making her nauseous, the movement was exhilarating.
This is what the ball should be: drinking and dancing with a handsome man. How different would this night have been if I’d planned on spending it with Damien? Being disappointed with Leo is exhausting. Dancing with Damien is like a scene from one of my romance books.
Evelyn built a wall in her mind to barricade thoughts of the explosion and the hospital, then tucked the memory of Leo’s kiss in another corner.
It’s easy to let Damien lead, knowing he has just as much going through his head after the previous few days. What would I do without him? Honestly, I might be setting something on fire.
The song ended, but Damien didn’t release her. “One more dance. Then I’ll trust enough of the wine to be out of your system.”
The next song was slower, which was appreciated because Evelyn was getting dizzy.
“Where is Prince Alexander?” she asked.
“He’s around here somewhere,” Damien said evasively. “I saw you dancing with Lord Nicolas earlier. What did you talk about?”
“You,” Evelyn replied honestly.
“Me? Oh, do tell.”
“He said you spent an evening with him a long time ago.”
“He only admitted to one night?” Damien gave her a wolfish grin. “Are you jealous?”
“Of you? No.”
“What about jealous of him?”
Evelyn blushed and smacked his arm. “No!”
I totally don’t care that Nicolas knows whether Damien is as good in bed as he is at dancing. I’m not even thinking about that.
Damien laughed. “You make it too easy to tease you.”
They went quiet, enjoying the dance. Evelyn kept her eyes on him.
What happens if Leo doesn’t dance with me tonight? Will I stay with Damien? Would I be okay with that?
No, Leo promised to dance with me tonight. I just have to be patient.
Damien pulled her closer. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” she answered distractedly, staring at his dark eyelashes.
“What are you and Leo doing?”
Evelyn blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Are you…” Damien hesitated. “Is it real? Do you truly care about him?”
“Of course I do. Why are you asking me?”
“You haven’t been here very long, Evelyn. There’s a lot about Leo you don’t know.”
“Like what?”
Damien’s brows drew together. “How many siblings does he have? Are his parents alive? What’s his last name? Where did he grow up? What does he do when he’s not with you? Has he been engaged before? What color are his eyes with the illusion?”
Evelyn’s heart sank.
Did I ask Leo anything about himself in the past week?
Damien was watching her closely. “Do you know the answer to any of those questions?”
“No,” Evelyn admitted.
“Doesn’t that seem like a problem to you?”
“So we haven’t discussed a few things yet. So what?”
“Evelyn, you know more about me than you do about Leo.”
“That’s not true!”
“What are my sisters’ names?”
Evelyn bit her lip. “Daphne and Desirée.”
“Does Leo have a sister?”
“What does it matter?” she snapped. “You could just tell me!”
“I can’t. It’s not my place.”
“Then why are you bothering me about this?”
“Why aren’t you upset that he isn’t telling you anything about himself?”
“Are you saying I shouldn’t trust him?”
Damien shook his head. “That’s not it. Leo is my best friend. I would do anything for him. But you don’t have to.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Would you marry him? If he asked you right now, would you say yes?”
Isn’t that what I asked Hannah about Alexander? She didn’t even hesitate, and I’m sure I know Leo better than she knows the prince.
But… would I? I’ve thought about it. I like imagining it. If I married Leo and stayed here in Gryon, then I could still be near Hannah if she marries Alexander.
Tonight isn’t the time to decide. Leo hasn’t proposed. He hasn’t even danced with me.
“That’s none of your business,” Evelyn said.
“Isn’t it?”
Leo is Damien’s best friend. But Damien is my friend, too. He cares enough about me to be at my side tonight and ask these questions. But what is he not telling me?
Damien broke the silence first. “I’m not trying to upset you, Princess. I’m really not. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Is he going to hurt me?” Evelyn asked, her voice barely audible over the music.
“I don’t know. I know he doesn’t want to. I know he’s been happier this week than I’ve seen him in years. But I don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
The second song came to an end and Damien let her go. Before she could say anything else, a man approached them. He was tall, with dark toffee skin and close-cropped hair. Evelyn let out a sigh of relief at the distraction.
“General Savatier,” Damien greeted his superior.
“Captain Fontaine.” The general quickly shifted his gaze to Evelyn.
“Princess, this is Laurent Savatier,” Damien explained. “He is the general of King Gerard’s army.”
General Savatier bowed. “It’s an honor to meet you, Princess Evelyn. From what I’ve heard, you would be quite useful in the Royal Army. Fontaine told me you’re immune to illusions, and that’s how you found my missing soldiers.”
This isn’t what I want to talk about right now. I need to find Leo and ask him… everything.
“That’s true.” Evelyn shifted her weight uncomfortably. “But mostly I feel like I’m missing out on the wonders of your kingdom by not getting to see any of its famous magic.”
“It’s much more difficult to charm a princess without any of my usual tricks.” Damien winked at Evelyn in a way that made her stomach swoop.
“I’ve heard that men used to court ladies with flowers and chocolate instead of tricking them.”
“Well, that sounds exhausting,” Damien decided.
“Princess Evelyn,” General Savatier interrupted. “Please let me know when you tire of Captain Fontaine. I would be happy to assign him additional duties. I’m sure he remembers how to clean the barracks.”
“You wouldn’t!” Damien said with wide eyes.
The general crossed his arms. “Did I hear that you stabbed a man at a tavern two nights ago?”
Damien relaxed. “I was having a nice dinner with the princess and misplaced my knife.”
“You are lucky that we had bigger concerns that night.”
Evelyn saw red. Specifically, the red of the fire in the explosion. “I don’t think the two hundred people who died would say anything about that night was lucky, General.”
Damien flinched, but Evelyn didn’t regret it.
“You are right, Princess,” the general said apologetically. “My choice of words was a mistake.”
“Why wasn’t I ever questioned about that night?” Evelyn asked.
Savatier looked at her curiously. “Prince Alexander requested that no one bother you. I assumed you knew that.”
“Prince Alexander?” That doesn’t make any sense. “Why would he—”
“One of the perks of being a princess,” Damien interrupted. “You don’t have to relive that night over and over for the sake of paperwork.”