Chapter 3 #3
I laugh. “You have it all wrong, but thanks for making me feel better about the snooty looks and cold shoulders I got in there. Now I feel less like the country bumpkin.”
“Oh, believe me, that is not what anyone is thinking.”
“So how long have you been at the palace?” I ask.
“Nearly all my life,” she tells me. “I came here with my father as a little girl. He is an adviser to the king.”
“So you are used to all…” I gesture toward the ballroom with the light and noise behind us. “This?”
“Oh, you mean the splendor, the beauty, the backstabbing? Yeah, I’m used to it. Doesn’t make it easier, but I have no illusions about it anymore.” Her voice sounds sad. “Sometimes I just need a break.”
“I like you,” I tell her. “Would it be terribly rude of me if I ask for your help with navigating the waters around here?”
She laughs at that, shaking her head.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing, it’s just…” She shakes her head again. “I would feel honored. How about we meet for lunch the day after tomorrow?” she proposes, and I gladly take it.
The door behind us opens, and when I turn, Frederick steps out.
“There you are,” he says when his eyes find me, then he notices the girl next to me. “Deliah,” he inclines his head stiffly, while she sinks into an elegant curtsy.
“Your Highness,” she whispers.
“Come, Tamara,” he tells me, offering me his arm. I take a deep breath before taking it, stepping back into the warm air of the overcrowded room and giving Deliah an apologetic smile and a wave.
Even among all the gifted people in attendance, Tate’s magic stands out. My eyes snap to him, only to find his already on me. I try to read his face, but his mask is back up, giving me nothing, and I’m too far away to read his eyes.
“How do you know my brother?” Frederick leans into me, his breath tickling my ear. How to answer that? I have no idea how much Tate told him or if they even spoke, but since he arrived in his skyrider uniform…
“He is in the same division as me at the Aerie,” I start. “But I didn’t know—”
“So I don’t have to worry about him stealing you away?” And I decide this moment is as good as any.
“Look,” I sigh. “We don’t know each other, and I’m not going to marry a stranger. I bet you are nice and all, but—”
“So get to know me.” His voice is somewhere between disinterest and command.
“What?”
“Since you are going to marry me, you should get to know me,” he states.
“Hey, that’s not—”
“I’ll be king soon, and you don’t tell a king no.” His words, so casually spoken, sound like a threat. The hell I won’t. I’ll even make sure he remembers it bright and clear.
“There you are.” My brother steps up to me, his gaze searching my face. “May I steal my sister for a dance?” he asks Frederick, and I raise an eyebrow while Fredrick nods and hands me over.
“You look beautiful, little sparrow, and like you were about to kill the crown prince,” my brother tells me while smoothly maneuvering me onto the dance floor.
“I was close, and you look pretty handsome yourself,” I tell him, and he does. His uniform jacket brings out the blue in his eyes, making them pop in his tanned face. His hair is styled back and not one lock is out of place.
“But I do have the urge to mess up your hair a little,” I tell him, the tension slowly seeping out of me.
“Don’t you dare.” He gives me a mocking glare, and I chuckle.
“Thanks for the rescue,” I tell him.
“Yeah, you looked ready to spill some truths there.”
“He implied that I don’t have a choice but to marry him,” I say, and my brother’s eyebrows jump.
“Well, what did you say?”
“I was about to show him how wrong he is.”
He groans. “Ara, what did you do?”
“Relax, you interrupted us,” I tell him. “There is truth to what you said earlier. But I don’t want to marry him, especially…” I catch myself.
“Look, I’m not a moron. I know there is something between you and him .
” His eyes wander to Tate. “Or you wouldn’t have kissed him the way you did while I was standing right next to you.
” He gives me a stern look. “But please don’t do anything rash.
Whatever you decide will have a rippling effect much bigger than you might think.
Marrying Frederick would guarantee not only your safety but also everyone else’s in our family who might be born cursed. ” My eyes fly to his.
“Elena is pregnant?” I ask, and he nods, a smile spreading over his face.
I draw him into a tight hug, not caring that we stop in the middle of the dance floor.
“I’m so happy for you,” I whisper. “I promise I won’t do anything impulsive.
Even if his implication that I don’t have a choice and that he kept interrupting me made me want to punch him.
” My brother laughs softly at my exasperation.
“Thank you,” he tells me, kissing my brow while we continue dancing.
“You’re a pretty good dancer,” I tell him a while later while he accompanies me over to the bar.
“Don’t sound so shocked.” He laughs. “You are not the only one who was forced to take dance lessons. You had them with Ben after all, and don’t think it wasn’t the same for the rest of us.
And for your information, it’s not fun to dance with Ian or Luc.
” I burst out laughing at the image of my big brothers dancing together.
“I would pay to see that.” I giggle.
“No amount is high enough.”
Unfortunately, my brother is pulled away soon after, and my urge to scream in frustration grows with each passing hour. Only my promise to Dar keeps me from doing anything hasty, like drawing my dagger and threatening anyone who comes too close.
While many keep their distance from Tate, I’m always surrounded by people with no regard for my personal space, and the annoyance in his eyes matches mine whenever our gaze meets.
What does a girl have to do around here for some space and alone time?