Chapter 49 #2
Reiya’s gaze drifted briefly toward the far end of the table, where Lady Neda sat, her expression unreadable as she sipped her wine. Even at a distance, Reiya sensed the quiet watchfulness beneath her detached facade. Lady Neda knew the court’s games as well as anyone.
Had she already discerned Anna?s’s plan?
As the servants brought out trays of sugared dates and citrus tarts, Reiya turned back toward Anna?s, meeting her gaze across the table. They both smiled, their expressions pleasant—as though at an impasse.
But before she could speak, Anna?s lifted her hands in a graceful clap, the chiming of her rings like the first peal of a bell. The gathering stilled, instinctively drawn to her as she stared with an expression of effortless delight.
“Princess,” she said, her voice warm, lilting, perfectly pitched to carry across the table. “I have the most marvellous suggestion.”
The faint tinkle of cutlery being set down punctuated the pause. Reiya regarded her carefully, keeping her expression composed, her curiosity mild.
“Oh?”
Anna?s leaned forward, the glint in her dark eyes a touch too mischievous to be wholly innocent.
“A horse race through the desert. Just a friendly contest between us. You’ve been on horseback for weeks during your journey, have you not?
And I’ve heard your new mare, Shivanar, is a marvel. We simply must see her in her element.”
Interest buzzed among the courtiers. The suggestion was playful on the surface, but Reiya wasn’t fooled.
A contest in court was never merely a contest .
Further down the table, Lady Neda spoke before Reiya could respond, her voice lined with concern.
“Surely Princess Reiyana is still exhausted from her long journey. It would hardly be fair to ask such a thing so soon.”
Her words rippled through the gathering. A few courtiers nodded in agreement.
Anna?s turned toward Lady Neda with a smile that was all honey and silk, sweet enough to hide the blade beneath.
“Such thoughtfulness, Lady Neda. I imagine it’s a trait you’ve had ample opportunity to refine over the years.”
The veiled insult was delivered so lightly that many might have missed it, but not Reiya.
Neither did Lady Neda.
She caught the barely perceptible wince before the consort schooled her features into careful neutrality.
Anna?s turned back to Reiya, as though the exchange had never happened. “After all, the Princess has spent weeks proving her mettle on the road. A friendly race should be a delightful change of pace.”
The challenge had been set—not just to test Reiya’s skill, but her place.
For a moment, the tension in the gathering thickened. Then, with deliberate slowness, Reiya picked up her napkin, dabbing her lips before folding it neatly. She lifted her gaze, putting on a smile.
“If it is a race you want, Lady Anna?s, I will gladly oblige.”
Excitement crackled. A race between the two most-watched women in Asadia promised spectacle, intrigue, gossip—and the court would dissect its outcome for days.
The princes exchanged a glance. Reiya caught the faint tension in Alarik’s posture, the careful restraint in Kaelen’s silence, but neither interfered.
They trusted her to handle it herself.
That trust, that unspoken certainty in her, was an edge sharper than any weapon.
King Azarion lifted a hand, quieting the murmurs. “If Princess Reiyana and Lady Anna?s wish to test their horses’ mettle, then let it be so.” His gaze flicked toward Anna?s. “But let it remain, as you say, my lady—a friendly contest, nothing more.”
Anna?s inclined her head gracefully. “Of course, Your Majesty.”
But Reiya knew better.
As the future Tazahrina, she was meant to lead by example, show the court—and all of Asadia—that the disastrous past engagement was behind them, and a new era of peace and unity had begun.
And apparently, a ‘friendly’ horse race across the sands would be proof of that.
As the gathering moved outside the tent, anticipation thickened.
A steward stepped forward, his voice carrying over the low buzz of interested onlookers.
“The terms are set. A sprint across the open sands to The Sentinel’s Crown.
” He gestured toward the distant rock formation, a jagged spire of stone jutting skyward like the broken blade of some ancient giant.
“The riders will circle the outcrop and return, testing both speed and skill on the uneven terrain near the rock. The first to cross the finish line wins.”
Reiya slipped on her riding gloves as she stepped forward, the court’s scrutiny pressing down on her. The race was a spectacle, but it was also a test—one she had no intention of failing.
As she approached, Shivanar tossed her head, nostrils flaring, as if sensing the challenge ahead. The white mare was built for endurance, her long legs promising both speed and stamina.
Reiya’s hand skimmed along her neck, a silent assurance between them.
Across from her, Anna?s swung onto her mount like someone born on a horse.
It was no surprise she rode astride, not sidesaddle.
The chestnut stallion beneath her—sleek, finely muscled—was bred for raw speed.
He would bolt like an arrow at the first command, but Reiya had spent enough time on horseback to know that speed alone wasn’t enough.
Anna?s adjusted the reins, her posture effortless.
“Are you ready, Princess?” The words were light, playful, but the edge beneath them was unmistakable.
Reiya mounted Shivanar, sitting astride too. She swallowed a wince as the posture tugged at sore muscles, but she’d sooner perish than betray anything less than perfect grace. “Quite ready, Lady Anna?s.”
The desert stretched ahead, golden and endless beneath the late afternoon sun. The Sentinel’s Crown loomed in the distance, its jagged peaks casting long shadows over the sand. Reiya studied the route, tracing the dips and ridges of the land with careful eyes.
Most would see an open stretch.
She saw the obstacles.
The terrain near the outcrop would be treacherous—sharp inclines, shifting sands, and scattered stones that could break the rhythm of an unprepared rider.
Anna?s might outrun her on the straight path. But the winding stretch near the Crown?
That was where she would win.
A steward raised his arm, the air thick with silence.
“On my mark—begin!”
Anna?s’s stallion bolted forward, sand spraying beneath his hooves as he tore ahead. A cheer went up from the crowd as she took an immediate lead, her posture low, streamlined, confident.
Reiya didn’t rush.
She pressed her knees lightly into Shivanar’s sides, urging her forward in measured strides. The mare responded instantly, her powerful legs carving a clean path through the sand.
The wind tore through Reiya’s veil, whipping strands of her hair loose, but she paid it no mind. Anna?s’s stallion was fast—blisteringly so—but speed alone was reckless.
And reckless riders lost races.
The first outcropping appeared, a cluster of uneven rock breaking the smooth dunes.
Anna?s’s horse hesitated for half a heartbeat—a misstep, the stallion’s momentum thrown slightly off as she adjusted too late. She veered sharply to avoid the hazard, losing precious seconds as she fought to regain control.
It was all the opening Reiya needed.
She leaned forward, murmuring into Shivanar’s ear, “Steady now. We know how to handle this. ”
The mare flicked her ears back—listening, trusting—before slipping seamlessly into the rocky stretch.
Where Anna?s slowed, Reiya flowed.
She navigated through the winding terrain with precise, practiced ease, shifting her weight just enough to keep their rhythm smooth. Her Aethonian training had prepared her for narrow roads, for pathways requiring balance and control rather than brute speed.
And now, in the heart of the race, it didn’t fail her.
Gasps echoed from the onlookers as she overtook Anna?s in a single, fluid movement.
The open sands stretched ahead once more, the final portion before the finish. Anna?s pushed hard, but it was too late. Shivanar surged forward, hooves barely making a sound against the compacted sand, and with one last effortless stride?—
They crossed the finish first.
The silence lasted only for a beat before a roar of applause erupted from the gathered court.
She slowed Shivanar to a halt, fingers brushing lightly along the mare’s damp neck in a silent praise. Exhilaration thrummed beneath her skin, but she schooled her expression into careful composure.
Anna?s arrived seconds later, smile still intact, but the stiffness in her shoulders betrayed her.
The crowd saw, and so did the king.
Kaelen and Alarik approached, their faces wreathed in smiles. Reiya didn’t miss the pride gleaming in their eyes.
“Well done,” Kaelen murmured for her ears alone.
Alarik wrapped his arm around her waist and brushed a kiss against her cheek.
Neither display went unnoticed.
King Azarion stepped forward, his expression one of open approval. “A spectacular match, wouldn’t you all agree?”
He turned to the gathered nobles, who clapped once more, some even cheering her name.
Then, he turned to Reiya, his gaze keen. “You ride beautifully, Princess. Where did you learn such control?”
Reiya inclined her head, and answered humbly, “In Aethonia, the paths are narrow, winding through olive groves and cliffside trails where a single misstep could send a rider tumbling into the sea. There, we share our roads with farmers’ carts and merchant wagons, and maneuvering requires patience and precision.
I learned early that control matters more than speed—especially when the path ahead is uncertain. ”
She let a hint of warmth soften her voice as she added, “The sea teaches resilience, Your Majesty, but the land teaches us to move with intention.”
This time, when the murmurs stirred through the court, they carried not just admiration but respect.
Reiya let her gaze sweep briefly across the gathered nobles before settling, just for a breath, on Anna?s.
Her flawless poise had not faltered, but Reiya saw the flicker in her dark eyes, the one she worked hard to hide. A tinge of frustration. A whisper of something begrudging.
Good. Let her stew in it.
Reiya watched the lady strode toward her father, her expression perfectly schooled. Hassamir threw her one sharp look, brief enough to be missed, before turning away as if the victory had meant nothing, something they gave away and not earned.
She exhaled, fingers unclenching.
This was far from over.
For now, though, she’d won this round.