AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Kai
Felicity Rathson was even more beautiful than she’d appeared in her photos, but I found myself irritated by this. While she was gorgeous, she wasn’t the person my heart craved, and she wasn’t the woman who brought me joy and lit a fire inside like no other. So her presence grated at my nerves, which wasn’t remotely fair to her. She’d done nothing to deserve my ire, as my uncle and her father had been the ones who’d orchestrated our long-awaited meeting.
But despite all of that, and despite the way I longed to search the crowd for Ayla’s face, I gritted my teeth and tried to at least be polite. There was no reason Felicity and I had to be enemies. After all, we were both victims of circumstance and other people’s machinations.
Meanwhile, the moment I’d laid eyes on Ayla, it was like my entire being had been seized in that moment. She was always beautiful, breathtakingly so, but whatever stylists my sister had enlisted perfectly emphasized everything that was physically lovely about Ayla. The colors brought out that flush in her skin I loved so much, her cheeks and the tip of her nose a light pink. The makeup she wore was less dramatic than Darla’s, but it made her eyes pop without looking like a mask. I knew my darling mate wasn’t really all that familiar with cosmetics, so I was glad they hadn’t overdone it.
Then there was her hair. She usually wore it either down in straight, fine tresses just touching her shoulders, or pulled back into a soldier’s ponytail. Seeing it so done up just made the long, pale column of her neck stand out that much more. Just thinking about it made my fangs want to come in, eager to kiss, lick, and bite my way all the way up that neck until I could lock my lips with hers.
I couldn’t help it. While Felicity said something polite about the different climate of the capital compared to where her manor was, my eyes glanced over to where I’d last seen Ayla.
It was like there was a magnetic pull between us because my eyes snapped to her within seconds. I’d half expected her gaze to meet mine, but she was animatedly talking to Aodin.
Ugh, him.
I knew there was nothing between them. Ayla had said as much, and she wouldn’t lie to me, but it still rankled me that he got to stand beside her while I was stuck conversing with someone I had absolutely no interest in.
Besides, I still wasn’t sure how I felt about him supposedly having feelings for my little sister. I’d only just gotten to know her again after basically abandoning her for years. Did I have a right to feel protective of her? Seraphina was a smart girl, she’d proven that over and over again, and if Aodin wasn’t any good for her, I was sure she’d figure it out.
“What’s got your eye?”
I jolted and looked back to Felicity, who had a carefully pasted smile on her face. It was one I recognized instantly, as I’d had to wear it many times in my life, especially when it came to court matters. No doubt her father had made it clear that failure was not an option, that she needed to be as beguiling and charming as possible.
“Just admiring the spectacle. I’ve been gone a long while.”
“That you have,” Felicity said with a nod before leaning in. I had to steal myself, worried she was going to kiss me, but instead her ruby lips paused just under my ear, her hand on my chest to steady herself as she stood on tiptoes. “Here I thought you were staring at that pretty witch you brought with you.”
I paled, looking at her with wide eyes, but she just looked amused.
“Come, shall we find a quiet place to talk in? Well, as quiet as the two of us can ever hope to afford?”
Emotions swirled through me: worry, shock, trepidation, intrigue. Felicity’s carefully constructed mask of polite banality had slid off ever so slightly, hinting at something deeper beneath. Was she going to try to extort me? Threaten Ayla? The latter option would most certainly be a mistake. I’d cut off my own hand before I let any harm come to my mate. Ayla had been through enough, and I was going to be the one to protect her.
I led Felicity out to one of the balconies, one behind an old, old dogwood tree that obstructed most of the royal gardens, making it the least popular of all of the places to get fresh air. I knew we’d always have eyes on us, that was unavoidable, but I figured it’d give us perhaps enough time to let Felicity reveal the cards she was keeping so carefully close to her chest.
“I didn’t expect to find such a secluded place here. Well, relatively secluded,” Felicity said before making her way to one of the cushioned benches. As she sat, she leveled me with a pleasant look that seemed more real than any other expression I’d seen on her yet. I had no idea what to expect, especially when she let out a soft, quiet laugh.
“I have to admit, it is quite a relief to find you’re not interested in me. I thought this night would be a lot more complicated in that regard.”
Wait, what?
“Oh, don’t look so surprised. You may have lived your whole life in this court, but I’ve spent just as much time preparing for my future royal pedigree. My father’s been determined to have me by your side since I was born.”
I knew plenty of noble families had hopes of their daughters one day becoming my bride and had raised their young girls in accordance. As much as I did not want any of those possible future queens, I did feel bad for all of them. It wasn’t their fault, nor did they ask for their fates. All of us were caught up in stupid, stupid politics that were an utter waste of our time. And to think there’d been a war going on for centuries. We had so much more to worry about than infighting and social posturing.
“I wish I could feel something toward you. In fact, I’ve dreamed of the moment our eyes would first lock for ages. I hoped something would click between us, that it’d be a fae tale moment and I’d be swept up with a feeling I’ve honestly never experienced before.”
Word after word tumbled from Felicity’s lips, and with them came relief. She was equally not as into things as me. Surely that had to help us, right? Now we could team up to fully subvert my uncle and her father’s machinations. Still, that was easier said than done when my mother was now invested in us working out. I loved my mother dearly, but when she got an idea in her head, it was hard to shake her from it. People often joked that I got my stubbornness from the king, but in reality, it was the queen I took after, which I preferred. The less like my father I was, the better.
“I hate to say it, but there wasn’t anything like that. No dramatic swell of music. No rush inside of me. Just an idle acknowledgement of your attractiveness, and that’s about it.” Her grin grew wan, and she looked up at me with keen eyes. “Normally, I wouldn’t tell you this. I’d just play along like the good, dutiful daughter I am, but looking at you was like looking at a reflection of myself, and I could tell you were in the exact same position I was.
“Well, with maybe one exception. You clearly have feelings for someone else. I wish I could say the same, but after so many years of being trained, primped, and pruned into the perfect partner for you, I think I’ve come to resent romance more than a fair bit.”
I knew I was staring openly, but to say I was blindsided was an understatement. Of all the variables that had poured through my head, why had I never thought Felicity would feel much the way I did?
“I’m so sorry that you’ve been put into this position,” I said as I sat beside her. “You don’t deserve any of this.”
“You’re right, I don’t.” I was beginning to see there was a snarky streak in Felicity—something that no doubt her etiquette coaches and everyone else had tried to train out of her. “But perhaps neither do you.” She let out a lengthy sigh. “It’s tragic, isn’t it?”
