Jacob grimaced. “He is not in attendance, Your Highness.”
Julian snorted. “Then I guess it is up toyouto take the punishment.”
“What?” I gasped and tried to step forward again, but Jacob’s grip on my arm was firm. “Don’t you dare!”
“I dare!” Julian yelled and turned to the servant beside him. “Slap him and don’t stop until I tell you to.”
Jacob’s grip on my wrist tightened, a silent warning for me to keep quiet. But to hell with them all. “You touch him, and I’ll—”
“Careful, my lady,” Royal Prince Bai interrupted, finally approaching the scene, giving me a look of warning before turning to his furious nephew. “Julian, enough of this. How can you punish those who are here to get rewarded? If your father hears of this—”
“I don’t care! Slap him!” Julian’s voice thundered across the hushed ballroom.
Lightning fast, the servant slapped Jacob across the face. The smack echoed in the room like a gunshot. My eyes widened in shock, which was mirrored on the faces of everyone else who stood gaping at the scene. The room seemed to hold their breath as the servant slapped him again, and again, and again.
“You fuckin’ asshole!” I shouted. Ripping my wrist out of Jacob’s hold, I charged toward Julian, but Royal Prince Bai stopped me.
“My lady,stop. There’s nothing that can be done,” he whispered as the resonating sound of violence echoed in my ears.
I trembled with unrestrained anger and clutched Royal Prince Bai’s arm for dear life. Jacob wasn’t my real brother, but he’d been nice to me. He truly cared for me. These people had become like my family while I was here. I couldn’t let them get hurt. Especially not because of me.
The Drakonar royals were obviously losing their grip on reality, and perhaps on their subjects, as well. In the span of an hour, the emperor had executed a young woman for singing and one of his sons had ordered the flogging of one of the nation’s celebrated heroes. I wasn’t the only one filled with horror at the unfolding events.
I winced with each slap and felt the hot sting of tears threatening to spill. “I’ll kill him,” I whispered so only Royal Prince Bai could hear. “I promise that no matter what happens, I’ll kill him.”
“Lady Arya!” Royal Prince Bai reprimanded.
“Now, now, my little kitty cat,” a voice from within the crowd purred. I recognized the newcomer immediately. “We cannot have you murdering royalty, now, can we?”
I whirled around to see Klaus emerge from the crowd. His lavender eyes met mine with a twinkle of mischief in them. His long, silky white hair was pulled back into a bun at the back of his head, and his neatly pressed robes announced that he was every bit the fae his pointed ears proclaimed him to be.
Gasps rang throughout the ballroom, and even Julian’s servant stopped slapping Jacob. I pulled out of Royal Prince Bai’s grasp and ran to Jacob, who collapsed to one knee. Hischeeks were bruised and his lips were busted. Blood trickled from a cut near his eye. Sweating profusely, I caught him just before he toppled over. “I got you,” I murmured as I dropped to my knees beside him and held him.
Julian’s back was to the crowd and he hadn’t noticed Klaus, so he was incensed when the servant stopped. “Did I tell you to stop?” Julian shouted.
“Y-Your Highness!” The servant pointed to the white-haired fae standing in the center of the awestruck crowd.
Julian turned and his eyes widened. “How the hell did you escape Faelight Forest?” he demanded. “Or even penetrate the wards in place over Dragon Valley?”
Klaus sighed and began to pace. “Well, that’s what took me so long. I would have been here much sooner if it wasn’t for those pesky wards. Apologies, truly. I hope no one was hurt.” He slightly peered over at me and Jacob without making it too obvious. “By the immortals, I didn’t realize this was how the dragons treated their esteemed guests, much lesshumans. And to think we lost the war because of our mistreatment of humans!” Klaus laughed. “The irony is not lost on me.”
“Guards!” Julian shouted. “Where are the guards?” he yelled, his face turning beet red.
Slowly, the palace guards emerged from the crowd and hesitantly encircled Klaus.
“Kill him!” Julian ordered, pointing an accusatory finger at Klaus.
One of the guards cleared his throat. “Your Highness, um… Do you know who he is?”
Julian was positively apoplectic. “I don’t care if he’s the God of War himself! He’s fae and he’s escaped Faelight Forest. Kill him!”
The guards gulped, clearly scared to do as Julian commanded. I suddenly wondered where the emperor hadscampered off to. I knew he’d gone to change out of his blood-spattered clothes, but damn, it wouldn’t takethislong. I would have assumed all the commotion would have aroused his attention by now.
“Jacob?” I whispered. “Are you okay?”
He nodded but didn’t speak. It was probably best if we used Klaus’s diversion to get out of here before the emperor decided to show up. Then we’dreallybe screwed.
As I murmured reassurances to Jacob, the din around us grew into a cacophony of confusion and outrage. Klaus, with an amused twinkle in his eye, continued to stroll leisurely among the throng of hesitant guards, as if he was taking a leisurely walk through a park rather than facing a battalion of the emperor’s battle-hardened men.
