Oh no. Not now.
I refuse to let my body betray me in front of all these bloodsuckers. Focusing on my breath and my feet on the ground, I work to stay even and in the present moment.
Despite the uproar, Kaison wastes no time stepping off the platform and striding straight toward me.
What the hell do I do?
Scream out I agreed to no such thing?
Call the prince a liar in front of everyone?
Pick up my skirts and run like hell?
Oh right, I could smash one of my shoes against a table until there’s a jagged edge I could cut him with. That was my original plan if cornered, right? Shank my way out of this.
My brain is stuck on the possibilities, unable to reach a conclusion before he is right in front of me.
Prince Kaison Charming’s publicity-friendly smile drops for just a moment as his eyes ask the question.
Will you do this with me?
His gloved hand is open before me, an invitation to join him in his idiotic plan.
A plan that will help me find who killed my father. That will explain why my entire life fell to shit.
I notice the King temper his reaction to the announcement, mindful of the ambassadors' watchful gaze. A wrath like no other is being reigned in, and I feel it stab at me from across the room.
I can’t trust the undercurrent between us as the Prince proposes we join forces and share a secret, a lie, that will connect us. It would be us against everyone else in this ballroom, likely in this kingdom.
His fingers close around mine. His stage smile turns into a genuine grin that makes butterflies take flight in my belly.
Except all the butterflies are on fire.
Chapter 9
A Simple No Would Suffice
CHARMING
Taking Cinder’s hand, I guide her back up to the dais where my mother and father are. The King’s expression is unreadable, but his eyes flash with barely contained fury. His posture is regal and composed, but I can sense the rage simmering beneath the surface.
I fight the urge to let a smug smile slip onto my face, knowing that it would only stoke his anger further. He may be the King, but I have outmaneuvered him in more ways than one.
Our engagement alone would be scandalous enough—a human and a fairy betrothed? Unheard of.
But to add fuel to the fire, Cinder is also the daughter of my father's close personal friend. It means something.
This is an alliance that could potentially shift the delicate balance of power between humans and fairies.
If the King tries to deny our union, it will come off badly in front of the ambassadors from the Common World.
Common/fairy politics have reached a tense impasse. There have been too many rumors making their way to the Common World about the treatment of humans that have incited conversations about the Midnight Kingdom needing to be checked.
More scrutiny will fall on his autocratic rule, and the Common World might just do something about it.
Our kingdom's strength lies in its isolation. The more attention we draw to ourselves, the more our independence is threatened.
The Common World is a hundred times bigger than Midnight and only a fraction of that power could crack or overwhelm us if they decide the Charming rule has gone on for long enough.
