“You’ll have your pick of girls at court when you’re eligible to marry in a few months,” Colin winks.
“Fuck, don’t remind me.”
He laughs. “Mother would kill you for that language.”
“As if you’re any better.”
He shakes his head, ignoring my comment, his brows drawn together in what I recognize as anxiety. “I suppose it’s time to go.”
The herald announces the two of us, and we march down the velvet-draped aisle littered with golden rose petals. My gaze snags on Lord Astoria seated halfway down the aisle. Seated next to him isher. . . the girl who has been almost an obsession of mine despite my not seeing her for four long years.She must be about sixteen now. Her younger siblings are seated next to her, all with the darkest of hair, making her auburn locks stand out like fire.
I almost trip, and Colin grabs my arm to steady me. “Eyes up front, Ki. This is not the time to get distracted.”
The ceremony passes in a blur of speeches and vows. When the room erupts into cheers as Colin and Juliana hold their arms high, showing off their new binding marks, I sigh with relief. With the gods’ blessing, surely it means prosperity for our realm.
The sun dips below the windows, and the room dims to its candle-lit glow. Now, it’s time to feast . . . and with a little luck, I can reacquaint myself with Lady Raelyn. Does she ever think of our afternoon adventure nine years ago, or the one time Father finally allowed me to visit after that?
The king leads the procession to the grand dining hall and ballrooms, and the hallways are already filled to the brim with all the lords and ladies who were unable to fit in the temple, waving golden ribbons and shouting their well-wishes as we make our way to the rest of the celebration.
“Congratulations, brother.” I clink my glass of bubbly wine with his as the feast commences.
“Thank you, Kian,” he replies, knocking back his entire drink in one sip. “For a moment there, I wasn’t sure if the gods were going to bless us,” he admits.
I glance at the shimmering band around his arm and shudder. “Seems funny to imagine the gods even care about our marriages at all.”
He chuckles and nods at his brand-new sister-in-law seated next to her mother. “Maybe Father will arrange a marriage with Princess Helene and you can stay unmarried for at least the next decade before worrying about your binding ceremony.”
My nose wrinkles in disgust. “She’s a child, Colin. What is wrong with you?”
He shrugs. “I was betrothed when I was a child.”
I shake my head and roll my eyes. “You better not put any ideas in Father’s head. I mean it.”
Colin raises his hands in mock surrender. “Fine, fine, but at some point, you will need to find a wife and settle down. It’s part of being royal.”
I take a sip of my sparkling wine and hum my acknowledgment, all while my eyes eagerly search the rows of tables, looking for the fiery hair and jade eyes of the girl I can’t stop thinking about, especially now that I know she’s here.
I think I spot her and go to rise, but Colin clamps a hand down on my arm. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I thought I spotted someone,” I reply.
“Dinner is being served. You can wait.”
I sigh. “Fine.”
Being responsible all the time must be exhausting. I’m also not entirely sure why he is paying such close attention to me when he should be focusing on his new wife. I glance over at Princess Juliana, and she appears sad. Huh.
I shake it off and dive into the feast in front of me.
When we are finally dismissed for dancing and socializing, I go hunt for her. My brother is dancing with Juliana, and most of the crowd is watching them glide across the floor. I start to regret not approaching Lady Raelyn at dinner when I don’t see her anywhere. The children have all been dismissed at this point in the evening, and I can’t help but worry that she left with them. But Colin was right, if I got up and made a scene in the middle of dinner, Father would have never let me hear the end of it.
“Kian!” Dylan Havordshire, a lord’s son, calls out, pulling me aside before I crash into a waiter holding a tray filled with bubbly drinks. “Watch where you’re going, friend.”
“Shit. Thanks, Dylan.” I wipe my hand across my brow. “I think I might have had a little too much to drink tonight.”
Dylan rolls his eyes and laughs. “I thought you couldn’t stand the shite.”
“I was trying to be there for my brother,” I say. “We had shots before the ceremony.”
