Lady Arranella is the first to greet us and whisks Iann away to flaunt at her guests, acting as if they are old friends.
Chana, Eli, and Benny drift off to another room, but I stick close to Iann, following behind as he is introduced to faces I’ve only seen in passing around court.
Food and drink are offered to us in abundance, but Iann declines it all.
Though people are excited to see him, I can tell that all the greetings and endless questions are starting to drain him. His smile becomes forced and his responses grow shorter. Lady Arranella doesn’t seem to notice. She continues to escort him around the room, making sure everyone sees them together.
“Prince Iann,” I say, cutting in after following them around for well over an hour. “There is something I need to discuss with you. Sorry, Lady Arranella, we’ll be back shortly.”
I don’t give her the opportunity to protest and take Iann by the arm leading him away. We end up in a far less crowded room with a vacant sofa that we drop down on.
“I’m sorry,” I say, biting the corner of my lip. Convinced he regrets coming. “I promised this would be fun and that was awful.” I find a clock on the mantel across the room. “Over anhour of repetitive greetings and small talk.” He laughs and rests back in the seat. “How do you do it?”
Resting beside him, he shrugs, the friction of his arm sliding across mine warms me. “I don’t really know. It’s just something I do now.”
“You don’t like parties, do you?” I ask.
He meets my gaze. The green flakes in his eyes shine brighter in this light, like jewels floating in a night sky. His smile deepens and I find myself studying the bends of his lips.
“I would prefer my time spent doing other things,” he admits.
“You could have said no,” I tell him.
“I know.” His stare extends deeper into mine. “But I didn’t want to.”
The room floods with a sudden heat. “Would you like a drink?”
“I would love one.”
Leaning in close I pick up the scent of a woodsy musk. “Don’t move.”
The room opens to a dining hall stuffed with people dancing. I find a table flowing with champagne and food and wait for the people in front of me to get their refreshments.
From where I stand, I can see into multiple rooms of the Rose House. I spot Sky and Vera pretending not to watch each other. Their feelings are blatantly obvious.
Sky distracts himself with a game of cards and Vera socializes with a group of people laughing and flirting the night away. Around her neck is a bright red stone that appears to be glowing, but it must be a trick of the light around us.
Chana appears not to notice that she’s still at a party as she seems to be enjoying her time surrounded by people she was dreading to mingle with. She whispers something in Benny’s ear and both point at Eli before all three erupt in laughter.
I spot Iann starring, watching me in a way that courses an inviting sensation through me. He ends the eye contact as a woman, whom I recognize as one of the Queens’ ladies-in-waiting, approaches.
His leg subtly shakes, and he rubs his palms over his knees looking uncomfortable, but he still maintains a smile that’s obnoxiously charming.
I grab two glasses of champagne and turn to go save him, suddenly remembering the mix Chana gave me; I suspect she consumed some of her own.
Back on the table I shield the glasses with my body and release a droplet of the mixture into one cup. Guilt grabs hold of me. What if Iann doesn’t even need this? I can just ask him, find a way to sneak the topic of the flower into our conversation.
Someone bumps into me from behind and the liquid in the vial spills out onto the table.
“Where did you get that?” Sky appears, bending down near my ear and grabbing the vial. “How much did you put in there?”
“Chana said it will help me get some information out of the Prince.”
He huffs. “I’ve told her to stay out of my workstation. It contains lorice.” My dumbfounded look has him explaining more, “Has your father not taught you anything? It’s a magical root. Rare and meant for dire circumstances.” He shoves the vial into his pocket. “What’s in there is more than enough. Do you know what this does?” I shake my head, wiping the liquid with one of the several cloth napkins placed around the table.
“Is there an issue?” Iann sends us both spinning around.
Sky dips his head. “Not at all, Your Royal Highness. Just helping Ariah out with something.”
