“It’snot for you to know whyIadd treasures to my collection.Willyou take the deal or not?”Sheworried her lip as she thought, and it took all my self-control not to reach out and run my fingers over its plump surface.
“Andhow do you expect thatIwill extract this information from him?I’msurprised you don’t just haveAvlyntake him down to the dungeon, like inMetlin.”
Istared at her then, but she held my gaze.Anyonewho thought this princess was just a vapid, spoiled royal was in for a nasty surprise.Shewas clever, much too clever for her own good.
“LordPlagisis an honored member ofHadeon’scourt.Idon’t think it would be wise for him to suddenly disappear while a guest in my home.”
“Isee, so subtler methods are required.Wouldyou have me fuck him for this information?Playyour little whore?”
Shehad surprised me twice today, but this timeIwouldn’t let it show on my face, even as anger wound itself through my ribs, “I’msurprised a woman as beautiful as you doesn’t know how to get what she wants without such extreme measures.”
Nowit was my turn to surprise her, and seeing that small hit of color come to her cheeks was immensely satisfying, “Besides, it almost sounds as if you were trying to make me jealous,Princess.”
Shesqueezed down on my arm with her hand, ever so slightly, “And, are you jealous?”
Myskin buzzed where her hand made contact, butIfocused, “Ihave no need for jealousy,Princess.OnceI’vehad you, you will be so undone you won’t remember any that came before me.ButIdo appreciate how hard you are working to upset me.”Hercheeks turned a brighter red and she narrowed her eyes at me.Butbefore she could retort,Isaid, “So, do we have a deal?”
Shebit her lip in that excruciating way, but she turned her feet and began pulling me toward the throne room, “Wehave a gala to get to.”
Chapter17
Tori
Ididn’t trust this deal with the king, butIcouldn’t resist it either.HeknewIwanted to train, soIwas willing to play the spy.Wereached the throne room, andIcould hear music through the double doors.
Justbefore we entered, he paused andIturned to him, “Ready,Princess?”Isaw him pull on that cold, aristocratic mask, the one he had worn when we had first met.Ihadn’t realized how muchIhad gotten used to him not wearing it during our journey.Ipulled on my own, my courtly smile cranked into place, “Ofcourse,YourMajesty.”
Hepushed open the doors, the muscles of his back and shoulders strained against his tight-fitting jacket as he moved the massive blocks of wood.Itmost certainly did not send a wave of heat through my stomach.Aherald inside announced us.
“KingAbraxasCorignusaccompanied byPrincessToriKhatoof thePearlKingdom.”Almostall the eyes turned to him as we entered.Ifelt it then.Ihad seen him as a general, as my captor, but nowIfinally saw him as a king.Thenoble fae of his realm all gave him reverential bows as we walked past.Buteven after we had passed,Ifelt their eyes lingering.
“Iguess they all really missed you.”
Hechuckled, “Theyaren’t looking at me,Princess.”Isaw it then, the way their eyes lingered on my face, likeIwas some exotic animal at a traveling minstrel’s show, andIfelt the indignation and anger rising within me.
Hemust have felt me stiffen, for he leaned in and whispered to me, “Forgivetheir rude behavior.It’sbeen quite a while since we’ve had any fresh meat at court.I’msure, shortly they will get to know you asIhave and learn to keep their distance for their own safety.”Icould feel the smirk on his lips, where they practically rested on my ear.Itried to wiggle away, but he held me fast, “Tonight, use that to your advantage.”
Andthen he pulled away, and it was as if a dam had broken in the room.Thenobles who had held themselves at a distance, all convened on me at once.Greetingsand curtsies abounded, andItried to remember names as numerous introductions were hurled at me.Themannerisms here were all different, curtsies instead of bows, and different formal greetings.Ithad me at a disadvantage, andIhated it.Itseemed thatCiarahad indeed chosen a conservative gown for me by the way the others dressed.
Themen had fashion similar to the king’s, mostly well-tailored jackets with short collars, embroidered with lavish embellishments.Somemimicked the sheerness of my dress with panels that showed off the wearer’s skin underneath.Iparticularly liked one that revealed an elaborate tattoo on the chest of the man who wore it.Thewomen were each like jewels, their dresses in every shade, and the undergarments ranged from scandalous to non-existent.Butthey wore them with confidence, andIfound myself doing my best to mimic that.
Aparticularly boisterous woman soon dominated my attention.Washer nameLadyLovatia?Shehad a head of long, pale blond hair tied in elaborate braids laced with jeweled beads.Shetook my arm quite boldly and started leading me around the room, introducing me to all the other noble ladies. “Yes, this here isLadyBogata, she oversees much of the agriculture in this region, and this isLadyPascala, she’s widowed, so she oversees her whole estate in theMistDistrictin the city.”Shehanded me a long-fluted glass, andIwas happy just to have something to occupy my hands and give me an excuse not to talk.Theeffervescent ambrosia sang on my lips.Itwas ridiculously expensive, and one of the few substances that could have full fae feeling inebriated.Ifhumans drank it, well, they were lucky if all that happened was losing the memory of a few days.
LadyLovatiakept showing me around the room, making more introductions, andIdid my best not to feel like a prize-winning pig before the slaughter.ButsoonIregained my feet, and the niceties of court came back to me.Ididn’t know their traditions, butIcould mimic them.Theambrosia helped.Ihad been doing this for almost two centuries after all.
“Ah, and here,YourHighness, isLordPlagis, a famous historian ofAdimos.Weare so pleased to have him visiting our kingdom now.”Plagismight have been handsome once, but age and something more malevolent had stolen that from him.Infact,Idon’t thinkIhad ever seen a fae as old as this male.Hehad heavy-set wrinkles around his mouth and deep furrows on his forehead.Helikely once had fine dark hair, but it was almost entirely white now, with only a few stripes of the dark remaining near his temples.Hehad deep-set watery eyes, like a puddle on the sand at low tide, just moments from evaporating.Hewas not discreet as he eyed me up and down, and the smile that broke his lips was not flirtatious, but something much more sinister.Isuppressed a shiver.
“Apleasure,PrincessTori.”Ihated the way he said that.Hereached for my hand and pulled my knuckles to his lips.Ittook everythingIhad to not snatch it away.ButIthought of the soldiers training on the beach, the feel of a sword in my hand, and held my smile.
“Thepleasure is all mine,LordPlagis.Ihave never met a scholar of such renown before.”Isaw his lips twitch, his ego stroked.Thiswould be easy, maybe even a little fun.
LadyLovatiamoved to pull me away, butIgracefully slipped my arm out of hers, my gaze fixated onLordPlagis. "LadyLovatia, would you excuse me?Iwas hoping thatLordPlagiswould be kind enough to entertain a few questionsIhave."Lovatia'sdisappointment was evident on her face, but as a court-trained lady, she swiftly concealed it.Witha slight curtsy, she excused herself and departed.Nowalone withPlagis,Iobserved his eyes dilate.
"WhatcanIassist you with, my dear?Imust say, it has been a while sinceI'veencountered a lady as captivating as yourself, displaying such a keen interest in our rich histories," he remarked, every one of his teeth showing in his smile.Ioffered a grateful smile in return, lowering my chin to look up at him through my lashes.Iobserved the way his eyes lingered.
“EvenonNiata,Ihave heard so much about your writings,MyLord.Ieven read a few in my studies, but it’s nothing like talking to the man himself.”Igave his arm a gentle squeeze then, and he certainly didn’t miss it.
“Youflatter me,YourHighness.Yes, my years asHadeon’sclosest advisor have come to a close, andIhave enjoyed myself in more scholarly pursuits, among other things.”Heflashed that grin again, andIleaned into him.
