“We look forward to seeing how you both get along,” Prince Kilan said. “Soren, perhaps you and the princess should take a few moments together.”
“Are you well enough for me to show you around?” Every word Soren uttered was polished as if he had practiced it endlessly before her arrival. The cadence of his voice never once dipped.
“Yes, that would be lovely.” She seemed unsure of herself as she said it.
Not a single word she uttered was convincing. No, something seemed wrong.
Ashlyn’s gaze caught mine as she turned to leave.
Her stare was empty.
Her face paled with it.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
ASHLYN
Ihad to maintain my composure.
Whatever just happened in there—it was nothing.
Warmth spread down my spine again, pulling at something deep inside me.
“Your Highness?” Soren looked at me. “Are you certain you are well enough to continue?”
Fyn took a single step closer. His eyes studied mine.
“That is kind of you, but I am entirely fine.” The sensation swelled again through me. “I would truly like to see your home.” It stopped before I continued. “And then perhaps I can rest afterwards.”
“I’m sure it’s not that different from what you’re used to.” Soren’s lip pulled up at the corner as he spoke.
He was right. So much of it seemed to mirror Bailoc. The opulent decor, the stonework pillars that lined the hall. There was more light that shone here than in Bailoc, but the windows were grander and allowed for it.
Metalwork swirled between the arches overhead. “There isn’t as much metal to be found in my home.” It was such asilly thing to say, but as I looked into his midnight eyes, my words grew duller.
Murmurs rose from a group of ladies who passed. Each one had a different color hair that I had never seen before—deep violets, reds, and pinks.
I stared at the beauty each color possessed.
“I imagine that is quite different for you too,” he said.
“It is. And I find it quite extraordinary.” When I looked back at him, he was smiling at me.
He held his arm out to me. I slipped my hand around it as if I had done it a thousand times before.
“Lord Fyn, I would like a moment alone with the princess. We will send for you when you are needed again,” he said.
“I can keep my distance, but she is to remain chaperoned.” The glimmer had all but vanished from Fyn’s eyes.
“Do you wish it?” Soren’s tone sharpened. “For him to follow you like this?”
“I do,” I said, looking back at Fyn. “The fae have taken such wonderful care of me while I was in Nythrel.”
“You may stay, Lord Chancellor,” Soren said. “It is a relief to hear you’ve been well looked after, Princess Ashlyn. Your brother feared that may not be the case when we last spoke.”
A lump lodged in my throat when he mentioned Agan. Hopefully little else had been said.
Billowing drapes clung to the edges of the windows. Strained sunlight poured down the navy velvet rug. Soren guided me around the corner that led to a stone staircase. “The ballroom is at the top. Tonight you will see it well adorned to celebrate our meeting.”
