Adeline snorted. “Barely.”
“After mother took great pains to impress upon us just how crucial this evening is? What on all of Adhlas would possess you, Adeline?”
“Oh calm down, Marry. I had three glasses of wine over several hours. I’mfine.”
“You’re late.”
“Again, barely. I didn’t drive the carriage myself, you know.”
“No, but you did decide to go all the way to the Capital.”
“Ilivein the Capital. I went home.”
Mareda pursed her lips, but said nothing. She didn’t need to; Adeline knew how she felt about her move to the city. Even two years on, she still believed it was a temper tantrum that had to come to an end eventually.
“Juststop, would you? I’m almost twenty-fucking-two years old.”
Mareda sniffed. “I’m aware.”
Adeline stiffened. If she’d been slightly tipsy before, she was certainly sobered now. She glanced around the hallway, confirming they were alone, then met Mareda’s hard stare with one of her own.
“You want to do this right now? I told you, I’m not campaigning. You can stop looking at me like I’m your competition. I’m yoursister.”
Mareda had the grace to look slightly cowed, but all she said was: “No, you’re right. We shouldn’t talk about this right now.”
Why do we have to talk about it at all?
But Mareda just shook her head and hurried over to the door to take her place.
A horn sounded within and, muffled through the iron and wood, they could hear a booming voice announce them.
“Presenting Princesses Mareda and Adeline Beira; Heirs to the Queen of Eisalaan.”
Mareda froze.
Ah, bollocks.
Chapter 14
Adeline
Heirs to the Queen, the herald had said.
Both of them.
That was sure to sweeten Mareda’s sour mood.
They entered the small ballroom to modest applause from the courtiers, but Adeline remembered to look dignified and graceful for all of one moment before she became distracted and stared openly around. The room usually glittered with the traditional wintery beauty the palace was known for, but tonight the Queen had set a different scene entirely. The sparkling ice and blinding white decor had been eschewed, and they stepped instead into a soft, dim world of silk and shadows. Lengths of wide cobalt ribbon hung loosely across the ceiling, lacing and overlapping low above their heads. Large lanterns of coloured glass threw dappled blue-green light across the walls, and the ground beneath their feet was softened with a thin scattering of dark golden powder.
“Sand!”
Adeline practically squealed. She’d seen sand only once before, many Winters past, when her father had been granted leave to take Adeline to his homeland and she’d experienced a warm summer on a sunny blue coast.
With a fond grin, she scuffed the toe of her silk slipper across the gold powder.
Mareda raised an eyebrow, but didn’t stop to comment before crossing the room, drawing eyes, as always, as she went. Her hair was twisted up on her head leaving her creamy neck bare, and she wore a long white dress with a lace train that trailed dreamily behind her and dragged a path in the sand as she walked. Mareda stopped before the Queen, who was talking to a very tall man with very black hair. They both turned to face Mareda and she slipped into an easy curtsey. As her sister dropped her golden head, Adeline caught the eye of the man and felt a shock of recognition in his dark, wired gaze.
His Majesty, King Kai Cumhaill of the Merrow, stared back at her.
