Milana’s words steadied me as I moved through the palace corridors. By the time I reached the grand hall, I was ready to face Lord Thalen again. The candlelight flickered against the golden damask curtains in the great hall.
My head held high.
“You’re late...” My father scowled as I sat beside him.
“I’m making an entrance,” I retorted. He drove his fork into the fish on his plate. “I thought you wanted him to notice me.”
My eyes caught on Thalen’s again.
My father smirked with a hint of approval—he had never looked at me that way before.
I prodded the food already on my plate, unable to take a bite, as a server poured wine into our goblets.
“A toast to our visitors from the Vale.” My father raised his glass. “I hope you find your stay in Bailoc most welcoming.”
I raised my glass—my forced smile lingered. Lord Thalen raised his as well. “I am most honored, your majesty.”
He commanded attention from every corner of the room the way my father did. At my father’s gesture, the musicians played the first note of the evening, and the dance floor filled.
Lord Thalen appeared in front of me, his hand extended. “It would be an honor to have this dance with you, Princess.” Thalen’s confidence was unwavering. “You are a vision.”
My hand slid into his. “Thank you, my lord.”
“Please, speak freely with me.” His palm pressed into mine as we moved in unison. “You are to be my wife.”
A dull ache settled in my chest. “Have you both settled on a decision already?”
“Negotiations are underway. In the meantime, I would like to get to know you.”
“I would like to get to know you as well, my lord.”
“Something tells me we’re more alike than you think.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Oh, I’ve had my suspicions ever since I laid eyes on you.” He twirled me around him. “I’m rarely ever wrong about these things.”
My jaw clenched. We had spent mere moments together, but he spoke as if he knew me.
As the final chord was struck, Lord Thalen took my hand and lifted it to his lips.
The king raised his glass at us both and gulped down his wine.
“Come with me.” He led me through the crowd out onto the balcony. The palace guards silently took their place. “You’re nervous.” His eyes locked on mine. “My father used toalways remind me to look to the stars whenever my nerves overwhelmed me.”
The stars glittered behind him. I marveled at them. My mother always said the stars watched over us.
“What makes you think I’m nervous?”
“You’re trembling.” He clasped my hand in his. “The thought of marrying someone you barely know. It must be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.”
His hand lingered on mine. There was something about him I couldn’t place, a feeling that was new, but strangely familiar.
I needed to remove intimacy from the conversation. “Can you tell me about the Vale?”
“It’s very secluded. It’s nestled between the corners of Bailoc, Estlen, and Nythrel.” He paused, his voice growing cautiously quiet. “Do not let that alarm you, Princess. There are no threats from the fae there. My land remains protected by the divide.” My heart drummed louder as he spoke.
The idea of a far-off land was enticing. I had only lived my life within the palace walls.
