“My Order,” Ephren exclaimed, rising. He chuckled excitedly. “Come in, come in. Take your seats. You won’t mind that I’ve invited my family to join us. My son, Caspar, you know.”
At the foot of the table, Prince Caspar regarded Evylin and Ilain with thoughtful consideration, likely pondering whether either was worth his efforts at seduction. He remained as handsome as ever, featuring curly brown hair and appealing looks. However, Evylin steadfastly avoided his gaze and his unwelcome attention.
The king went on to introduce the rest of his dinner guests. “The lovely lady at his side is my daughter-in-law, Henriette.” The woman in question was rather plain with her dull brown hair and round features, but she had a beautiful, genuine smile. “This is my brother, Grayham, Duke of Loclight province,” he said, clapping the shoulder of the man on his right. “And my niece, Seretta. She’s quite taken with the daring story of Caspar’s rescue.” He chuckled and sent a wink to the soldiers. “Might even grace one of you with her company if you please her enough. They’re all wildly excited to hear your extravagant stories, though we’ll save the most important bits for after dinner, shall we?”
Once the king had introduced the troop to his family, he instructed Deckard to sit on his left but stopped Evylin from following him. “I apologize, dear woman,” Ephren said, not sounding apologetic in the least. “But my daughter-in-law has requested your presence at her side.”
Not at all interested in sitting so near Prince Ephren, Evylin forced her smile. At least the man’s wife would be between her and him. Perhaps she wouldn’t have to speak with him at all.
The seating arrangement was quickly decided after that. Auden was to sit beside Deckard while Ilain took the place across from him next to Duke Grayham Ephren. Thom readily took the seat between Evylin and Ilain, dodging the advancement ofSeretta, presumably the duke’s daughter, by their shared sharp jawlines, though the young woman had a far deeper complexion than any others at the table.
Seretta didn’t seem to mind this loss as she went right for Ethenn, slipping her hand under his arm and guiding him to the seat next to hers. Ilain watched keenly but stayed silent, and Rafferty wound up next to the prince.
Once the king took his seat, so did the rest of them, the servants pushing in their chairs readily. He started up a conversation with Deckard, the duke, and the Calders, capturing the far side of the table’s attention.
Henriette turned to Evylin immediately, her friendly smile infectious. “I couldn’t believe it when His Majesty told me I could join tonight,” she said with gleeful excitement. “Ever since I heard of your commission, I knew I had to meet you. Just think of it: the first female soldier.”
While Evylin knew she was far from thefirstin all of Terraeus, she kept the information to herself. “It’s a great honor,” she said. “I’m indebted to His Majesty.”
“Aren’t we all?” Prince Ephren grumbled at the end of the table.
His wife, who looked a decade younger than her husband, didn’t heed his sour remark. “However did you learn swordplay?” she asked, her guileless demeanor reminding Evylin of her youngest sister, Dolia.
“My uncle taught me,” Evylin said. “He was a general and a very great soldier.”
“He was the one in your party who died, wasn’t he?” Seretta asked from across the table. Her words weren’t venomous or cruelly intended. Instead, they sounded ignorant.
Evylin glanced up the table’s length to catch Deckard’s compassionate gaze. Despite the way her heart squeezed, she gave him a nod, promising that she was fine. Then sheturned back to Seretta. “He was,” she said. “It was a dreadful experience, losing him. But he died in battle protecting me, and I know he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”
Seretta pursed her lips. She was pretty, her tight black curls and hazel-brown skin tone suggesting her mother’s southern ancestry. “Were you close with your uncle?” she asked as though she couldn’t fathom the concept.
With an uncle such as King Ephren, Evylin didn’t doubt the struggle the young woman faced. However, she replied readily. “I was. Hewitt was a wonderful and attentive, if gruff, uncle. I adored him.”
“How darling,” Henriette said, then her expression pinched. “Or, I suppose, horrible. It’s a terrible thing—you having to watch him die like that.”
“It was terrible,” Evylin agreed.
Taking pity on her, Rafferty jumped into the conversation. “If you ladies like terrible stories,” he said dryly, “you should ask Ethenn to tell you about the time I slipped a frog into his trousers.”
“You just told the story, Raff,” Ethenn said flatly while the women tittered.
“Nah, I left out the bit about how you screeched like a goose in a fox’s maw.”
“Is this the sort of work the king’s highly specialized Order does?” Prince Caspar asked, a snide grin on his lips. “Pranking one another.”
“That was before we were in the Order, Your Highness,” Rafferty said with mocking respect. “While we were mere foot soldiers. We wouldn’t dream of behaving so unbecomingly now.”
Seretta set her hand on Ethenn’s arm, her expression taunting. “What else have you had in your trousers?” she teased under her breath.
A flash of red covered his neck while Evylin choked on her wine, Henriette flushed, and Caspar burst into laughter. Rafferty merely sniggered into his napkin.
But the comment had obtained both Thom and Ilain’s attention now, the pair of them thoroughly drawn in.
Though his ears were as red as his neck, Ethenn replied steadily, “Only my wife, ma’am.”
Evylin and Thom shared an amused glance. Seretta frowned in disbelief while Ilain turned back to the other side of the table, satisfied.
“You’re married?” Seretta asked.
