Page 69 of The Hopeless Romantic’s Guide to Enchantment

“Siezte,” Raiden said to his warbird, and Pinske dutifully spread her wings and took to the skies. Like a well-trained puppet, she flew into the aviary through a massive opening high above them. Before two servants could close the doors behind her, Raiden signaled for them to pause, casting a glance at Cera. “Korvi is welcome in the aviary, if you’d like? Pinske will share the space; there’s plenty of prey.”

Cera waved it off. “In Raliana, we prefer not to cage our warbirds. Korvi will have fun exploring the mountains.”

“You… have a way to recall him, correct?” Raiden sounded both concerned and suspicious.

Cera quirked an eyebrow. “Will I fail your test if I don’t?”

Raiden pressed his lips together, signaling for the servants to close the doors of the aviary. As they locked shut, he crossed his arms. “I meant no disrespect. Clearly, Raliana is the origin of warbird riding; your culture is very different than ours.” A nervous laugh. “Admittedly, I expected you’d be flying an eagle.”

Imagine that. Cera snorted. “Well, I expected you’d be riding on a northern goose, personally. Frankly, an owl seems pretty tame in comparison.”

It shattered the tension. Raiden stifled a snort himself, covering his mouth. “Oh, Yarlzot, can you imagine? A goose warbird would be the end of us all. We leave them in the deep north and pray they don’t notice us.”

Cera laughed and waved a hand to Korvi. The raven spread inky wings and took to the skies, circling the aviary before disappearing into the dark clouds above. Raiden watched him go, whistling his appreciation. “A raven is a stunning choice, though.”

“In Raliana, we don’t choose our birds. They choose their riders,” Cera said, and winked.

Raiden grinned back, his blue eyes sparkling. “Korvi chose well.”

That was smooth. Cera’s body warmed, but she made a show of shivering, rubbing her arms to distract herself. “Shall we head inside?”

“Of course, duchess,” Raiden said, and led her into her new home.

For now, at least.

* * *

“You’re starting to like him,” Tasi said.

Indignation slid through Cera’s veins. She rounded on Tasi, eyebrows shooting up. “What? I am not.”

Exactly twenty-two days had passed since they arrived, and Cera had rather grown to like the royal suite she’d been given. It was a collection of three rooms: a main sleeping area, another offshoot room for Tasi, and a very comfortable living space in the center. Along the wall was a magically-refilling buffet (okay, it wasn’t magical, but Cera never saw the servants attending it, so it felt that way to her), which was her favorite part.

She shoved more potatoes onto her plate in a fit of rage. Based on their preparation, Cera was fairly sure this wasn’t a local delicacy, but she’d take any reminder of home.

“And what if I am?” Cera protested. “He’s getting closer to me. We both know why I’m here. Why shouldn’t I cozy up to the sexy duke with muscles like—”

“I get it,” Tasi interrupted, holding up a hand.

Cera leaned against the buffet table, squinting at Tasi. “Are you worried?” The serious question was lessened by the huge bite of potatoes she took, which made the statement sound more like: arru woooreed?

Tasi snorted. “About you and him? No.”

Cera squinted. “Is this about the library?”

“Oh, praise the Shining Eagle,” Tasi muttered. “I’ve gotten over the library. The one here is quite nice. They made the mistake of plating a few of the rarer tomes in gold, and Korvi’s been smuggling them out for me.”

“Oh, that’s why the librarian scheduled a meeting with Raiden,” Cera mused. A massive raven sticking his long beak through a library window to poke out shiny books would certainly warrant the warbird-riding duke’s attention.

Tasi waved a hand. “Irrelevant. The point is, Cera, you’re here for a reason.”

“I know, I know. Marry the duke, bear his warbird-riding children.” Cera smirked.

Tasi tapped her nose, glancing towards the doors. “Precisely. Stay focused.”

Fine. But she’d woo the duke after stuffing her face with questionably made potatoes.

* * *