Page 70 of The Wolf and Her Shadows

I let out a rueful chuckle. “Can you imagine what would happen if King Warvin or Prince Garin were forced to enter into political negotiations with a woman? Their heads would likely explode. If the opposing queen didn't take those same heads after being subjected to the misogynistic bullshit those men would no doubt spew at her, of course.”

Sera picks up the abandoned bottle of liquor on the table and takes a hearty drink of it before setting it back down with a heavy sigh. “You’re not wrong about that. No wonder he took to Mielviroth, that piece of filth was the same way. I lost count of the number of times I put a blade to his throat for his ignorant comments over the years.”

“I actually met the princess once,” Mariane says, a bit out of the blue, though likely in an attempt to distract her mother from painful memories. “It was when I’d first been taken to Cyrel. Apparently she’d gotten wind of my arrival and wanted to introduce herself. I’d found it odd until…” A blush of her own rises to her cheeks as she trails off.

“Oh? Does the princess favor women as well, Mariane?” her mother asks, her previously harsh tone now filled with amusement.

“She does.”

My brows lift at the whispered confession, interested to know all the details of how Mariane might’ve made such a discovery. However, instead of questioning my lover, I shrug. “All the more reason she should take the throne, if you ask me.”

All three of us whip our heads towards the door at the sound of someone knocking on it, interrupting whatever response either woman may have had. Sera rises, gripping the bottle in her hand so tightly her knuckles turn white as she makes her way to answer it. She takes a deep breath, then yanks the door open, as if expecting it to be one of the men after Mariane.

Instead, we’re all treated to the sight of a shirtless Stephan with a similar bottle of liquor in his hands as he loudly exclaims, “I’ve been asked to retrieve the lot of you. The celebrations have officially begun!”

Mariane practically leaps out of her chair, grabbing my hand to drag me with her as she joins her mother in the doorway. “About time.” She snatches the bottle from Stephans’ hand, taking a long drink from it before passing it to me. “I’d begun to fear we’d be subjected to my mother’s endless questions for the rest of the night.”

“Are you sure you’re not just hungry? You did demand we skip lunch after all,” I mutter, pressing the bottle to my lips.

She shrugs. “I was in a hurry to make it here. Though, now that you mention it, yes, I’m starving.”

I tip my head back, enjoying the burn of the liquor as it makes its way down my throat. Once I’ve drunk the remaining liquid inside the bottle, I tip it upside down to show that it’s empty. “As am I. And I suddenly find myself a bit thirsty as well.”

“Apparently,” Stephan grumbles, his eyes on the now empty bottle in my hand.

“Come on.” Mariane brushes past Stephan, tugging me along behind her as she exits the small home and begins making her way towards the smoke rising up from the center of the village. After a few steps, she turns back to me with a positively wicked grin on her face and says, “Let me show you how us lowly villagers celebrate royalty, Your Highness.”

My scowl in response to the title is short-lived, thanks to the twinkle in the woman’s eyes. Instead, my lips curl up into a grin as I drop to one knee and bow my head to place a kiss on her knuckles. “As you wish, Your Majesty. I would follow you to the depths of the hells themselves if only–”

I’m cut off by a loud groan, courtesy of Stephan. “Are you two coming or not? Old Greyva will have my head if we don’t hurry.”

Allowing Mariane to pull me to my feet, I chuckle, wrapping my arm around her as we continue making our way towards the celebration happening, in our honor.

And what a celebration it is. Joyful music played on all manner of instruments already fills the air and colorful strips of fabric have been strung up between the buildings as decoration. Smoke rises up from the center of the gathering and even from this distance I can feel the warmth from a large bonfire, making the otherwise chilly night a bit more comfortable.

When the smell of roasted meat hits me as well, my mouth begins to water followed by a low growl coming from my stomach. Perhaps I can convince Mariane to…

“Sounds like I’m not the only one who’s starving.” Her words are whispered directly in my ear, allowing them to be audible above the cacophony of sounds coming from all around us.

“It would appear not,” I mutter, doing my best to ignore the way one of Mariane’s breasts is brushing against my arm.

As we wade further into the edges of the crowd, it seems the people around us are beginning to truly notice our presence. An androgynous half-orc slaps me on the back so hard I nearly stumble, while an elven woman clasps Mariane’s arm and yells, “Mariane! I’m so happy you’re safe! We’ve all been worried sick about you!”

Fighting back a grimace, I give the half-orc what I hope looks like a smile, and Mariane says something to the woman that I don’t quite catch before politely pulling free from her clutches. Sadly, we only make it a few more steps before a similar interaction occurs, this time with a gnome attempting to pat me on the back but accidentally slapping me on the ass. Which understandably causes Stephan and Sera to burst into laughter.

Mariane raises her brows at their outburst, having been too distracted by giving hugs to an elderly human couple to notice what had happened. The gnome offers me a bright smile as an apology before a cup of some sort of alcohol is suddenly shoved in my hands, courtesy of a smirking Kali who seems to have materialized out of thin air.

Stephan rushes past me, sweeping the woman off her feet and up onto his shoulder. Her loud screech of surprise quickly transitions into laughter as he carries her away, likely towards the alcohol. I stare longingly after them, wishing I could sweep Mariane into my arms and celebrate our declarations of love to each other in a bit more private setting.

A hand slipping back into mine pulls me away from my inappropriate thoughts and I follow after my lover as she does her best to fight her way through the sea of people standing between her and her intended destination. Which, as it turns out, just so happens to be the large bonfire with all manner of meats and vegetables being roasted at its edges.

The middle-aged human man tending to several skewers of what smells like chicken turns to us as we approach. He smiles brightly before handing each one of us an already cooked skewer. Sera gives him a one-armed hug, quickly thanking him before heading off into the crowd with a look of determination on her face.

After nodding my thanks to the man as well, I’m about to take a bite of the delicious smelling meat when a red-headed girl about Mariane’s age sidles up next to her, a basket full of flowers in one hand and a platter full of roasted vegetables balanced on the other.

“I’m so glad you’re back, Mariane.” The woman’s eyes briefly dart to me before locking back on Mariane. “I’ve missed you terribly.”

My brows furrow when Mariane tightens her grip on my hand, her muscles noticeably tensing. “I’ve missed you as well, Carina. It’s good to be back.” There’s a short pause, then she asks, “How’s Lynne?”