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I haven’t even been married for a full day, and I’m already failing.
It’s too early to mess things up, but I feel like I’m in a runaway carriage as it races toward a cliff. How can I change the topic of conversation to something less invasive?
“Didn’t you stay in his room last night?” Orabelle cocks her head to the side.
Now the carriage is on fire. Seriously, how could this get any worse?
My face is scorching, growing hotter by the second as four sets of curious eyes stare in my direction.
“N-no.” My gaze flits from Orabelle to Queen Torria and back, blissfully ignoring the king. “It was a long day…”
“Enough, Ora. You’re scaring the girl,” the queen warns, coming to my rescue. Her kind eyes find mine, and I feel a glimmer of reassurance. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of, dear. We’re a blunt bunch, but my daughter means well.”
“Of course,” Orabelle says, reaching for a star-shaped fruit in the bowl ahead of her. “Besides, there’s always tonight.”
Tonight.
I swallow hard. After the abrupt end to our wedding night, I’m not sure we’re on speaking terms, much less on falling-into-bed-together terms. If it’s only for the sake of duty, maybe, but I don’t plan to sleep anywhere other than my bed tonight.
As if on cue, Nor and Oryx step into the dining hall together, and I breathe a tiny sigh of relief. If we’re going to drag out this embarrassing conversation, he can at least participate. Otherwise, we can change the topic.
“Good day,” Nor says with a tip of his head, and my eyes lock on him like lasers.
He’s in casual clothes, simple pants and a burgundy T-shirt, and when he meets my eyes, my stomach flips unexpectedly. It could be because I’ve been waiting to see him again since he left me last night, but it’s probably because I’ve seen what’s beneath those clothes. Imagining the feeling of his hot seed spilling over my hands and dripping down my wrists is enough to make my core clench, and I look away quickly.
I expect him to sit in either of the vacant seats beside me, to keep up the united couple front, but he surprises me by taking the seat at the end of the table while Oryx takes the seat to my right. I shoot him a look of disbelief, but he never meets my gaze.
Is he serious right now?
As he continues a hushed conversation with Oryx that I can’t hear, a pair of servants sweep into the room to serve breakfast on platters, the savory aroma making my mouth water.
I accept the sting of disappointment again, curious why I got my hopes for his attention in the first place. Whatever attraction existed in the hallway was a mirage. It obviously wasn’t real. Nor wants nothing more to do with me, other than what’s required, and I’ll do well to remember that.
We’re just means to an end.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
Irissa
Iexcuse myself from the table before anyone else, uninterested in the trivial conversations happening around me, and even less interested in chancing an awkward interaction with Nor. If he wants to ignore me and pretend I don’t exist, even after telling me to play my part, so be it.
He can play with himself for all I care.
The weight of curious eyes is heavy as I slip out of the dining hall with no clear destination in mind. I don’t even know how to get back to my room yet, much less navigate the maze of hallways. Luckily, I hear Lizette’s hissing whisper behind me.
“Irissa, wait.” Her quick footsteps and the flapping material of her dress hit my ears, and I slow my pace without turning around. When she catches up, her breathing is heavy. “Stop. What happened? Everything looked like it was going well.”
“It couldn’t have gone much worse, in my opinion,” I groan. “Did you see the way King Rukkus looked at me?”
“Honestly, I just think that’s his face,” Lizette says, dropping her voice. That’s definitely not something she wants overheard, but it makes me laugh a little.
“Possibly, but Nor acted like I wasn’t even there,” I point out. “He didn’t even look in my direction.”
I shouldn’t care. I know I shouldn’t. Still, for some reason I can’t shake, being ignored got under my skin and is now festering like a sore.
