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I’d only heard about the wonders of the city, with skyscrapers that pulsed with vibrant energy. From towering billboards and neon signs that hung like constellations to quaint storefronts, the city's heart throbbed with the promise of innovation and possibility.
But I wouldn’t be living in the city center. I was going to be living in a palace surrounded by nature. Looking at the palace felt like I was stepping back in time.
Gulping back the stone in my throat, my eyes searched the front of the palace for signs of the King, but he didn’t appear.
Instead, a flock of liveried staff lined themselves against the drawbridge, one by one, until the vehicle finally slowed to a complete stop. Suddenly, the tiredness I’d felt dissipated, and I wanted the drive to go on forever. I had never been so uncomfortable in my own skin.
With sweaty palms, I waited impatiently for Rufus to open the door and let me out, a part of me longing to scramble out the other side and dart into the unknown beyond. But that insurmountable curiosity remained.
Who was this powerful fae king I was destined to marry? What did he look like? I was really going into this blind because of my sheltered life. I’d never even seen a picture of my future husband.
Finally, Rufus came around, offering me a reassuring grin that did nothing to alleviate my out-of-control pulse. I accepted his leather-gloved hand and stepped out, Maywin at my side. Smoothing out the front of my A-line dress, I shifted the belt around my waist and offered the group a timid smile of greeting.
A middle-aged fae with milky white eyes stepped forward, startling me on sight. She seemed to be looking through me as she stood in front of me, sniffing the air around me. I glanced at Maywin again, wondering if I should help her, her seemingly sightless stare unnerving me greatly. My hand fell to the side of my dress, and suddenly, I felt ridiculously overdressed among the servants, despite the occasion.
“Zephyrine, the First Fae of Carrottrove, King Cade welcomes you to Ironhelm Place,” she intoned like she was reading from a projection.
I glanced over my shoulder, expecting to see a hologram at my back, but of course, nothing was there. My head swiveled back toward her, taking in her bizarre, bored greeting.
Wasshea hologram?
“Uh… thank you. I’m glad to be here,” I offered weakly, unsure of what else to say.
She continued as if I hadn’t said anything at all. “We hope you enjoy your home here in Ironhelm Place as you prepare to become queen.”
“I—”
“There is much to be done before the ceremony,” she rambled on.
My eyes grew wider, and I looked helplessly at Maywin, who shrugged. Rufus kept his head down, chauffeur cap hiding his growing smirk of amusement.
“O-okay,” I offered encouragingly. “Like what?”
“When King Cade has his twenty-fifth birthday, your union ceremony will take place… assuming he finds you suitable for the cause,” she concluded.
“I—what?” I sputtered, half bemused, half disgusted.
The blank-eyed female gazed at me—no,throughme now.
Was she blind? Could she see me?
She certainly seemed to be staring directly at me, gauging my reaction, and making me distinctly uncomfortable in the process.
Didn’t they have healers for her eyes here?
“What part didn’t you understand?” she demanded with more force than I was accustomed to.
“I…” I looked around for a sign of the King, but all I saw were waves of red and black, the servants in their matching uniforms staring straight ahead, none of them daring to look me in the eye. Maywin pressed herself closer to me, her wariness palpable.
This place was weird.
“Iunderstandall of it,” I finally managed to say, finding my voice. “I’m just absorbing what you said.”
“What’s there to absorb?” she asked flatly. “I believe I laid it out quite plainly.”
“Well, I suppose I’m absorbing the romance of it all,” I muttered sarcastically.
Maywin stifled a snort as Rufus covered his mouth entirely. At least my servants found me charming. My greeter didn’t crack a smile.
