AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I bowed again. “Your Majesty.” My words came breathy, but I hoped it seemed like it was awe from meeting with the King and not the actual source of my nerves. Luckily the boarding school I’d grown up in had endless classes on deportment and they bubbled in me as I rose. “I’m well. I thank you kindly.”
The King clasped his hands together, a ring on his finger glimmering, the reflection sparkling over the tapestry hanging behind his ornate, wood throne. “Do you know what Prince Sai wanted from you?”
Heat swelled over my cheeks. Not anything serious, sadly. Thinking of Sai with the title of ‘prince’ made anger build in me again. Luz placed their hand on my elbow as if to steady me. Their eyes met mine. Right, they could perceive my feelings and felt the tumultuous ones plummeting through me.
“Álainn is a seamstress, Father,” Lennox spoke before me. “They stole her from her place of business.”
The King considered that for a moment before flicking sharp eyes to me. “And what did Prince Sai want with a seamstress?”
“He needed someone who understood Seelie fashion. The prince”—I struggled to keep my voice even at that word—“planned to infiltrate the blood moon gala.”
The King shifted. His gaze flicked to Lennox who gave him a nod. The King steepled his fingers. “Very well. Please follow Prince Lennox who will show you to a suite. You’ll be a guest of ours during the gala and then we’ll have a guard accompany you home.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” I swept a curtsy before realizing I still wore the fitted skirt and shifted it into an awkward half bow at the midpoint. The King frowned at me like he knew something wasn’t right. It made no sense to let me go if that was the case. They could hold me as a prisoner or push me for answers, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. Perhaps they would and this was all a show. I was completely at their mercy now—thanks to Sai.
“Luz, you’ll stay with me. I have questions for you.”
“Your Majesty.” Luz bowed and met my gaze.
Right. Luz had some plan here. They wouldn’t abandon me. Or would they? How well did I actually know Luz? I was stuck, though. There was nothing for me to do other than turn on the polished floors and follow behind Lennox as he led through another hallway covered in massive paintings and heavy with the smell of ancient wood and polishing oils.
He climbed two sets of stairs and made several turns before stopping, opening a door, and gesturing for me to enter.
I trembled as I entered the space, and my eyes took a minute to adjust to the shadowy room. God, maybe this was a dungeon. Lennox lit a lamp and the glow of it flickered over the chamber.
The light revealed a bedroom, richly appointed with thick rugs and layers of heavy, embroidered quilts on the gilded bed. The curtains were all pulled tightly closed, and something about the room felt not quite right. A robe was draped over the back of a chair, and the nightstand had a pile of papers on it.
This wasn’t a guest suite.
“What are you doing here?” Lennox said, and I whirled around. My tongue felt heavy in my mouth. Sweat broke out on my palms, making them slick.
“What do you mean, Your Highness?”
His lips pinched. “I know who you are.”
My heart rippled, and a breath rushed out of me. I wasn’t sure I knew who I was so who did Lennox think I was? “Who am I?”
Lennox frowned and crossed his arms, his velvet clothing wrinkling. “I overheard one of Sai’s partners call you Lira. You’re the daughter of Palaria, are you not?”
Warmth drained from my face. He knew my mother. “You’re acquainted?”
“Stop with the bullshit. I’m already onto your game. Here’s what I want to know. Why did you give Sai and Luz a false name?”
“A false name?”
“Yes, the one you gave was scarcely Seelie. You obviously don’t know our ways. I changed it to a more fitting one with my father until I have you figured out.”
I crossed my arms, and the lamp flickered, waving over Lennox’s smooth skin, and adding warmth to his hair. “Why would you lie for me? And now you’re yelling it; someone will hear.”
“No, I have my bedroom too heavily warded for that. Hence why we’re having this conversation here.”
“Your bedroom.” I took an uneasy step away from him. “People might think—”
“Don’t worry, no one who works in this part of the palace and knows me well will suspect I’m doing anything untoward with you.” His voice had taken a hard edge, but it softened again. “To answer your question, Luz believes you aren’t nefarious. My father may not like them,”—Lennox sighed and unclasped his cape before hanging it on a hook on the wall—“but he trusts them. They’re one of the few Alegre fairies left. You can’t fool their magic.”
“I’ve heard,” I whispered.
“So, why are you here? Did your mother truly think she could send her daughter into our court without—”
