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He raised his chin. “It’s not common to start the dances so early, but I suppose that’s the benefit of being a prince, no?”
“It would seem so.”
He offered me a small conspiratorial smile and I couldn’t help but feel wretched for betraying him. He’d been so good to me, regardless of his background with Shaan. Lennox clapped his hand towards an orchestra which sat beneath the empty branches of trees, candles in jars bobbing about above their heads. “My guest wishes for us to begin the dancing early.”
A cheer rose among the fairies in the room. Lennox turned towards me as the music hummed into the air and swept a bow before offering his hand. I placed my fingers in his, and we whisked into the center of the room as the musicians began the flowing notes of a waltz. “Well, you’ve made my people happy.”
The King entered and frowned as he looked at the musicians. He took a seat in a throne on a dais at the front of the room. “I hope I haven’t caused you to upset your father.”
“He’s always upset. Let’s enjoy tonight.”
I looked up at him. His skin appeared so soft under the light that caused his crown to sparkle. How easy it would be to fall for a literal fairy tale prince like him. “Do you mind me asking how old you are Lennox?”
“I’m twenty-five.”
“I’m surprised someone hasn’t flattered you into marrying them yet. You’re quite the catch.”
“Because I’m a prince?” He whirled us past a group, and for a moment I forgot Mother waited in the eaves somewhere, that I’d soon have to face her.
“Because you’re a prince, you’re good looking, and you’re kind. In fact, you don’t align with the image Sai had painted at all.”
The happiness in his expression hardened. “I imagine I’ve made a very poor impression for the Prasanna princes.”
“Why do you call them Prasanna?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your father calls them Unseelie.”
Lennox’s brow pinched. He was an excellent dancer, and we swirled through the room until the lights and people all became a warm blur of color. “It’s disrespectful,” he whispered. “That word. I’ve learned that the Prasanna are much like us. A group of fae trying to survive and do their best.”
Curiosity got the best of me. I wanted so desperately to know the story behind him and Shaan and how he’d ended up taking the jewel. I’d imagined him as a villain before meeting him, but nothing I’d seen so far aligned with that image. “Where did you learn that?”
Lennox winced before pushing me away from him, twirling me around and then dipping me. Some had stopped dancing to watch us. It felt like we swirled among the stars. It would almost be an enjoyable night…
If I wasn’t about to ruin Lennox’s week.
If Mother didn’t stand somewhere in the crowd, tracking me.
If Lennox’s expression didn’t hold the heaviness it bore.
He pulled me back into his arms, and I pressed my hand against his shoulder to steady myself. “You dance beautifully, Lira.”
“Well, that’s what I spent my adolescence doing, studying comportment and social behavior. Useless skills. I don’t know why my mother bothered.”
“I did the same.”
“Learn useless skills?”
“If you categorize learning to charm a crowd and where to place your feet in this dance as ‘useless,’ then yes.”
I grinned, and he twisted us so quickly I pressed onto my tiptoes to keep up with him. I couldn’t help but laugh. It was rare I got to dance with someone who matched my skill, and twirling around in a fairy palace with Lennox who had been as kind as he was surefooted, was the most pleasure I’d had in years. As the music ended, I gripped his shoulder to keep myself upright as my head spun.
Pink had risen to Lennox’s cheeks. “I may have gotten carried away. Could I convince you of another dance if I promise to be less enthusiastic this time?”
“If you dance with me again, others will think you favor me.”
“It would help me, actually,” he whispered. The second dance had started, but we stood in the middle of the floor focused on each other as others weaved around us.
