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The Maharani stepped in wearing layers of plum silk lined with gold. A headpiece swept across her dark hair, and a jewel on it glittered on her forehead.
She possessed the same bright eyes and defined nose as Shaan.
I was in love with a man who looked like the woman that killed my mother.
Bile rose in my throat, and I swallowed it back as I bowed. This wasn’t about me, Shaan, or even Mother. This was about the Seelie fae and my duty to them.
The Maharani pressed her hands together and inclined her head to me. “Prince Lennox, forgive me for the delay. We didn’t expect you today.”
“I apologize for not announcing my visit beforehand.” I flashed her a smile that had won more than a few courtiers over, but her eyes tightened. She was like Shaan in that too, then. He’d seen through my bullshit within moments of us meeting. Later he’d seen my heart like he possessed magic to look past veneers.
God, I missed him desperately.
I wasn’t supposed to think about him.
Shaan with his long eyelashes and longer fingers.
Shaan with his artist’s mind and bitter laughs.
Shaan who walked out of here without touching me, without looking back at me as I poured my soul out to him.
I deserved it. It was ridiculous to be so upset about it.
The Maharani stepped as close to me as her son had so that I could smell the citrus and spice of the oils she wore. “Prince Shaan tells me you believe Lira is your sister.”
“Yes, Maharani.” I inclined my head again and let a more natural expression wash over my face. Perhaps sincerity would work better. “My father told me a few days ago that was the case, and I believe it to be true. It’s for this reason I’ve arrived here.”
She seemed to consider me, and her expression had softened. Her guards in the corner of the rooms glared at me but her voice remained gentle. “May I ask what powers you possess, Prince Lennox?”
My lips parted then closed again. Her scrutinizing expression returned. Fuck. I was ruining this. “I’m quite strong in glamour.”
She flashed a mischievous smile which once again made me think of Shaan. “That’s not all, though, is it?”
Warmth flooded my cheeks. If I’d had my zevar in place, I could have easily kept it hidden under my glamour. However, I was pretty sure it showed.
The Maharani skimmed her eyes over me. “You look a great deal like your mother.”
Every logical, princely thing within me screamed to keep my mouth shut, but grief and anger overrode it. The images of Mother dying alone were still too fresh from the Naga. “Do not speak of my mother.”
The Maharani tilted her head, the gemstone on her forehead sliding with the motion. “Why?”
“I’m here to attempt to prevent a war for both of our people’s sakes, however I know that her death is on your hands.” Mother’s piercing screams echoed through my mind. That unbidden memory would probably nullify the few beautiful memories I had left of her.
The Maharani looked at me like she could read my soul. She clasped her hands together and bracelets on her wrists clattered. “I’ll return in a moment.”
She turned and walked out.
Damn it.
I was going to get stuck waiting for another hour in this room alternating between the grief I felt over my mother and Shaan. The latter was somewhere in this beautiful building, going about his life happily without me. Which I deserved, even if it gutted me.
A few minutes later the Maharani returned holding the Memoria Globe in her hands. I knew Sai’s team had taken it, but no one had noticed them do it. Seeing the item here in her hands, after it had basically disappeared at the gala was almost shocking. “Do you know what this is, Prince Lennox?”
“I do.”
She bobbed her head. “It holds memories through blood magic.” I forced my face to stay still and pressed hard into glamour, trembling at the angry buzz of my magic, to keep my surprise hidden. Father never figured out how the damned thing worked. “To show you how it functions I’ll let you test it.” She slipped a jeweled dagger off her hip, and I took an uneasy step back.
It didn’t seem likely that the Maharani would kill me in front of witnesses. Then again, who was here to observe her actions? A few of her guards who had no loyalty to me. She offered the blade.
