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Natalia clears her throat. “Her title is Princess Wisteria—she’s the crown princess of the dragon shifters.”
That causes the fae to stand. The male and female give each other a look, like they don’t quite know what to make of Natalia’s words. They back up slightly when they see the person who talked to them is a dragon shifter.
The female laughs mechanically and looks in my direction. “We’ll just leave you to your lunch, Imperial Highness.”
The two turn and practically run off. I look from their fleeting forms toward Natalia and Dove, who are watching me with interest.
Well, Natalia is. Dove’s expression is something closer to… concern?
“Imperial Highness?” Natalia cocks an eyebrow.
I shrug. “You know my father is the emperor. As I got older, and the fae realized—”how powerful I am. I clear my throat. “Anyway, the fae decided princess wasn’t a goodenough title.” I cringe, realizing how that sounds. “I’ve always hated it.”
Dove looks from me to Natalia. “Have you ever seen fae on the island before?”
Natalia shakes her head. “No.”
I want to tell them it’s because fae are scared of them. Ironic, considering it’s fae blood that made dragon shifters so strong.
“They’re here for you. They have to be.” Natalia turns to study me, her eyebrow furrowed. “You and your brother are both very difficult to learn about. Fae are protective of you guys, but especially you.”
My stomach churns.
Right. Of course they don’t know a lot about me. That makes sense. But I don’t want to explain to herwhy, so I decide to change the subject. I hope I’m subtle with my actions, but Natalia and Dove are smart.
“Do you know when Stellan will be back?” I glance at Dove, knowing she’s the one to ask. I’m sure she’s been in contact with her husband.
“Tonight.” Dove sets her drink down on the table.
Natalia scoots out of her booth seat. “I’m going to go to the bathroom.”
I watch her stroll off, but my attention goes back to Dove. I tilt my head to the side as I study her expression.
“You weren’t surprised,” I comment. “When the fae called me by my fae title.”
“Because I wasn’t. My husband has visited your father enough times to know your title. He mentioned it when you were to marry Stellan.” She furrows her brows. “We thought perhaps the fae would try to find a way out of the marriage alliance because he knows you’re important to them.”
“They tried,” I admit, not bothering to hide it from my mother-in-law.
“We tried as well,” Dove says, though I already knew.
Stellan’s family wasn’t exactly excited by our marriage, though they have been very accepting of me since that first day.
“Do you resent the fact that you’re not going to be an empress?” Dove asks.
I shake my head. “No. I didn’t want anything to do with fae politics. I would’ve gladly traded places with Poppy if I could have.”
She nods and takes a long sip from her drink. Natalia comes back to the table, sliding back into her seat beside Dove.
“So, where are we going to next?” Natalia is practically beaming.
Dove grins, shaking her head.
“Are you wanting to spend more of Stellan’s money?” I question.
She nods. “Of course.”
9
