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"It's a pleasure to meet you," I told the graceful woman at my side. "I'm—"
She interrupted with a chuckle. "You're Lady Rina, one of the queen’s little social spies." At my raised eyebrows, she waved away my surprise. "Everyone knows who the gossips of Elfhaven are, darling. It would be political suicide not to!"
I sighed and took a deep sip of my wine, feeling like an idiot. "Yes, well, I’m not exactly as well known or high profile as the rest. I would assume I blend into the background, since I've never been at the center of any daring negotiations or scandals. Completely boring, really."
She laughed. "Oh, I wouldn't say that." She leaned in to whisper conspiratorially. "People do talk of your unusual beauty. And you are known to be rather mysterious."
I scoffed. Unusual beauty, my ass. I was the antithesis of highborn fae class. If anyone spoke of my looks, it was probably to ridicule me or compare me to a human. But I appreciated the attempt at flattery. "Good to know someone appreciates variety," I said, polishing off my cake and refilling my wine glass as I prepared for a long night.
Dinner was nearly over, but the night had only just begun for the royal court. Servants were busy setting out even more wine and spirits, and refilling dessert trays. The royal musicians had moved on from soft background music to more lively tunes meant for dancing and revelry. The smaller tables would soon be pushed back to make more space around the royal table. Space that would then fill with mingling fae who had nothing better to do than eat, drink, and dance the night away.
For all its beauty and formality, the fae court of Elfhaven was nothing like what I imagined the human courts across the sea must look like. While the humans made a great show of adhering to their rules and uptight moral judgements, the fae were more honest. We could play that formal game too; we could be all business and tradition when it was required. But when the time for work was done, the fae embraced a far older, more primal side of life.
Before long, I found myself swaying in a corner of the room, moving to the deep, enchanting music and the soft, undulating magic that filled the air thanks to all the happy, full-blooded fae around me. Some of the fae around me tried to engage me in conversation, to see if they could catch my attention, and thus the attention of my employer. Others made it obvious that they were determined to steer well clear of any of the social spies, happy to keep their secrets and their scandals to themselves.
I lost track of how many pretty crystal glasses of elderberry liquor I had consumed. All I knew was that leaving the gathering too soon would be rude. But Amaryllis was completely wrapped up in wooing her princess, so I was on my own.
Alrick returned at some point, and he pressed a fresh glass of something bright red into my hand. It smelled like pomegranates. But I didn't have long to ponder the contents before the handsome fae male caught my free hand and drew me out into the crowd. We moved into a slow, flowing dance that matched the increasingly languid mood in the room. The lights had dimmed, and the space was lit by an array of stars that twinkled against the high, arched ceiling—an illusion cast by the king to make us all feel like we were dancing under the open night sky.
A warm body pressed close to me from behind, slender arms wrapping around my waist as Una's warm breath ghosted over the shell of my ear. "Hello, Rina," she purred, taking my empty cup and handing it to a passing servant. "Are you enjoying my bonded?"
I looked into Alrick's brown eyes, but only found him watching me with amusement and a bit of heat. Una's graceful hand stroked over my torso as I uttered, "What?"
"Oh, don't be coy," she whispered in my ear. "I know how attractive my mate is." Her hand moved higher, grazing the underside of my breasts through the thin silk of my dress. "Should we share him?" she breathed. "He's superb at using that pretty body of his. And that pretty mouth as well."
I blinked as I fought to think through the alcohol haze. She was trying to get me to sleep with them? She had said that they liked to share lovers. Alrick lifted my hand and draped my arm around his neck as he stepped closer, pinning me between the two highborn barons.
It was a tempting offer. They were both quite attractive, and I was sick of being stuck down here in the dining hall pretending to be someone I was not. Amaryllis was busy, and I had nothing to do with my time until the next tournament challenge. My body responded to the idea, heat tingling through my limbs at the thought. But something bothered me. Some niggling uncertainty….
I removed my arm from around Alrick's neck and stepped sideways, trying to politely extricate myself from between them. From their trap, my instincts insisted, even as my poor liquor-soaked brain struggled to figure out why.
Una caught my hand. "Rina? Are you well? Have we offended you, darling?"
I frowned. Darling?
She stepped close again, touching my cheek with her free hand while she continued to hold my other hand. "I didn't mean to shock you. I forget you are more reserved than some of the other nobles. More used to observing from the outskirts." She smiled. "But why not change all that? Why not let Alrick and I be your dalliance tonight? Let us share all of our secrets."
There. That was it. "What do you mean?" I said, taking a step back, gently tugging my hand free. But Alrick was there, stepping close and putting a warm hand on my lower back to keep me from running away. "What secrets?"
Of course that was their angle. I was supposed to be in a position where I knew everything about everyone. Every juicy little tidbit they could use to blackmail other and maneuver their way through the court.
Alrick chuckled, deep and husky, leaning in to nuzzle into my hair. Una just smiled and shook her head. "Oh, you know. I heard a rumor. Recently. About Larkwood. And I thought since you were from there, you might be able to confirm whether it might be true. I hear your hometown is finally building the mountain pass they’ve always balked at. And a little birdie told me Larkwood might be coming into wealth very soon."
She stopped suddenly, looking a bit dazed and confused. As if she had just been about to say something profound, but lost her train of thought.
It took me a moment to realize what had happened. Una Summerhaven had heard gossip. She knew about the pass and Larkwood's potential to increase its wealth through the increased trade. Maybe she even somehow found out about the mines. And just now, she had put it all together and nearly figured out that I was the reason for the tournament, that the little mixed-blood social tea spiller from Larkwood was the Prize.
But the queen's powerful misdirection spell prevented Una from making that last little leap of logic. Any other time, I might be amused by the baron's predicament and the way she was being foiled. But at the moment, I was too mad to laugh.
I stepped away while she was distracted, sliding out from under Alrick's hand. Damn it, I was so stupid. I wasn't used to playing court games. I was used to hiding away in my remote corner of Larkwood and minding my own business while I oversaw the wellbeing of my territory. I had never had to fend off manipulative, power-hungry vultures before.
Which was what Una and Alrick were. The baroness had sent her pretty bonded male to seduce me and pique my interest. Then she swooped in and pretended to be all friendly. Now they wanted to sleep with me—an unattractive mixed-breed lowborn. This was all a scheme. They thought that if they were my lovers, I'd tell them all my secrets. Maybe even become attached to them, tell them things that would help them gain status and attention.
Maybe they were even hoping I knew the private details of the tournament, so they could get me to reveal the identity of the Prize to them. They could work their wiles to worm their way into a new House so they could go from being barons over a single small town to being co-stewards or royals. Mustard seed, was everyone so motivated by greed?
I shook my head at them. "Assholes."
Una frowned. Alrick's wicked smile became a sarcastic leer, insulted that a little gossip like me wouldn’t be dying to fall in with them and their schemes. "Unbelievable," I muttered, turning away and making my way through the writhing throng of fae in every stage of revelry. I dodged a couple who were openly making love near the doorway and finally made it into the less crowded space outside the dining hall.
