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A few hours later, I was practically sewn into a dress, an invitation in my hand, courtesy of extra bribing from the seamstress to give me a forgotten invitation from one of her customers. What silly, forgetful fools King Araki has let wander in his kingdom. His lack of control over his subjects, the magic, and the false freedom people coveted sparked rage in me as I made my way to the palace. He has let this happen. In a place where magic was once controlled, honoured, and adored, it was now so commonplace that nobody cared when it was stolen. The carriage came to a stop in front of the palace. The footman opened the door and assisted me out of the carriage.
“Thank you,” I told him, placing a small pouch of coins in his hand.
“Have a lovely night Madam,” The footman tipped his hat at me before swiftly driving the rental carriage away.
I confidently strolled toward the steps that led into the palace and gave one of the waiting servants the invitation card. With bated breath, I watched him open the card and read it. Relief washed over me when the servant smiled and waved for me to carry on. I sauntered past the armed guards, pretending to marvel at the opulence around me.
The palace was magnificent up close and boisterous like the guests entering it. I observed a few guests show off as they entered the palace with parlour tricks to display their aligned magic. One girl could rearrange the pearls on her dress without breaking a sweat. Another cast an illusion of a night sky over the ceiling as we strode toward the ballroom. We must have all looked like one group, one army of people, with the sameagenda. Seduce the king, become his consort, and have all the riches Halafarin has to offer, along with a crown. Tonight, every single person was going to see me crowned. They were going to see their rightful queen back on her throne.
?Distracted by the thought of what I’d do to the capital city left to idleness and slacking under this feigned rule, I didn’t notice when we were finally inside the ballroom. The crowd slowed abruptly, and I was jostled between two men. They looked down at me. I fluttered my eyelashes at them. One man blushed, and the other shot me a flirty smile as his eyes raked me over. I hid a smirk. If I could get that reaction already, what would the king think?
My gaze drifted ahead over the man when the double doors opened, revealing a two-way staircase leading into a shimmering, circular room with marble floors and high ceilings. Once again, I was struck and angered by the luxury I found myself in. Living vines with flowers of every colour imaginable twisted up the columns and hung crisscrossed across the ceiling. The glass windows, some clear while some in intricate patterns of stained glass, showed off a stunning garden beyond. In the distance, a fountain tumbled water over the top tier lip, making a pool at the bottom. A dais was set up at the back of the room, a single throne looking awfully lonely. It was empty, and I realized, with a start, that King Araki planned to make an entrance after we were all there to adore him. Hatred coiled in my stomach. Of course, he needs an entire room to be adored. How else could he know how wonderful he is? The thought made me sick. It really was all for show and decoration. No wonder his kingdom wasted away in lavish luxury, unchecked. It resembled him—a kingdom for a usurper.
My eyes swept the room, and I could tell who a servant was by their rich green uniforms. While made of fine cloth and expertly tailored, the uniforms were simple compared to the clothing the nobilities wore. Some of the servants glided around the room, carrying silver trays holding champagne flutes and refreshments. I looked at the playing minstrels to the right of the dais and the ever-tinkling glass chandelier that hang above our heads.
Moving through the guests with a cordial smile on my face, I found a place to observe behind a pillar at the foot of the stairs, close enough to be seen but not so close that I’d be part of the gaggle of women who were likely to fall over themselves to beseech His Majesty. I didn’t want to be one of those. I needed Araki alone. He needed to notice me fully and not merely see me as another faceless woman begging for his attention tonight. The rumors were rife that his consort would be found at the ball. Whether he was looking or not, he’d not remember the faces of any prettily dressed women. He’ll remember the one who sought him out alone, who knew the place to be was far from the fuss. Even if he liked the fuss, he wouldn’t forget me.
The minstrels played a slow, soft tune. I watched the servants refill the guests’ goblets as hands slipped around waists, skirts brushed the floor, and men bowed deeply as if attempting to fall into the mounds of breasts that peeked over tight bodices. For a moment, I wondered if I could’ve been one of those at another time. If I wasn’t the exiled princess turned assassin. Would I have genuinely sought his affection like the ladies here if I wasn’t designed to kill King Araki?
My musing stopped when a messenger hurried through a door in the far back, behind the long table laden with canapes and sweet delicacies and leaned to whisper to the minstrel’scomposer. Abruptly, the music stopped, and a fanfare played. I tensed. He’s here.I whirled around, no longer caring about who was smiling at who.
The room erupted into hush whispers when King Araki stood in the doorway like death himself. My heart thundered in my chest as I looked at him. The king was incredibly tall with a muscular form and heavy black wings. Powerful aura pulsed from his smooth complexion. His iridescent violet eyes commanding as he looked at us. I tore my eyes from his arresting presence when a fae stood behind him. The man’s dark curly hair was neatly combed, his pointed ears adorned with earrings, and his muscular body seemed out of place in the fancy military jacket he wore. His brown eyes were hard and alert, his brown wings tucked tight to his back. A royal guard, no doubt.
“Hear ye! Announcing the arrival of His Majesty, King Araki Darinell. King of Halafarin!” The page announced bringing my attention back to the king. The room sunk into bows and curtsies, hushed giggles from the women as they tried to peek at the king through lowered lashes. Deliberately, I stayed straight-backed, watching him, waiting. Finally, his gaze found me, and I smiled, a slight curve of my lips that was both playful and reserved at the same time and curtsied. I met his violet eyes when I rose and shifted slightly, letting my curly hair fall over my shoulder. I watched his eyes flicker to my hair before indifference returned to his face. I looked away quickly, not wanting to seem over-interested. My hands trembled, and I clenched them into tight fists to control myself. I was not going to mess it up.
?King Araki’s presence snatched the air from the room as if he gathered up all of the oxygen, and we could only breathe, only scatter, when he said so. He held the guests as if they were onthe end of strings. Only he could play the room to his advantage. Only he decided what happened there, except for me. King Araki placed a hand on the staircase rail, beginning his descent. I heard the sighs of his admirers, the clearing throats of men who were either no doubt jealous because their partners’ attention was truly stolen or if they wanted to be King Araki himself.
?The gold crown on his head caught the light. It indeed did resemble the towers of his palace and the sharp talons of his large black wings that were slightly peaking above his broad shoulders. King Araki didn’t falter under the weight of the crown. If anything, he wore it as if it belonged to him. I knew it didn’t, but for a second, I was persuaded by the facade too.
Focus Reilyn,I scolded myself. The ball was my one chance to get close enough to kill him. I’d have to play it smooth, though. I couldn’t seem too interested; otherwise, he’d realize something was wrong. Even dressed as I was, my motives seemingly obvious, I couldn’t move too fast. Magic flooded my mouth and seeped into my pores as a flurry of skirts and ties flocked about him to make their introduction when he descended the stairs. I held back. I pulled a fan from the sash about my waist and started fanning it at my face while I watched. His eyes maintained a stern look as he watched those intruding into his space. His hair was long past his shoulders, partially tied back from the sharp angles of his face. Its silver length caught the chandelier’s light, but it wasn’t his appearance I was bowled over by. The king’s mere presence in the room tugged on the magic that everyone possessed. It was like it pulled the power to the surface of each one, almost trying to coax it out.
?Or as though the magic in others was trying to escape, wanting to unite with him. He was an endless well of magic andpower. I felt it even across the room. Magic sang through him, rife and overwhelming, all glimmering purple and navy hues tangling within him. I wanted it. Part of me wanted to snatch everything from him. His crown, his throne, his magic, and see what was left of him without all of that. I wanted to rip it out of him, inch by inch, and my hands curled into claws at my side before I remembered that I had to be careful.
I had to be. My reclaiming of my throne depended on me. The Nightshade Coven depended on me.
But nobody prepared me for just how powerful King Araki was. The High Priest had advised not to underestimate him, but he had magic upon magic. Suddenly, I couldn’t stand being in the ballroom nor look at the man who killed my parents and hunted down my coven—my second family—for seven years, only to watch him celebrate that reign. It sickened me, and I finally understood why they sent me, why people like Nala would have gotten pushed to the background, as much as she was my closest friend. She would fawn over men like Araki.
But I’ll kill him. I’ll kill him without hesitation.
I searched for an exit I’d use to guide king Araki out smoothly later. I didn’t want to be there any longer, in the awful throne room, with the tyrant pretending to be king, while people fussed over him. When I was done with him, the women could watch his pretty corpse strung up on the palace gates. The thought slightly comforted me as I slowly mingled back into the throng of guests.
The minstrels- beautiful wood nymphs dressed in silver-blue robes, took their instruments and began playing again. Light flutes mixed with the harpsichord and their airy voices. Keeping an eye on the Usurper, I worked around him, notgetting too close but making my presence known. His guard stuck close to him until the king approached a fae woman with a perky laugh and golden hair piled high on her head. As he asked her to dance, he held his hand subtly toward the guard. The guard backed off several feet. I almost pitied the guard. His job was to keep the king alive. He’d have failed by the time the night was over.
Couples quickly paired off after the king chose his partner. A lanky fae lad about my age approached me and bowed with his eyes never leaving my chest. When he asked me to dance, I curtsied and agreed. Women didn’t have the opportunity to say no to dances, not at the king’s court, at the very least. I would be seen as rude, and the last thing a woman of good breeding wanted to be is rude. Apparently, this didn’t extend to the men, as my partner kept his gaze glued to my breasts. At least I knew the dress was the right choice.
“That is a magnificent necklace,” he said, leering at my chest.
Ugh, was he drooling?
“It's said to be cursed,” I replied brightly, then gave a trilling laugh. “But I don't believe it.”
“Cursed? “He finally looked at my face, his eyes wide with fear.
“Oh yes. I was never permitted to wear it before—my mother said it made men impotent… whatever that means.” I shrugged.
My dance partner swallowed awkwardly, his face turning pale. I gripped his hand tighter when I felt his hold loosen. His gaze wandered everywhere other than my breast as wecontinued to dance. And when the song ended, my dance partner rushed his bow and bolted. I stifled a laugh.
“That was cruel, don't you think?” A deep, gruff voice murmured in my ear, causing the hair on the back of my neck to prickle. I knew who it was before even turning to face him. My body shook at his nearness, what his magic did to me, and the promise of what I would do to him.
