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Jewel tones in every shade imaginable spanned the floor, but above our heads only two dominant colors existed: the royal blue and gold of House Aaberg.
Enchanted snowflakes in gold floated among the rafters, and flying blue candles provided an ethereal glow. Along the stark white walls hung banners representing the greater houses of the kingdom. The snow leopard of House Lisika, the ice spider and the web of House Riis, and all the others of the Sacred Eight were grouped together. The white bear of House Aaberg stood out as the largest of all the banners. Where there were no banners, windows made of stained glass depicted scenes of fae fighting valiantly, praising the stars, and studying tomes.
The guard to my left cleared his throat. “Warden of the West, High Lord Roar Lisika and his betrothed, the Lady Neve.”
Fae fell into bows or curtsies, the depth of which depended on their rank relative to Roar’s own. In a sea of fae, that made finding the royal family and the Sacred Eight members easy. They inclined their heads, or in the case of the princes, the queen and the king, they did nothing.
“Come, my love.” Roar gazed at me, and we swept into the room.
The crowd parted as we cut through the center and approached the high-backed thrones, to pay our respects.
Only when we stood at the base of the dais leading up to the thrones did Roar stop. King Magnus and Queen Inga lounged on grand thrones of gold, with blue cushions on the seat and back. At the top of each great chair, a circle of snowflakes haloed the royals.
The princes sat on either side of their parents in smaller thrones, also blue and gold. Saga’s throne was the only one to remain empty.
My eyes drifted to the Warrior Bear first. He stared at me too, but I looked away almost as quickly as I’d sought him out. Taking care, I avoided Prince Rhistel too. Instead, I focused on the king, who seemed to have recovered from the celebrations of last night, and the queen. Of them all, Queen Inga’s stare was the most intense. Did she wonder why she could not break into my mind before? Or did she know Roar must have protected me?
“My king, we thank you for throwing the opening ball to the Courting Festival. And for sharing your roof with us. My lady fiancée and I have enjoyed our time here.” Roar bowed.
I curtsied, but otherwise, remained silent.
When we straightened again, the king lifted a welcoming hand. “You are always welcome under my roof, Warden Lisika. You and your lovely fiancée, who I hope in the turns to come will bear you many sons and daughters.”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Surely people had put money down that the king would break up our engagement. Well, now they’d just lost a bit of coin. I exhaled a long breath filled with tension.
“Thank you, my king,” Roar replied. “I hope for a large family, too.”
King Magnus grinned lecherously, and I tried not to think of last night when I’d seen that same look on his face in the harem. “Go forth, and enjoy your night, Warden Roar, Lady Neve. May all the other fae lords and ladies find matches as well suited as yours.”
I twisted, and because I had let down my guard a touch, I caught sight of Prince Vale once more. He was still watching me, but now he was leaning forward, as if about to jump from his throne.
Heat flushed my body. When it came to the Warrior Bear, I could not deny that my body wanted him, but my mind was confused.
Roar slipped his arm through mine, bringing me back to the moment. “Come, my love. Let us celebrate.”
We turned away from the thrones, the first test of the night done.
“Be prepared,” Roar whispered. “Now that the king has approved our betrothal, others will want to know you. The females will wish to speak with you, and the males to dance.”
“Dance?” I’d practiced enough to be confident with a handful of dances, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to dance with unknown fae. “Why with them?”
“I’m a warden. They will wonder how a commoner came to be engaged to a titled male, and dancing assures them privacy. And in such a scenario, it would be poor form for you to deny them. Or for me to stop you from being introduced to society. The night will be a long one.”
Already, a dozen fae approached us. One by one, they offered congratulations.
At first, most spoke only to Roar, though, as he predicted, a few ladies reached out to me. They introduced themselves as the wives of jarls, which explained their eagerness. Jarls were important to their home locales, but high lords and wardens held greater influence over the entire kingdom. The lesser lords and ladies wished for Roar and me to remember them. Little did they know that all this effort would be wasted on me.
And yet, I played my part, weaving a web of lies and smiling with each one. The attention felt so all-consuming I didn’t even notice someone coming up behind me until he stood there, so close that I could reach out and touch him.
“Lady Neve.” Prince Vale’s voice cut through me, quieting the others around us, even Warden Roar. “Might I have a dance?”
I turned and my breath left me. His chest filled out his royal blue tunic in a way that screamed of a strong fae beneath. The v-neckline revealed a hint of ink, and I had to pry my eyes away to stop from staring. His long dark hair had been pulled back into a thick plait, revealing the shaved portion of his head beneath.
With effort, I tore my eyes away from the prince and looked at Roar.
Would he be furious if I accepted the dance? Even when he’d said that it would be poor form to deny dances with others?
To my surprise, Roar nodded with a smug expression on his face. It had to be all pretense and seemed to take all that Roar had to see protocol done.
