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“Who’s with her? An Ithamai?” The female wore the colors of the house that ruled the easternlands—a dark purple dress with white beading on the bodice. I was pretty sure because of the snow lion headdress balanced on her bun, but it was best to be positive when talking about one’s potential enemies.
“Adila Ithamai,” Saga confirmed. “One of the daughters of the Warden of the East, who is above us.”
“Adila is friends with Calpurnia?”
“Best friends.” Saga nodded. “Calie was a ward of the Ithamai’s for a half a year.”
“Well, Adila doesn’t seem to like me much either.”
The princess laughed dryly. “Adila is . . . difficult. And just so you know, her older sister, Hadia, is much more so. The entire family has a sense of how things should be. When those expectations are not met, they become displeased. And I hate to say it, but both sisters have been vying for Lord Roar’s attention since they were old enough to want a marriage. To win the west and create an alliance with the east would have been an excellent achievement, so for them, you are a true issue.”
I swallowed thickly. The end of the Courting Festival and my return to Guldtown could not come fast enough.
Try as I might to turn to the field and take in the final archery rounds, I continued to feel Calpurnia staring at me, judging me, hating me. Stars, I despised being the subject of ire when I’d done nothing to earn it.
Archer after archer took to the field. Most were skilled and their arrows hit near the center, if not within the middle circle. Though so far, no one in the finals had struck the absolute center, a black dot in the small expanse of the middle circle. I had no idea how the judges would decide the winner with such a tight competition.
When Prince Vale stepped forward for his final three shots, long black hair unbound and flying in the wind, murmurs arose, most of them feminine in pitch. I understood the excitement. Though what Roar had told me of the prince made me dislike him, the hairs on my arms still rose at the sight of him. The fae looked too delicious for words, and I found that quite annoying.
He positioned his feet, pulled an arrow from his quiver, and nocked it. Muscles bulged in his arms, and I swallowed, suddenly parched. After a moment of silence in the arena, the prince let his arrow fly.
A thwack resonated through Aaberg Ring, and suddenly, cheers erupted.
The Warrior Bear had shot a bullseye, perfectly in the center.
My eyes widened. That didn’t bode well for Roar.
When Prince Vale released his second arrow, it sank right next to the first. He smiled, likely thinking the last contestant in the finals, Roar, could never beat that, before turning to wave and smile and even blowing a couple of kisses at the crowd.
Fae roared, making me snort lightly. Clearly, they loved their prince. How little they really knew about him.
At my side, Saga groaned. “Stars, why is he such a show-off? Sometimes I think he’s worse than Rhistel.”
I smothered a laugh and, consequently, was still smiling when Prince Vale turned to the royal box.
He froze, dropped the arrow in his hand, and, yet again, locked eyes with me. My heart thundered in my chest.
Though I could not see them, I felt the courtiers behind me stiffen. Out of the corner of my eye, Prince Rhistel leaned forward, gloved hands clasped around his knee. Did he hear my heartbeat? I tried to rearrange my features into nonchalance, but I was not sure that I managed. Rhistel remained so still and the tension in the air thickened to the point where I could barely draw breath.
The spell broke when the Warrior Prince stopped looking at me as though I were an ogre in the royal box, picked up the arrow, and nocked it. Faster than before, he let the arrow fly.
I exhaled when it hit off-center.
The crowd groaned, and some of the heady tension in the box dissipated, finally allowing me to relax. The judges noted Prince Vale’s arrow positions, dismissed him, and called in the last contestant—Roar.
All the while, I continued to look straight forward, no longer at the Warrior Bear lingering on the dirt field. Definitely not at Prince Rhistel, who I felt still watched me. Not at the king or queen either, lest they be watching me too. Not even at the amiable Princess Saga, who hadn’t made a fuss about what had happened, but she didn’t need to.
Her hand had strayed to her pocket, where I assumed her Book of Fae waited. Surely, she was dying to record what had happened, that her brother seemed affected by me though I could not say why. Nor why my heart still beat irregularly just thinking of him taking me in.
At long last, Roar took to the center of the arena, causing a titter among the female fae that rivaled the one Prince Vale had received. The warden wasn’t a prince, but he was a high lord and that was the next best thing. Plus, many common fae didn’t know that Roar had arrived at court with a fiancée. A fact that the warden sought to address, apparently, as he turned to face the boxes. At first, his gaze drifted up to his box. When he did not find me, it dropped a level, until his eyes found mine. They widened almost imperceptibly. I doubted he expected to find me seated with the king and queen and their family.
But Roar made the most of the moment by bowing and blowing a kiss. “To my fiancée, the lovely Lady Neve.”
Unfortunately, that only brought more stares, and I felt my cheeks go hot. Perhaps it had been an utter mistake to come here. I ought to have stayed hidden away in our suite.
I sagged in relief when Roar turned his back on us and set up at the line. He positioned his feet and body and pulled his first arrow.
He loosed, and the arrow flew. It sunk into the middle circle.
