I wanted to talk to him—to interrogate him, honestly—but we were stuck socializing for ages. Honestly, the ball was boring as hell. Fine, fine, I might have enjoyed it under other circumstances. I didn’t mind dancing now that I knew how. The ridiculous fashions were fun to look at, and the food surpassed anything I’d ever eaten. But my fingers itched to rip the jewel from Regula’s neck.
“Did you notice the man in that weird helmet?” I whispered when Valen and I had a moment to ourselves.
The man had been flirting with Princess Regula for the past several minutes, and she’d graced him with a coy smile.
“Don’t worry,” Valen murmured. “The night is young. She won’t decide on a conquest until much later.”
The princess danced twice with a man in a matching feathery outfit, presumably her husband, but took several spins with different pretty young blond men—Valen was right about that, at least. She danced elegantly, if a little stiffly, and it was funny watching her dance with a lurching, drunk Aristoph.
The moment she stepped off the dance floor, someone would be waiting to talk to her. It reminded me of the people hovering around Prince Cael last night. Interestingly, the prince and his aunt didn’t speak once. They kept a distance that had to be purposeful, remaining on opposite sides of the ballroom.
Because I was watching her, I noticed the instant she headed toward me.
Panic set in. Valen had said we wouldn’t have to talk to her before the heist, that he ran in a different social circle and it wouldn’t seem strange if he didn’t approach her. But Valen wasn’t with me. I was talking to Florina and Felina while he conversed with another group. We’d planned that, yes. It would look suspicious if we were joined at the hip for the entire ball until I vanished to steal the jewel. But now it left me vulnerable.
“Your Highness!” Felina gasped, and we all dropped into curtsies.
Did she know I planned to steal the jewel? Had Drudon told her we were up to something?
“Lovely to see you, dears,” said Regula. “I missed you last night at my little soirée.”
The sisters froze like deer that sensed a hunter.
“Such a busy night for parties.” Florina laughed nervously. “Mother says choosing between all the invitations is an impossible task.”
“I do hope we can come next year,” Felina piped up.
“We shall see,” Regula said in a tone that implied they might not receive an invitation next year.
Petty of her.
“But I don’t believe I’ve met your companion.”
Florina pounced on the subject change. “This is Emmeline Le Brun, Your Highness. She’s accompanying Sir Valen. Emmeline, may I present Her Highness Princess Regula Ithelion, Keeper of the Selenian Jewel.”
I curtsied yet again, my heart hammering in my chest. Something about the way her gaze sharpened made me think she’d come here specifically for me.
“And how is Sir Valen?” Regula asked.
I opened my mouth, but she kept talking without waiting for an answer.
“I notice he hasn’t spoken to my dear nephew all night. Did they have a falling out?”
She’d come here looking for dirt. Or she hoped to manipulate an argument between Valen and the prince to her advantage. Should I make something up? No, one plot was enough for the evening.
“No, Your Highness,” I said. “They saw each other yesterday. I think Valen is waiting for the crowd to thin before trying to talk to him.”
Regula’s mouth thinned. “I see. Well, you ladies—” Her lip curled. “—have a nice evening.”
And she swept away.
Felina sagged. “Oh, she’s such a—”
“Watch yourself,” Florina hissed.
Felina nodded unhappily and left her sentence unfinished. Now I was dying to know what she would’ve said. Did Felina know any good insults?
“That’s the first princess I’ve ever met,” I said.
