“What a fortuitous day for you,” Florina said dryly. “Let’s get some more wine.”
Valen met us at the refreshment table. “I saw you met the princess.”
He truly was good. Not a trace of concern reached his tone.
“She was asking about you,” I said. “Wondered if you were arguing with the prince since you haven’t spoken yet.”
“I’m touched by her concern.”
He stuck by me after that, and the queen arrived soon after. The music paused as the herald announced her and her wife, the queen-consort, and everyone in the room stopped what they were doing to bow and curtsy. Queen Verena stepped onto a dais that proceeded to float five feet into the air so everyone could see her. Then she made a speech.
My mind wandered. I’d never paid attention to speeches, mostly because the only ones I’d ever heard were by priests in the town square lecturing about the evils of magic and loose women. The queen’s speech sounded less like an angry rant. She mentioned Queen Diamanda’s sacrifice and asked everyone to think about what they could sacrifice for the kingdom’s people—or something like that. Valen stood straight and attentive, listening like she was sharing the secrets of the universe, so he could tell me if I missed anything important.
When the queen stepped down from the dais after the speech, the attendees flocked to her. Armored guards organized them into a neat line that soon stretched around the ballroom as they waited to speak with her. I risked a glance at Regula and found her expression even more pinched than before.
And so the night wore on. Valen and I danced three more times, talked to countless more people I didn’t care about, and ate more food. Then finally—finally—Valen gave me an almost imperceptible nod.
My face remained blank, but inside, I was grinning.
It was time.
Chapter 31
Emmeline
Leaving the ballroom, I headed toward the toilets, but the moment I was out of sight, I shapeshifted. I’d worn the blond fey man’s form so often when practicing with Valen that it felt completely comfortable. I could easily leap across rooftops like this—not that I would, because Valen had warned me about the pegasi-riding guards patrolling the sky who would spot me immediately.
Rooftops were my usual escape if something went wrong. And so many things could go wrong, especially with Drudon in the ballroom. But I didn’t let those worries consume me. The time for waiting and worrying was over. It was time for stealing, and I felt a spring in my step as I returned to the ballroom.
Valen didn’t glance at me, keeping his attention on his conversation with some lord or another. I spotted Regula in thecenter of a large group. I couldn’t approach her with so many people around, not without an introduction—which no one could provide since this persona didn’t exist. But I didn’t need to seduce her right this instant. I could wait.
Eventually, she walked to the refreshment table. Her entourage followed, but that didn’t matter.
I strolled casually toward the same table, trying to predict which tray Regula was aiming for. Definitely a dessert. That massive cake? The sugar orbs? No, the petits fours.
I reached for the same one as she did, brushing her hand in a careful accident.
“Oh.” I arranged my expression into shock and awe. “My sincerest apologies, Your Highness. Please forgive my carelessness.”
Regula’s eyes explored me with interest, her lips quirking in amusement at my flustered apology. Valen really had her pegged. A pretty face and awed manner, and I’d drawn her in like a bee to a flower.
“If you wish to make it up to me, you may ask me to dance,” she said magnanimously.
I put a hand to my chest in shock before executing a courtly bow. “Would you grant me the utmost pleasure of a dance, Your Highness?”
She accepted, and I escorted her to the dance floor, where we seamlessly joined the Blue Rose partway through. Her chilly hand clutched mine, and the feathers on her gown tickled my skin where my other hand held her waist. Having only ever danced with Valen, I felt slightly thrown by her shorter steps and more rigid movements, but I adjusted quickly.
“I haven’t seen you before, have I?” she asked, studying my face.
“I doubt it, Your Highness. I’ve only recently returned from Earth.”
She sneered. “One of the queen’s educational tours, I presume? I suppose your time on that little mudball taught you a great deal. You’ve returned with a new respect for their way of life? A realization that we’re not so different from them after all?”
“Hardly,” I said with an affected chuckle. “But their world holds treasure for those with the strength and vision to seize it.”
Her eyebrows rose, and I knew I’d piqued her interest even further.
“I’m from a merchant family,” I said. “We procure goods on Earth, though the recent import laws have made trade... challenging.”
