“Gray,” I conjectured. “It must be very gray.”
She nodded, but then a small smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. The first I’d seen from her. “And green. The land is... lush. Muddy as well, but so very fertile. And in contrast, with the rolling thunderheads in the sky and the vibrant tall grass below, the landscape is not as gloomy as one might imagine.”
“I have never been to Barstus, but that sounds surprisingly lovely.”
She turned her face away from me as her smile spread. “It is.”
“Did you miss—”
“Good afternoon, Your Highness,” Taelon’s strong voice interrupted our small moment of connection. And for once, I didn’t mind. Busy with our family responsibilities, we’d hardly seen each other over the past several days. He looked at Katrinka, then me and added, “Highnesses.”
I smiled at him, just pleased to gaze upon his masculine figure dressed in all his Soravalian finery. “Hello, Prince Taelon. So good to see you.”
He swept into a curt bow, then collapsed into the chair next to me, tugging at the high buttons of his collar. “What a week your uncle has prepared for us. I’m afraid I’m not fit enough to survive all these celebrations.”
I yawned again. “Agreed. It appears as though he wants to revel us to death.”
Taelon shared a sly look with me. “If that is true, he’s smarter than I give him credit for.”
Aware of Katrinka’s listening ears, I laughed. “Truly, if I have to sit here much longer in this heat, I’m afraid I’ll fall asleep before the food arrives. The whole of the Nine Kingdoms will be treated to my snoring. And I will never be taken seriously as queen.”
Taelon’s gaze sharpened. “Are you even hungry?”
I understood his question at once. We’d been so stuffed with rich meats and sugary desserts for the past five days that the seamstress had to let my corset out this morning. “I haven’t been hungry in days.”
“Agreed.” He jumped to his feet. “I say a walk is in order. Let us move our bodies and shake off this drowsy afternoon.”
My mouth unhinged. “You can’t be serious. What will my uncle say if we abandon his elaborate lunch for exercise?” What would the kingdom say if we were known to have wandered off together?
“I think it shows... diplomacy.” He held out his hand for me.
“We cannot go alone,” I reminded him, hating how prim I sounded.
His eyes twinkled with amusement. “And why not?”
Dragon’s blood, how I wanted to go alone with him. How I wanted to get lost in the recesses of this magnificent garden and ask him a thousand questions about his life over these past several months. And then give him a thousand kisses to make up for all this time apart.
But I also wanted to be queen someday. And seducing the Crown Prince of Soravale whilst my uncle hosted a luncheon in the royal gardens didn’t exactly seem to be a wise idea.
“Taelon,” I whispered, eyes bugging out. The dark mystery in his gaze made my heart trip over itself.
His knowing smile was too beautiful. It put the gardens to shame. “Of course, you’re right. But surely the princess would like to accompany us and explore as well.” He turned to my sister and held out his hand to her. “What thinks you, Princess Katrinka? We would love for you to join this rebellious escapade with us.”
Her porcelain cheeks heated with a pretty blush. “Oh, I don’t—”
“And what about me?” a dark voice insisted from the only shadowy corner in the tent. Caspian stepped into the light, and I couldn’t help but wonder how long he’d been there. “Am I invited as well?”
Taelon met Caspian’s cruel smile with a short bob of his head. “Only a prince from Vorestra could manage to surprise so many of us.”
Caspian smiled. “Are you calling me sneaky, Taelon, Prince of Soravale?”
“Sly,” Taelon corrected. “Sneaky is something a child does. Your spymaster would hardly take credit for turning out children in the royal court.”
Caspian’s gaze danced with a fight I was reluctant to see play out in my pretty garden tent. I stood to my feet and reached for Katrinka’s hand. “I wasn’t aware the two of you knew each other.”
“We were rivals for the same bride at one point,” Caspian explained, his voice as flat as I’d ever heard it. “Of course we know each other.”
His words stole my breath. Did he mean me? I hadn’t thought my father had considered Caspian seriously.
