He lifted her hand to kiss it, but she tugged free, ducking as if to retrieve something from the floor. She smoothed her dress, and he coughed into his hand, covering what he clearly viewed as a breach of etiquette.
“When did you speak to my mother, Caelen?” Her voice was even but her skin prickled with alarm.
She looked toward her father, wanting to ask if he knew anything about it, but he was deep in conversation with a nobleman she recognized by face, though his name escaped her.
“I’m so very sorry for your loss, Ellandria. If you need someone to speak with, I am yours, whenever you’re ready. I’m always around.”
She couldn’t do this. It was too much. Caelen had been one of her closest friends when they were little. But something about him no longer matched the boy she remembered.
She offered a noncommittal reply, and she wasn’t even sure what she’d said.
“Congratulations on the upcoming coronation, by the way,” he added, composure neatly restored.
Ella met his eyes but couldn’t bring herself to smile. She would give anything not to have an impending coronation, for her mother to remain on the throne, yet she still found herself offering the mannered response. “Thank you. It… means a great deal to Orchid.” She tipped her chin, polite but distant. “And as you can imagine, there is much I need to review. Decisions that must be made. I’ve been gone longer than I should have, and I intend to understand everything that has happened in my absence.”
It was the most diplomatic way she could say“I don’t have time for you”without igniting even more gossip than she already had.
Bringing the enemy home to meet the family and all that.
Caelen’s lips curled. “Ah, yes…of course. I can’t tell you how pleased I am with your return.” He leaned in slightly, voice softening into something that tried to sound intimate. “I would love to schedule a meeting tomorrow. I can fill you in on all that has happened, and you can tell me everything in return.” Hisgaze sharpened. “It seems you’ve come back with stories,” he murmured. “And with…attachments.”
His gaze dipped, lingering where Jakobav stood, a presence hewn from night. “But attachments can be undone.”
She didn’t breathe.
Ella knew he was ambitious, but she didn’t remember him being this forward. Not with her.
His next words brushed her ear, quiet enough to be mistaken for affection.
“But do be careful, Ellandria. You wouldn’t want the wrong man to think he has any claim on you.”
Jakobav moved with a quiet, lethal restraint, and Caelen’s smile faltered.
Only then did Caelen raise his voice enough for the nearby courtiers to hear.
“Prince Jakobav,” he said, bowing with razor-edged elegance. “Orchid welcomes you. Do enjoy the evening. This night is important for us all.”
Jakobav’s jaw flexed. “Oh, I intend to.”
Ella felt the tension draw tight as a bowstring.
Caelen’s hand lifted before she could step back, his knuckles brushing her cheek. “Ellandria, be sure to save a dance for me.” He said her name like he owned it. Then he strode to the far corner of the hall and leaned against a pillar as though the place belonged to him, his tunic gleaming with gold and self-importance.
Ella swallowed and turned toward Jakobav. “Would you like to go outside for a moment? I need some air.”
His expression eased by a fraction. “Thought you’d never ask.”
They stepped onto the balcony. A faint sea breeze moved across the terrace, reaching her beneath the stone arches. Ella inhaled deeply.
Jakobav rested a hand against the railing, watching her. “Tell me the truth. Are you alright?”
Ella gave a small, tired exhale. “I should be asking you that. Not everyone has been…friendly.”
“Friendly is generous,” he said, though his tone stayed even. “I expected worse.”
“Not all of them were that bad,” she said.
His gaze flicked back to the hall. “One was.”
