Aisha bowed her head. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you both.’
Kalila’s smile was immediate. ‘What a pretty thing you are.’ Then to Tariq, ‘Much prettier than I was expecting from your mother’s description.’
Aisha was quick to reply. ‘In the queen’s defence, she met me straight off the ship after a bout of seasickness. Her assessment at the time was probably fair.’
Eyad barked out a laugh, nearly spilling his drink. ‘A royal with a sense of humour is a rare find these days.’ He leaned towards Tariq. ‘I must say, I am a bit surprised you picked a funny one.’
Tariq clapped him on the back. ‘Thank you for that.’
‘Not much of a sense of humour, this one,’ Kalila told Aisha. ‘Takes after his mother.’
‘Hamza is not much better,’ Eyad said. ‘Though there is not a lot for him to laugh at right now.’
Concerned that his aunt and uncle were about to reveal too much, too soon, Tariq interjected. ‘You’ll have to excuse us. We must keep doing our rounds.’
Aisha took hold of his arm again. ‘It was lovely meeting you both.’
As they walked away, Tariq brought his head closer to Aisha’s. ‘Safe to say they liked you.’
‘If they’re all that easy, it’ll be a great night.’
Tariq glanced in the direction of his parents, who were seated at the far end of the courtyard, keeping an eye on the pair as they carried on their conversations.
One by one, the prince introduced Aisha to everyone in attendance. He remained careful with his words, acknowledging her rank, offering praise, but never naming her as his chosen bride. Not yet. The whispers were sharp enough already. No need to hand his parents the blade.
Aisha was far too good at her part. Charming when appropriate, poised under scrutiny. His mother must have seen it too, because her sharp eyes rarely left them.
‘We’re almost done,’ Tariq whispered as they crossed to the final group.
Aisha looked around, smiling. ‘Your mother hasn’t stopped staring.’
‘Great. Then she’s witnessed how well you’ve been received.’
They crossed to the couple by the fountain, the last introductions of the evening. He inclined his head as they came to a stop. ‘Lord Daman, Lady Selene. May I present Princess Aisha of Avanid.’
Selene’s painted smile didn’t falter, but her first words landed like a knife. ‘Ah, the Mad King’s daughter. What a lucky escape.’
Tariq had left them to last for that very reason. He felt Aisha’s fingers press into his arm at the words. He gave her a moment to recover in case she wanted to respond herself, and when she didn’t speak, he did. ‘I had the pleasure of meeting King Bilal recently.’ He kept his tone light. ‘He was very welcoming. A true family man.’ He stared at Selene, calm but pointed.
Selene’s smile tightened. ‘I think it is lovely that the Emperor let you enter Avanid.’
Lord Daman muttered something about the fine weather, attempting to move the conversation along, but it was too late for that. Aisha couldn’t seem to recover.
Swallowing, she finally found her voice. ‘Would you excuse us? I’m rather thirsty.’
Tariq inclined his head again. ‘Forgive the fleeting introduction, but we were just on our way to get some refreshments.’ He guided Aisha away before the pair even had a chance to reply, waiting until they were well out of earshot before speaking. ‘Don’t take anything that woman says to heart.’ He snatched a drink off a passing tray and handed it to Aisha as they came to a stop. ‘She’s well-known for stirring up trouble.’
Aisha stared into the cup of mead. ‘Is that what people call him? The Mad King?’
He didn’t know how to answer her. Of course she didn’t know. How could she? ‘Some people.’
‘People here?’ She looked up. ‘Or people everywhere?’
His eyes moved between hers. She wanted to know if it was only Gruisea laughing behind her father’s back or the entire empire. ‘They’re just rumours.’
Her eyes filled with tears. ‘He’s not crazy. He’s just sad.’
The way her voice broke at the end had him looking away. He unfortunately locked eyes with his mother in the process, and she began making her way over to them—at the worst possible time.
