That left Aisha and Tariq alone on the balcony.
The prince’s gaze drifted downwards. ‘You look as beautiful as ever.’
The deep tone of his voice had Aisha’s insides melting. She needed to get a grip. ‘Thank you, Your Highness.’
He closed the distance between them and kissed her in a way that made her not want to go downstairs. When he broke the kiss, he said, ‘Kaidon tells me your father isn’t coming.’
‘No.’ She rested her hands on his chest. ‘But he assures me he will be at the wedding.’
Tariq angled his head, studying her. ‘You sound rather certain.’
She lowered her voice. ‘That’s because I saw it.’
‘You saw our wedding?’
‘Sort of.’ Her hands fell away. ‘When I visited him last night, I had a vision of him standing in the temple, dressed in his formal robes. Naturally, I asked him what he planned to wear, and he showed me what his attendant had laid out for him.’ She paused, feeling pleased with herself. ‘It matched my vision perfectly.’
What she didn’t tell him was that it had been her first attempt at summoning a vision. It had been a chance to practise what she had learned. There had been a window of opportunity while her father’s focus was elsewhere, and she had taken it.
He searched her face. ‘And have you recovered all right?’
‘Yes. I was better by morning.’
His face relaxed after hearing that.
She hated that she couldn’t tell him everything. Her new knowledge and skills felt like a dirty secret. She trusted him completely, but she couldn’t break her word to the woman who had helped her understand herself.
Tariq leaned in and kissed her forehead. ‘Shall we go greet our guests?’
‘Absolutely.’
When he offered his arm, she wrapped herself around it.
The garden was even more crowded by the time they entered. Guests formed elegant circles around shaded tables, and musicians plucked softly at their instruments. They went first to King Rakan, who Tariq had met a number of times over the years—before he was crowned.
The king had the darkest eyes Aisha had ever seen. He wore no ornamentation beyond a thick leather belt.
‘Your Majesty,’ Tariq said, bowing politely. ‘It’s good to see you again.’
Rakan nodded once. ‘And you.’ His assessing gaze drifted to Aisha.
‘Allow me to introduce Princess Aisha of Avanid,’ Tariq said.
Rakan didn’t offer his hand, merely inclined his head. ‘Princess.’
‘Your Majesty.’
‘I heard your father’s here,’ Rakan said, looking about. ‘But I haven’t seen him.’
She had been expecting those types of comments, so her smile never faltered. ‘He’s resting ahead of a big day, Your Majesty.’
Tariq guided the conversation in a different direction, and Aisha was content listening to the two of them speak about everything from ships to copper.
At one point, Aisha saw the king’s gaze drift, then shift entirely. Curious as to what had caught his attention, Aisha followed his line of sight all the way to… Lilah. She was standing by a citrus tree, inspecting the leaves, no doubt wishing she could pluck some for her bag.
Rakan smoothly returned his attention to the conversation, and Aisha pretended she hadn’t noticed a thing.
After a few more minutes of copper discussions, Tariq told the king to make himself at home, then excused them so they could continue making their rounds.
