Did he even realize how heartless he’d been? Not only had she been thrown in the dungeons, but she hadn’t had a proper meal in twenty-four hours and the first good meal she got he decided to use to pull a prank on her. She put her hands on her hip. “Sweet would have been the better option.”
He shrugged and lazily slung an arm across her shoulders, pulling her to him. “Yeah, but much less funny.”
She scoffed. “Glad I could be your source of entertainment.”
“Me too.” He slapped a hand to his knee and let out one last chuckle before his face turned serious. “I didn’t do it just for my own kicks. Well, maybe a little . . . but, like I told your sister, you seemed so upset to be moving into the palace, and I thought some humour might break the ice . . .” His voice trailed off, and his attention moved to something behind her.
Luna turned to see the king had arrived.
Immediately, she curtsied, causing the prince’s arm to fall off her shoulder.
Prince Kieran dipped his chin ever so slightly towards his father, who returned the gesture, ignoring Luna as he headed towards the Grand Hall.
If this was a sign of how well dinner was about to go, Luna would have preferred the gallows.
The prince extended his arm towards Luna, who responded with a frown. Did he really expect her to link arms with him and stroll by his side after his admission of the prank? Noticing her reaction, he let his arm fall to his side and chuckled. With a haughty tilt of his head, he turned and followed his father inside.
Trumpets announced their entrance and everyone stopped talking to turn and watch them walk in. King Hendrix entered the Grand Hall first, followed by Prince Kieran and then Luna. She gulped; so many people were eyeing her down. Whispers filled the room, but she couldn’t hear anything above the pounding in her ears. They were all looking at her—all silently judging. She was going to be sick.
Closing her eyes, she drew in a deep breath, fighting the urge to flee as she forced herself to take a step forward. Clyde had warned her to be on her best behaviour, so she needed to follow the prince. Needed to show compliance.Walking is easy, she reminded herself.Just one step in front of the other.Her limbs shook as she moved, but somehow, she managed not to trip over her own feet.
Prince Kieran slowed his pace to walk alongside her. “Smile. Everyone is watching,” he said as if she needed the reminder. She only glared at him.
The prince offered his arm, and this time, she accepted it, welcoming any nugget of comfort he offered. He then placed his opposite hand over the top of hers and guided her the rest of the way.
The king sat at the head of the table inside the glass dome, facing out towards the two log tables where everyone else was seated. Prince Kieran escorted Luna to her seat, which was positioned right next to the king. As she sat down, he leaned in and whispered, “I promise, no more jokes.” A statement that would have been reassuring if someone else had said it, but now, Luna wondered if the prince was going to ruin this meal as well.
Prince Kieran seated himself on the opposite side of the king, across from her, and after he was settled, the king snapped his fingers, prompting a servant to reach for the king’s wine glass and take a sip. Luna’s browsfurrowed together. The king had never been one to check for poisons before. Had the protection ceremony failed? Was the kingdom now in danger? The servant nodded to the king, who then lifted his glass of wine. As the crowd began to lift their glasses, Luna quickly grabbed her own and raised it high.
With his goblet raised, the king said, “I am thankful to be sharing a meal with all of you tonight, and we have our knights to thank for that. They acted quickly yesterday and are still working on annihilating the unicorn threat. There is no doubt in my mind that we will be triumphant!” He then brought the goblet up to his lips and drank deeply; the rest of the room followed suit.
As servants began to deliver food, Luna scanned the crowd for her family. Emily was sitting with Cecil and her normal crowd gossiping away; she didn’t even seem to realize Luna was in the room. How typical of Emily to be absorbed in her own world. Annoyed, Luna rolled her eyes and scanned the crowd for her parents, but they were nowhere to be seen.
It felt like every whisper and laugh in the court was directed at her. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but Luna could have sworn she heard her name punctuated by snickering from the gathered nobles.
A servant placed a plate full of roasted chicken and seasonal vegetables before her and the prince cleared his throat. Luna hadn’t said anything since they sat down, and the silence was more than awkward. Desperately, she tried to think of something to discuss, but her brain failed to function. Thankfully, she didn’t have to.
King Hendrix turned to her and asked, “How are you progressing on your task?”
She shifted the food around with her fork, finding she wasn’t hungry after all. Blurting out the first thing that came to mind, she said, “Not well.” Quickly, she tried to think of something else to add. “I was thinking it might be helpful to have access to the library to look up information on the subject.”
“There’s nothing about this in the library.” King Hendrix rubbed his chin. “Though I may have some old texts lying around collecting dust . . . I suppose you could look at those, see if they are of any relevance. I’ll have them sent to your suite later.”
He placed his silverware down, signalling he was done. Luna took one last bite before the servants scooped up her plate. The musicians began playing their instruments, their song sombre. She looked past the glass dome to see if she could see her family as everyone stood and started pairing with dancing partners. Over in the corner, she saw her mother and father huddled together. Their eyes met; her father was stone-faced, but her mother had tears in her eyes. Luna wanted nothing more than to run over and sink into their arms. But, Clyde’s lecture stopped her. Causing a scene would not be considered the finest manners, and the last thing she wanted to do was risk getting her parents in trouble.
When she spotted Emily, her sister was in Prince Kieran’s arms. Luna hadn’t even seen him leave the table. Her sister looked so happy, and he looked completely smitten by her. A twinge of pain vibrated in Luna’s chest, remembering how she’d felt that way with Clyde. Not able to stand watching everyone continue with their lives when hers was turned upside down, she got up and left the hall.
Chapter 14
Unveiled
In her room, there were already several piles of books stacked on her desk. Apparently, the king worked quickly. She sighed and picked up one of the books, but before she could crack it open, there was a knock at the door.
Setting it down, she went to open the door, but it swung open on its own and Emily pranced through. With a mischievous glint in her eye, Emily asked, “Miss me?”
Luna ran to her sister, throwing her arms around her, nearly knocking her over. “You have no idea!” she said, crying into her shoulder.
Emily patted her on the back, and the two embraced for a long time, holding onto each other tightly, as if this embrace might be their last.
