Noticing Diera’s gaze sliding to William, Luna quickly put together why she had approached her. Typically in a situation like this, where a wealthy lower-class woman could openly show her interest to a guard, Luna would be jealous—but she didn’t feel that way now, and that surprised her a little.
Chuckling to herself, Luna said, “Pleasure to meet you two. These are my guards, William and Clyde, though I do believe you are already acquainted.”
Diera held out her hand, and William took it, placing a small kiss on the top of it; the woman blushed a rosy red. “You are correct, Lady of Moorlight.”
Quinn’s attention was fixed upon Clyde, her eyes sharp, but her lips curled in a small lopsided smile. “Lucky girl to have such handsome men for guards.”
Guards?Luna almost snorted. They were more like keepers nowadays. “It just occurred to me,” Luna said, turning to William, her voice bright and warm, “that I don’t really need your services tonight. Please enjoy the evening.”
There was no way he could refuse a command, even one so gentle, from the newly titled Lady of Moorlight. It would be a show of disrespect, and in a public setting like this, her guards had to play their proper role. William and Clyde exchanged a concerned look, but when Clyde opened his mouth to speak, Luna spoke before he had the chance. She kept her voice firm, with hints of sweetness, “You have shown yourself more than capable of protecting me, Clyde. Surely, I only need one guard.”
His mouth snapped closed, and he stood a little straighter. Clearly, she had succeeded in stroking his ego. William nodded, smiling down at Diera as he offered her his arm.
Good, one keeper down.If only it would be that easy to get rid of the other. Luna forced herself not to burst out laughing as she said, “I have all the confidence in the world of your skills. Now come. I must continue to mingle.” She turned to the ladies. “It was nice to meet you two.”
“Of course,” Diera said, barely paying attention as she wrapped her hand around William’s arm.
Luna strolled away, forcing Clyde to chase after her as she headed into the crowd to find Emily. Searching through the sea of people, she spotted Venita happily dancing with Rory, and Cecil dancing with someone, but no sign of her sister. She moved through the people, scanning heads, searching for brown curls.
Despite the openness to the outdoors, the ballroom was warm and stuffy with all the bodies moving about. Beads of sweat formed on Luna’s brow and as she walked the fabric of her dress clung to her legs. She fanned her hand in front of her face in an attempt to cool off. The whole place seemed to become increasingly crowded with every passing second.
Her throat tightened. If the king had his way, all of these people would soon witness her transforming; his threatening words about failing to shift echoed in her mind. If only she could find her sister, Emily would know what to do.
Luna spun her birthmother’s ring around as she looked back towards where she had left William, Diera, and Quinn. She didn’t see Quinn anymore, only William with Diera as they danced. Diera was smiling so brightly candles were not needed to light the room. The couple moved together like one person, and the whole crowd of other dancers seemed to disappear into the background.
A servant approached Luna, bowing as he said, “Excuse the interruption, but Prince Kieran has requested your presence. Please follow me.”
With a questioning glance at the servant, Clyde politely shrugged. Apparently, he didn’t know what this was about either.
Prince Kieran waited for her in an art-filled hallway. When she arrived, he smiled at her and asked her to join him for a walk, explaining that he wanted to show her something.
She hesitated, not exactly in the mood for one of his pranks, but he insisted so shehadto follow.
He led her through one of the doors in the hall, which led to a hallway she had never been down. The light from the chandeliers reflected off the red panels of wood lining the walls and the numerous statues placed throughout. At the end of the hall, Prince Kieran took a left and stopped at a dark oak door. He turned to Clyde and his guard, instructing them to wait outside before he opened the door and led Luna inside.
Shocked that a pie didn’t immediately hit her in the face, it took Luna a moment to process what she was seeing.
Throughout the room, numerous easels were set up with unfinished paintings. Luna paid them no mind, because in the center of the circular room, leaning against a large wooden desk with papers scattered across it, was her sister.
“Emily!” Luna lifted her skirts and ran to embrace her.
Emily wrapped her arms around Luna, giving her a tight squeeze. “I missed you too, sister.”
Luna gestured to the space around them. “What is this place? Why did you want me to come here?”
“It’s my art room,” Prince Kieran said sheepishly, coming to stand by Emily. “My love of painting is something I’ve always kept close to my heart, but it’s not exactlyprincely. Only Emily knows about it, and now you.”
Luna glanced over the many unfinished canvases, momentarily forgetting her troubles as she took in their beauty. It looked like the prince struggled to focus on one at a time. Some pieces were so unfinished that it was hard to tell what the painting would become, but in others, it was easier to see his vision. There was a painting of a garden, another of a waning moon, and a painting of a crowd of people dancing. As Luna made her way around the room, one in particular caught her eye, taking her breath away. It was a portrait of a lady with soft brown hair curled around her shoulders, concealing her nakedness. Her smile was ever so gentle, as if she had been painted just after a moment shared between lovers. Luna had never seen her sister look so . . . vulnerable and yet so content. Every brush stroke seemed to embody love, every colour choice a manifestation of affection.
“That’s the best one, don’t you agree?” Emily said.
Unable to control herself, Luna snorted. Of course, Emily would regard her portrait as the prince’s best work; she was never known for being humble. “I’d be a terrible sister if I didn’t.”
Emily laughed, her eyes moving to Prince Kieran who remained at the desk in the center of the room. “He proposed to me after he finished that painting, but I haven’t been able to give him an answer yet . . . not with everything going on with you. I haven’t been able to focus on anything else”
Prince Kieran chuckled, seemingly finding Emily’s words to be amusing. “Emily has made it abundantly clear that if I ever want her to be my princess, you need to be taken care of. But like I told her before, I am more than happy to keep her loved ones safe from harm, regardless of her answer, which leads me to why you’ve been asked here tonight. I have arranged for you to go into hiding. My father has a prisoner who couldfulfill Nina’s role instead of you, and I see no reason to force you to protect the kingdom when he could.”
Emily pointed to the papers on the desk. “There’s an abandoned cabin not far from here and I’ve had it set up with everything you will need.”
