“I’m sorry, Sebastian.”
I sighed and let him take the whole thing. When it was safely in his clutches, he grinned and said, “What I meant to say was, excited to get knocked up?”
He was being rowdier than usual. I wondered if it was because Father wasn’t here, or because of the viewing.
“Sebastian won’t get pregnant the day he chooses his alpha,” Cecil said, then paused. “Will you?”
“No, Cecil,” I said.
“He totally will,” Elian said. “They have to consummart their relationship. That’s what Dad wants.”
“Consummate,” I correct. “And I will do no such thing.”
“If you say so. Don’t tell Dad, though. He’s totally waiting to hear that you’re having a baby.” Elian smirked. In a taunting, infuriating voice, he said, “But, you know, if youreallydon’t want to, you can always wait for my birthday. Then I’ll be eligible to choose an alpha, too, and then when I get pregnant, I’ll be the one on the throne instead of you, Seb.”
I’d lost my appetite, even for peaches. I stood from the table and left the dining hall.
* * *
The carriage arrivedin the courtyard.
It was a whole very boring affair. It involved a lot of standing around to look pretty, which I fortunately excelled at.
A handler, probably an omega relative, escorted the alphas inside. They were led from the carriage into the grand entrance hall, where they stood quietly in a neat line. Each was adorned in small pieces of jewelry—a thin silver bracelet, a semiprecious stone earring. It was all unobtrusive, just enough to display their family’s wealth without being too gaudy or trying to show up the royal family.
They were silent, all hanging their heads slightly bowed and wearing polite smiles. These were the finest alphas in all of Lacehaven, well-mannered and of good breeding, with noble blood running through their veins.
And they were all positively boring.
My eyes slowly raked over them. There was not a single standout among the line. Their bodies were average. They were all taller than me and wider, more filled out with muscle without being overbearing or bursting out of their finely tailored clothes. Their hair was in ranges of blond, and black. A proper brunet was, notably, not present.
This was going to be a long viewing. I hoped I could manage to get through it without being bored to tears.
Once everyone was set up, Father welcomed the handler and the line of alphas to the Lacehaven palace. I stood and listened with a very slight smile as he ran through the greetings and niceties. It was good to seem polite, but not too interested. None of these alphas deserved that level of attention from me.
Elian and Cecil were present in the entrance hall, standing quietly off to the side. I glanced over to them. Elian had looked interested at first but was now stifling a yawn. Cecil seemed sleepy. Good to know my brothers found this as riveting as I did.
“…your choice, Prince Sebastian.”
I turned back to attention when I realized the handler was addressing me. I hadn’t caught the entirety of what he’d said, but that was no matter. I didn’t let it show on my face.
“My choice,” I repeated with an air of faked intrigue, as if I’d soaked in his words and was now mulling them over.
“Yes, Your Highness.” The handler excitedly gestured to the alphas standing neatly before me. “Any one of them would be an excellent choice, a fine contribution to the Lacehaven line. Their blood is that of nobility. Good genes and breeding.”
I decided to spare each one a better look, but I came out of it feeling exhausted by the emotional labor of pretending to be interested. Was this how it felt for Father at his viewing? Had he simply sucked it up and picked one? Or had he found one genuinely to his taste?
Whatever the case, I was not my father. As much as he obviously wanted this, I wouldn’t be able to choose.
I was too deep in thought. As I zoned out, my eyes were on one particular alpha, a blond, and I realized too late that I’d accidentally given him the idea that I was interested.
The alpha’s eyes flicked down to the marble floor, a sign of subservience. If he looked me straight in the eye, he would have been looking down at me due to his height, which was not appropriate behavior for an alpha speaking to the prince.
“You are even more beautiful in person, highness,” he murmured.
Oh, please.
I smiled at him, though it was less of a smile and more of a smirk in disguise. He couldn’t tell the difference and smiled genuinely back at me.
