“Oh, food, dresses, delightful conversation.” Her eyes fall on each of us sitting at the table, ending with King Aspen, who has finally taken a bite from his fully tested plate. “And, of course, my time spent getting to know the king. He’s been quite the gracious host, Evie.”
Aspen looks up from his plate, as if only just remembering our presence. He grunts as he finishes chewing. “Now that you mention it,” he says to my sister, “I’d like to request your presence tonight in my study after dinner.”
Amelie smiles and bows her head. “Of course, Your Majesty. Will there be more wine? And chocolate?”
“Whatever you like,” he says flatly.
She turns her grin to me, eyes sparkling. “See? Isn’t he just a dear?”
I furrow my brow, trying to decipher my sister’s tone. She’s emphasizing her words, exaggerating her contentment. Is she trying to tell me…could Aspen be the one she’s in love with?
I can’t decide whether that’s better or worse than her being in love with some random servant. On one hand, being in love with the man she’s forced to marry is ideal. It means she has a chance at happiness, as opposed to risking her life while trying to hide an affair. On the other hand, I don’t trust Aspen. He killed his last fiancée. And his brother’s too.
“No, sweetie, he’s a stag.” Foxglove’s words startle me from my thoughts.
Amelie lets out an easy laugh while I cock my head at him.
He rolls his eyes as if I’m daft. “She said, ‘isn’t he just a dear?’ But he isn’t a deer. He’s a stag.”
I blink, then realize the joke too late. My eyes meet Aspen’s and find an amused smirk on his lips. When he looks at me, he wears the same smug expression I’ve seen before. The same irritating pride. The same stunning beauty. The kind only a blade can keep at bay. I pat the dagger strapped to my thigh.Control. I’m in control.
The king burns me with his stare a few moments longer, then returns his gaze to his food, bored again, as if I’d imagined the silent exchange. But I hadn’t imagined it. He’d stared. Taunted me with his eyes.
Perhaps the Stag King isn’t as dull as he’s been pretending to be in front of my sister.
But why pretend at all?
What are you hiding, Aspen?
Chapter Eighteen
After dinner, Amelie and I walk arm in arm through the dark yet elegant halls toward Aspen’s study. The king left dinner while the rest of us were still enjoying dessert. Now that every course has been served, it’s time for Amelie to join her betrothed for their daily chat.
“You didn’t have to come with me, you know,” Amelie says. “Lorelei could have walked me here.”
She’s right, but there was no way I’d let her out of my sight until the last possible moment. Even though it meant I had to turn down Cobalt’s company back to my room. “I know. It’s just…after three days of unconsciousness, I missed you.”
“How could you miss me if you weren’t even awake?”
I shrug, then watch her out of the corner of my eye. A dainty smile pulls at my sister’s lips while her free hand contentedly lifts and swishes the hem of her blue skirts, as if she’s moments from spinning into a twirling dance. “Are you actually looking forward to spending time with Aspen?”
“He isn’t as awful as you make him out to be, Evie.” I’m surprised at the defensiveness in her tone. “You shouldn’t be so quick to judge. You’d like him if you gave him a chance.”
I slow our steps and gently turn Amelie to face me. “I didn’t mean it like that, I swear. I’m merely curious how you feel. Do you like him then?”
She smiles. “He’s boring, but he’s not bad.”
Not bad. That doesn’t sound like something one would say about a lover. Unless she’s trying to hide that she’s in love with him. But what would be the point? Surely, she’d know I’d be happy for her if I knew there was love involved. Wouldn’t she? “Ami, tell me honestly. Are you in love with Aspen?”
The smile still plays at her lips, but she turns away from me and continues her slow steps down the hall. Again, she swishes the hem of her dress and spins in a circle. “Wouldn’t it be for the best if we loved the men we were to marry? If we could find happiness in the best possible way?” Her voice is light, whimsical. Heavy with the adoration she’s trying to suppress.
I catch up to her, tugging on the sleeve of her gown until she stops and faces me again. “Yes, I agree with you. And I know you’re hiding your true feelings from me.” She opens her mouth, but I continue before she can deny it. “I understand why. You feel like I’ve been judging you, underestimating you. Criticizing this place that you’ve already come to love. I need you to know that, while I may not trust Faerwyvae, or the king, or the creatures here, I trust you. Whatever brings you love and joy, I support it. You know that right?”
Tears well in my sister’s eyes, and her face crumples. She reaches for me, pulling me into a tight embrace. “That means so much to me, Evie. You have no idea how much.”
The longer we remain locked in the hug, the more ease I feel. The tension melts out of me, the warmth of my sister’s arms like a blanket.
When we finally pull away, Amelie grins. “Everything is going to work out perfectly for both of us, I promise. You’ll see.” Her tone seems conspiratorial, but perhaps I’m imagining it. Before I can analyze further, she links her arm with mine and pulls me down the hall, a spring in her step. “Then when we’re married, we’ll have to compare notes. See whosekingdomreally is bigger.”
