And. Say. Nothing.
Neither does she. I can’t tell if she’s simply nervous or doing her best to make me feel unwelcome. Normally, I’m the one to put off unwanted advances in such a way. It feels odd to have the tables turned on me. At least she isn’t batting her lashes and calculating my net worth.
I clear my throat. “How do you find the Lunar Court so far? Is it to your liking?”
“It’s rather dry.”
“Yes, I suppose any court on land would feel that way to a sea fae.” I watch her face, wondering if she’ll crack a smile, but…nothing. I breathe in, sensing her emotions, and find a blend of annoyance and frenetic energy. It seems like she’s itching to be anywhere but with me. “So…what brings you here?”
Finally, she meets my eyes with a pointed look. “I’m sure you know, Your Highness. We are to court. Father expects us to marry by the month’s end.” There’s no bitterness in her tone, but there’s no warmth either. It feels more like…anxiety. But why?
“Princess Maisie, if you came here against your will, I won’t force you to stay.” I’m torn between relief and disappointment as the words leave my mouth. If she leaves, I’ll be free from the chore of courting her. But that also means I’ll have failed my sister’s expectations before I’ve even begun. I sigh. “If you want to leave, I’ll—”
“No, please,” she says, sitting straighter. Her energy darkens with a hint of desperation. “I am willing to be here. I…need to be here. Please forgive me for my rudeness. I’ve never lived outside the Sea Court. You…you can’t imagine what it’s like being thrust into this body, going from warmth and blubber, only to come up on land with two legs that don’t behave and air that sucks all the life from your skin.”
I get the sense she’s hiding something, but at least I’ve gotten her to talk. It seems she responds not to charm but sincerity, much to my supreme discomfort. I’m not used to being so serious with strangers. It’s an effort not to fidget as I deliver the words she needs to hear. “I understand far more than you realize. I too shift between forms. As a raven, I’m agile, but this body is far different. When I first learned how to shift, I had to get used to alternating between my two forms.”
She nods and gives me the first semblance of a smile. “Thank you for saying you understand.”
Although her words sound more like what shethinksshe should say rather than what shewantsto, it’s something. And now that I’ve gotten her to talk, I feel like I should keep it going. “So…did you not take seelie form often before you came here?”
She shakes her head. “I rarely removed my selkie skin. I wasn’t much for dancing after sundown like my cousins, nor did I have a taste for visiting the coastal pubs at night with my brothers.”
I ponder that for a moment. Selkies are one of the few types of fae who don’t shift between their seelie and unseelie forms at will. Rather, they remove their sealskins to reveal a human form underneath. It’s fascinating, bordering on delightfully morbid. I’m almost of a mind to ask her more about it when I sense her energy shifting again, contracting this time. I’ve already lost her interest.
“Why did you agree to our courtship?” I ask, my curiosity genuine.
“Father wants a marriage with a royal on land,” she says, though I still taste a deeper truth lingering beneath her words.
I wink. “And he didn’t find me attractive enough to woo for himself?”
She stares at me blankly, unamused.
I clear my throat, regaining my serious composure. “Regardless, I am pleased you are here. Will I see you at the ball tonight?”
“I don’t know. Like I said, I was never one for dancing.”
I furrow my brow. If she hadn’t planned on attending the ball, then why did she visit Madame Flora? Based on our conversation so far, it’s hard to believe she’s the friendly type to call on strangers for courtesy’s sake alone. Or is her cold composure meant just for me? Whatever the case, I’m not upset that she doesn’t want to come, for I already have alternative plans that will be far more enjoyable…
I push off from the balustrade and offer her a bow. “If you end up coming to the ball, I’ll be honored to see you. Otherwise, I’ll call on you in the morning.”
She nods, and I return to her room. Once back within the halls of the palace, I suppress the urge to erupt with agitated laughter. Maisie isn’t anything close to the worst female I’ve courted, but we are far from compatible. A pit of dread forms in my stomach as I consider what it will be like to spend time with her for an entire month. She hated my charm and barely tolerated my sincerity. I’m starting to think she’d like me best if I were to have a lobotomy.
Then again, isn’t our situation ideal? With someone so clearly wrong for me, one who makes her disinterest plain, there’s no one to disappoint when it’s over.
Not me. Not her.
At least this way, no one gets hurt.
9
EMBER
The carriage ride to Selene Palace is a tense affair, with my stepfamily acting far more bristly than usual. Their mood was all bubbly excitement until they discovered the state of our hired cab. Without many options available in the Gray Quarter for a four-seater on such short notice, we were forced into a rusty old thing with squeaking wheels and cramped, musty seats.
“I feel like we’re riding in a rotting pumpkin,” Clara whines from her place next to me, scowling at the patches of rust that have even marred the interior.
“Blame Ember,” Mrs. Coleman says. “If her friend had gotten us our invitations sooner, we would have had more time to prepare.”
