“Thank you, my Prince.” I managed to get out, with a slight curtsy. I hadn’t had to do such things before and Whina gave me a quick instruction during her whirlwind of explanations yesterday.
I could tell by his reaction it wasn’t perfect yet.
Whatever. He could deal with it, and his whole damn family. What did they expect? They drag humans unfamiliar with court into the heart of it and just expect us to know everything automatically?
“Follow behind me. Three steps, no closer. When I sit, you’ll stand behind my chair, also three steps back. Understood?” Cyrus instructed, his face stern. I just nodded quietly, hoping to get this over with quickly.
“Good. Follow.” He barked, and I sneered at his back as I made to follow along, like a good little pet. It made my skin crawl.
We wound through the marble hallways and passed some other slaves who bowed their heads as we passed, forced to show deference to the crown prince. As I would be required to do with his family. I was not prepared for this—at all. Regardless of the fancy gown and jewelry, I was not ready to bow and scrape before Fae who saw me as nothing more than cattle. I was only a temporary blip in their life, with a purpose to serve and breed more slaves.
That familiar burn of anger inside me rose up. It ached to burst out of me and rain down on all those who thought to control me. I closed my eyes, but it was like a flash of bright light explodingbehind my lids—I grabbed hold of my anger, strangled it and leashed it down. Now was not the time. Cyrus may have found my glares and sneers humorous during Placement, but nothing said his family shared those views. In fact, I was rather sure they wouldn’t.
Following the “exactly three steps” I was demanded to follow behind Cyrus, two humans opened a set of double doors directly in front of us. As they did, the expansive dining room within appeared.
It was just as grandiose as the throne room. The marble floor was covered by a black rug, with walls covered over with burgundy velvet. Large crystal chandeliers brightened the dark space, and the room was dominated by a massive white table, reaching from one end of the room to the other.
At either end was King Astraeus and Queen Stelara. There was an empty seat to the right of the king that Cyrus made for immediately. He dropped into his chair and lounged back in his seat. I noticed that the white chairs were upholstered with black tufted silk, and actualdiamondson the buttons.
Old Gods help me.
I stood rigidly behind Cyrus’s chair, keeping my face tilted down to avoid eyes and ensure I wasn’t disrespecting the other royals somehow. I looked around from beneath my lashes and saw all the other humans either standing behind chairs or farther away against the walls. But the humans standing against the walls were dressed in slave gray, as opposed to the ones standing behind chairs who were all as finely dressed as I was.
Princess Daneiris sat to the right of Queen Stelara. Her bright red hair, somehow even brighter than her mother’s, stood out like a beacon, and a handsome blonde man stood behind her chair. Next to her was Princess Twyla, who seemed to fade into the background next to her sister. She shared the same dark hair as her father and Cyrus, and her eyes, while blue, didn’t shineas bright a blue as Daneiris or Cyrus’s. Standing behind Princess Twyla was her dark-skinned male companion, with black hair and stunning emerald, green eyes that immediately drew the eye.
Cyrus’s brothers were seated interspersed throughout the table. Vikal, with his mother’s red hair, was equally easy to spot next to all his dark-haired brothers. He was the youngest of the family, and it showed in his easy laughter and joking with Twyla as he attempted to make her laugh. When she finally gave in, she saw the woman behind Vikal give a small smile that she tried to hide. She was as pale as he was, but with dark hair and hazel eyes. She looked at him with a warmth I couldn’t imagine feeling for a Fae.
I looked at the humans standing by Prince’s Weylin and Kian. The brothers were a few spaces apart, other courtiers filling in the other spots around the table with their own “assistants” behind them. A red headed woman with amber eyes stood behind Weylin, studying the room and the other humans in it like she was better than the rest of us. She seemed to take particular exception to me, glaring at me when our eyes met across the room.
My brows twitched upward slightly, until I saw her eyes dip to Cyrus with longing, and realized she was jealous.Old Gods.I so wanted to be done with jealous women trying to make my life difficult. I had no wish to be with Cyrus, but she obviously did. She appeared to have settled for the second eldest prince—as if she had any say in the matter. I was so inexperienced in courtly matters, I couldn’t help but wonder what intricacies I may be missing here.
The other woman behind Kian was olive skinned, with blondish-caramel colored hair, and eyes like chocolate. She gave me a sympathetic look as she spied the redheaded woman attempting to kill me with her eyes.
I spared a glance around at the other courtiers and their humans, but my attention was quickly drawn away by the conversation in front of me. The royals treated us like we were part of the wallpaper. As offended as I was by that, I would try to use it to my advantage. I refused to be helpless, and the first way to ensure that I wasn’t vulnerable was to listen and observe the royal court and any conversations I could be privy to.
“Have you given any thought to the issue I asked you to look into?” The king looked to Cyrus, who made a dismissive sound in reply. The king’s eyes narrowed. “Cyrus, as my heir, I expect you to take defense of this kingdom seriously.”
His annoyed tone was underlined with something scathing, and it seemed to bring Cyrus around to the conversation, as he sat up straight and looked back at his father. His other brothers, particularly Weylin, zeroed in on the conversation with a strange look in his eyes.
“I do take it seriously, Father.” Cyrus insisted, despite his blithe manner. “The guards have been increased, especially along the border. We’ve added additional armaments to the walls as well as amping up the magic in the shield barriers. There’s no way Calix can get past us now. We have nothing to worry about there.”
My heart raced as I realized they were discussing the attacks by the Night Kingdom. Though Cyrus seemed unconcerned about another attack, it appeared the king was worried. Apparently, there was some credence to the rumors I’d heard since leaving Sunrise. A chill ran down my spine at the very thought. I’d never been around any kind of fighting before, let alone a full-scale attack by Fae as brutal as the ones in Night Kingdom.
In the stories I used to fabricate to entertain myself, I was always some warrior princess or queen who would fight off any invaders of her land. The reality of the situation, however, was that I had no idea what to do in a fight. I’d always wanted tolearn how to protect myself, but humans were forbidden from doing so. It ensured that we didn’t have the ability or knowledge necessary to revolt against the Fae. They may act like humans were beneath their notice, but we had numbers, and that was a threat the Fae didn’t take lightly.
“I wouldn’t put anything past him, nor would I underestimate him.” King Astraeus gave Cyrus a reproachful look, and Weylin’s lips tipped up. He seemed very pleased with his father and brother’s disagreement, but I couldn’t fathom why.
“I don’t underestimate him.” Cyrus sighed heavily, as if the whole discussion bored him. “We’ve already upped all our defenses though. What else would you like me to do besides be ready for when he attacks next?”
Next? Did that mean they thought it woulddefinitelyhappen again? Old Gods, what if he got into the palace? Would he slaughter all the humans he came across? We weren’t allowed weapons, so we’d be helpless to defend ourselves. I had my iron knife from my father, currently hidden away in my room, but I couldn’t just carry it around. Old Gods only knew what the punishment would be if I was caught with it. They could put me to death for such a crime. Maybe I could convince Cyrus to allow me to carry a dagger. If he wanted me, maybe I could get him to see sense in me being able to protect myself, since he placed such value on me.
King Astraeus huffed, agitation lining every inch of his face. “I’dlikefor you to make sure that our borders are secure, and that Calix does not get into our home.”
“I could step in, Father,” Weylin spoke up, in the too-casual tone of someone who desperately wanted something. I watched Cyrus’s head whip over before he leveled an icy glare at him.
“I have it well in hand, Brother.” Cyrus countered, barely holding back a growl. “After all, what doyouknow of defense?”
Weylin’s eyes narrowed as he opened his mouth, but Queen Stelara cut in before he could escalate things any further. “I’m more than sure that Cyrus has us well protected from the barbarian to the South. Wouldn’t you agree, my dear?”
