My pink eyes connected with the teal blue ones of the Elf sitting upon the throne, and it felt like the entire world stopped.
High King Azurill.
He was, without a doubt, the most attractive man I’d ever seen. I stopped myself before I could cringe at the thought, and instead, bowed before the king I would never truly yield to.
I peeked up at him through my eyelashes as I rose. His hair was as teal as his eyes, and it had been shaved on the sides, with only some left on top so he could style it to the side in an unfairly handsome swoop that left some hair curling toward his left eye. He had a strong jawline, with pouty lips and, surprisingly, a nose that looked like it had been broken before. It didn’t look bad at all, but the middle of the bridge was definitely a bit off.
He was wearing a teal jacket that was covered in diamonds and accented with kyanite, while silver embroidery matched the undershirt I could see underneath. A tattoo on his neck grabbed my attention, and I followed the design down to his shoulder, disturbed as I found myself wanting to chase the ink to see what lay beneath.
“Lady Jacinth Tawny,” The High King greeted me with a nod of his head, his eyes roving over me. His stare was too intense, leaving me feeling stripped bare for a moment. As my fake name left his lips, a pang rang through me, and I found myself wishing I could scream my true name to the world. The name I left behind when I ran from my home because of this man.
“Your Majesty,” I replied, dipping my head in deference, my skin crawling all the while.
It was always worse when monsters didn’t look like the beast beneath.
And he looked more like a god than a monster; it was truly unfair.
“Welcome to Theiapolis,” he rumbled, almost quietly despite the show he was putting on. He eyed my hair and eyes speculatively, setting me on edge. The need to derail his examination had me blurting out the first thing I could think of.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. The city is even more beautiful than I imagined. Not unlike its king.” I simpered appropriately, wanting to puke when I looked briefly to the right and saw the approval shining in Lord Carnelian’s eyes.
“It’s certainly made even more beautiful with your presence, my Lady,” he replied dutifully. I was sure he meant his words just as much as I did—that being, not at all.
Or perhaps I meant them too much. But I brushed that thought off quickly as the nonsense it was. I had to rememberwhothis was.
I looked up, meeting his eyes, and he looked briefly surprised. But I looked deep into those teal orbs, imagining my family's blood soaking hishands, staining his clothes…and then I imagined stabbing him through the heart. The way he’d stabbed through mine.
“I thank you, Your Majesty.” I forced my tongue to form the words.
“I look forward to getting to know you, Lady Jacinth.” The way his mouth shaped my name was curious. Those pouty lips should be illegal on a man. I silently swore to Erodite. I knew she had to be responsible for this travesty.
“And I you, Your Majesty.” The dull back and forth required of us was finally over, and Alfrikr stepped forward, nodding to the king once before taking me by the elbow and leading me to stand beside Faiza. She reached down and gripped my hand, and I squeezed it in return.
Zumra was announced next, and the king waved her off quickly to my amusement. She still seemed much too proud of herself, like she’d managed to accomplish something spectacular.
My breath caught as the next competitor was announced.
“Lady Sania Helmi, daughter of Lord Darcel Helmi of Pearl Court.” The herald introduced her as she walked in.
My distant cousin, whose family currently ruled Pearl Court for lack of anyone else with Marit blood. It seemed the rumors were true, which I was somewhat pleased about. Her hair wasn’t the same pink as mineatall, but instead a bright yet muted orange. A pink rose was set within it, with pink pearls dangling from it as if they could fool people into thinking her hair was any kind of pink.
It was styled similarly to mine, but her hair fell in long waves past her hips, while mine stopped right at them when unbraided. Her skin was as pale as mine, but with a golden flush from the sun. Her face was topped with delicate features, her nose surprisingly the same upturned shape as my own, but her lips were doll-like, small and shapely, while her eyes were wide and outlined in black.
Her dress was a pretty coral color that didn’t clash with her hair and eyes the way bright pink might have. The tight corset was outlined with pearls, as was the line where it met the voluptuous skirt as it poofed out. Her necklace matched, with layers of pink pearls falling toward the center of her chest.
Her orange eyes met my pink ones briefly, flaring slightly and making me very nervous.
No, I was being silly. It was easy enough to imagine she would be threatened by a girl with pink hair, since she didn’t have the historic coloringof Pearl Court’s nobles. Everyone thought I was dead. A random girl with vibrant pink hair wasn’t going to be mistaken for a child killed long ago.
My heart ached at the thought of my cousin Peony. She was so sweet, and we were the best of friends. The sight of her limp body being laid out on my bed, faking my death so Cor could protect me, was ingrained in my mind. Cor had played with us both often, and I knew how much he loved my family. It must have ripped him apart to have to do that.
I wondered if Sania could be a true cousin to me, like Peony was, or were she to ever realize the truth, would she tell the High King immediately?
Would I be family, in her eyes, or a threat?
Said king paid her just as much attention as the former lady, leaving me confused. She was, by all accounts, better behaved than Zumra, and I’d yet to see her act in the same entitled way Emerald’s lady did.
When the competitor from Onyx was announced, I realized the king was only briefly greeting them before they took their place beside us.
