“Then I hope you have a good plan for your date?” he asked snidely, and I nodded firmly despite having no idea what I was going to do.
“Yes, and he’s clearly interested in me,” I told him, wanting this over with so I could get on with this madness. “I’ll use that to my advantage and ensure I win this competition.”
“Good.” He hummed thoughtfully. “But you aren’t the only one he’s shown interest in.”
My brows furrowed, since I figured that was obvious. He had eight women initially competing, and showing interest was a huge part of his role here.
“I have reports that he showed significant interest in Lady Sania of Pearl Court,” he said, watching me carefully. I tried to hide my flinch at her name as best I could, but his sparkling eyes didn’t miss a thing.
“You didn’t think you were the only one, did you?” he asked, his lips turning up in a mocking smile. “Unless there’s another issue?”
“Of course not, I just haven’t seen the two of them together.” I raised my chin, refusing to show any kind of doubt before the lord or his son.
“Perhaps you should secure his interest in another way.” Casaan hinted, his eyes raking over my body in a way that left little doubt as to what he was referring to. I kept my face locked down, refusing to let my disgust at his suggestion show.
“After all, it’s not fair for us to be doing all the work to ensure you win,” he finished, taunting me with raised brows and a lascivious smirk. I ground my teeth, biting back the scathing remark that itched to leave my lips.
As if I wasn’t out here doing everything I could, nearly dying by forest to secure my victory. What in Tartarus washedoing to ensure it?
“It’s not a terrible idea,” Carnelian said, but his head tilted to the side in thought before he shook it. “Perhaps something best left for later if necessary, however. We don’t want him to lose interest too early and for her to have no tricks left.”
My body was practically vibrating from holding back my anger as these two talked about me like a commodity to be traded away and used.
“Trust me, it’s not necessary,” I insisted, standing my ground. “I will win this competition, and you will keep your end of the agreement.” I stared Carnelian down, knowing better than to voice aloud what that entailed in this palace.
Who knew which walls had ears.
Chapter Twenty-one
Jacinth
Azurill was flirting with Sania.
I don’t know why that knowledge bothered me. Maybe because he was flirting with the lady of the court that should be ruled by my family? The very court he destroyed—as if he hadn’t already done enough to it.
It bothered metoo much. I shouldn’t care. Not about what he does, nor who he does it with. Just because he flirted with me didn’t mean he wasn’t flirting with everyone.
Not to mention, I was flirting with him, and I hated him with a passion. Flirting with Sania didn’t mean he actuallylikedher.
But everything was riding on my winning this competition. If I don’t win, Ula could die, joining my family in the afterlife—utterly failed by me. All of them. My familydeservedthe vengeance that burned in my heart.
Anything else paled in comparison to that.
But to accomplish that, I needed the king’s interest firmly set on me. Thinking of our upcoming date, I ran through a myriad of ideas.
We’d already been on a picnic.
Doing some noble, fancy event would bore me to tears.
He wanted to see authentic versions of us, behind the courtly masks.
He wanted to be more casual with us…
…because he was used to being in the formal situations court demanded of him.
That was it!The idea felt perfect the moment I thought of it. Putting him in an environment he wasn’t used to would make him rely on me for thenight, while I showed him a side of both myself and oflifethat he rarely got to experience.
“Alfrikr,” I turned my head to my guard as we made our way back to my rooms for the night. “I have an idea for my date. How do I go about getting this ready?”
