“I told you!” Ruri exploded, standing up in a fury as his arms flailed around, “That woman is nothing but trouble. You should eliminate her now and kick her out of the palace as fast as possible.”
“If he does that, we’ll never discover what’s going on,” Balthazar explained to him calmly. “We need to investigate her further. I’ll send someone to Ruby Court to do some digging there.”
I nodded tiredly in agreement, and Balthazar’s ice blue eyes took me in crucially. “You like her, don’t you?”
“What?” Ruri snapped, making me sigh and throw my head back, tossing an arm over my eyes as he began to rant on all the reasons that it was a bad idea.
“I know!” I finally exploded, sitting up and glaring at him. “I’m well aware, Ruri. I’m doing my best here, okay? I’ll meet all the other ladies for their dates soon. Surely, there will be another who gets my attention.”
“How often have you actually been interested in a woman like this?” Balthazar countered, raising a brow at me. I glared back at him. Sometimes, having my best friend as the head of my guard was a complete pain in the ass.
“Never,” Alwyn said smugly as he walked in the door. His short, sapphire hair looked so much like my mother’s coloring. My distant cousin, Alwyn, was thankfully not related to the lord of Sapphire, the son of a minor Earl who happened to be blood to my mother’s own house. Which meant there were no women in the competition related to any of my friends, thankfully. It made things much easier.
I directed my glare straight at him as he sat down beside Balthazar and asked, “What’s this I hear? Are you actually enamored with one of the competitors?”
The amusement in his voice was clear, and he raised a blue brow at me as I ground my teeth.
“I don’t know that I can trust her.” I finally said, slumping slightly in my chair. “I can’t be with someone I can’t trust.”
“Hmm.” He hummed, tapping a finger on his chin. “Then maybe you need to show her she can trust you?”
“What do you mean?” Ruri asked him, offended on my behalf. “Who wouldn’t trust Az? He’s the High King, for Veritx’s sake! Not to mention the Lord of Diamond, with the need for truth in his blood! There’s no one she should trust more.”
“You’re young, Ruri,” I sighed deeply, shaking my head slightly, “And perhaps too sheltered between the palace and the academy,” I told him, thinking of my date with Jacinth among the people of Theiapolis. “No one trusts another just because of their position. In fact, it’s often the opposite. She came here expecting me to be a monster who cared nothing for the people I rule.”
Ruri looked even more outraged, but Alwyn spoke up before he could begin ranting once more.
“Exactly.” Alwyn smirked in triumph as he leaned back in his seat, “You need to show her that you’re trustworthy, and then she’ll likely open up to you. Right now, you’re still little more than strangers. You need to show her who you really are.”
I thought over his advice, before thinking back to how she spoke of her parents, of what was implied by that. Maybe it wasn’t just a slip, maybe…
“You know, Wyn,” I said with a growing smile, “You might have a point.”
I triedmy best to push Jacinth from my mind while attending the rest of my dates. My first date after Jacinth was going to be with Ophira. The Onyx competitor was often quiet, and I was hoping to learn more about her during this trial. Her date idea was a brunch, which I hated to think of as boring, but her conversational skills weren’t really up to the task.
It was an agonizing affair, all told, and looking across the table at her, I forced myself to contemplate what it would be like to marry her. She was beautiful, of course, with her golden hair and dark skin creating a stunning combination. I could easily see myself taking her to bed had there been any spark of chemistry between us.
Instead, all I saw were years of strained, silent meals stretching out before me.
The next date was with the Amythest competitor, Amatista, whom I’d noticed had befriended Jacinth during the last trial. She took me to a museum in the city to explore the history of Gemaria, but she spent the entire time teasing me about Jacinth, with seemingly no interest in discussing herself at all.
I was starting to get desperate for a distraction.
Thankfully, Safira was next, and she had a surprisingly great date idea.
“I thought stargazing would make for a nice date,” she said shyly, smiling up at me. I smiled back, and together we made our way to the blanket she’dprepared. There were snacks and wine available, and I actually found myself breathing a sigh of relief.
Safira giggled, looking down at her wine before looking back at me. “I’m sure this competition must be a lot for you.”
I turned to face her with a smile, “It can be at times, but this is a nice break.”
She blushed, giving her pale skin a rosy hue, “I’m happy to hear that.”
We watched the stars for a bit, and I found myself enjoying this silence more than the last. I was starting to think maybe Safira wasn’t as bad as I thought, but then she spoke up again. “Sapphire was very proud when your mother became queen during the last competition.”
I looked over at her with my brows creased in confusion, “I’m sure they were.”
“They would be even more honored ifyourqueen also came from Sapphire.” She swallowed hard, looking a bit nervous before she continued, “I’m sure your mother would appreciate it as well, especially with everything that’s happened. I would be a good wife for you. You already have sapphire blood in your veins, and together, we could be a good match.”
