“We’d better not put it off any longer.” My words are strong, but my smile trembles at the corners of my mouth.
With a deep breath, I center myself and give a final nod to the footman who waits for us in front of the ballroom doors where my fate awaits. I bite my lip as he inhales deeply and booms my name.
“Princess Aella Sotiría of the Sorrows!”
The projection of his voice obliterates any last chance I had to runand hide. With an imperial tilt to my chin, I step through the grand doors onto a landing overlooking the ballroom.
The sight takes my breath away, freezing my feet in place like I’m one of the many marble statues that adorn the halls of the palace.
On either side of me, staircases curve down toward the revelry below, their steps lined with lords and ladies in elegant attire, each one looking more beautiful than the last. The music of a hundred instruments swells to fill the room, reverberating through me like a thousand prayers whispered in unison.
Chandeliers of glimmering auras twinkle above a crowded dance floor, setting the golden veins in the white marble walls alight, like rivers of molten flame.
The guests below are all masked and garbed in elaborate gowns of embroidered taffeta and silk, adorned with sparkling jewels and feathers, dancing along to the hauntingly beautiful music that echoes throughout the hall.
Despite the grandeur of the scene before me, I don’t miss the vipers in the nest.
This is a poisoned court, full of poisonous people.
Sly eyes beneath elaborate masks watch, cruel and calculating, as I make my way down the stairs.
Faux smiles and greetings are thrown out as I pass.
I return them with my own.
They may be serpents in this court, but I am not just a songbird.
I’m a bird of prey.
When I reach the ballroom floor, the crowd parts before me, masked figures curling away as a man approaches. His muscular torso is wrapped in a jacket that looks like it’s been crafted from fine threads of pure gold. It hugs his muscular arms, trimmed in silver embroidery with ornate silver buttons trailing down the middle. His pants are made from the same fabric, molding to his leanly muscled thighs. Sepia eyes stare at me from behind an elaborate mask embroidered with golden thread and yellow diamonds. His hands are heavy with stacks of rings, and golden hoops glimmer along the arches of his ears.
Even with a mask, he’s easy to recognize. Only the Prince of Eretriais arrogant enough to be dripping in this much gold. And me, of course. But I had a team of spies conspiring to make us match.
I do my best not to roll my eyes at the thought as he comes to a stop in front of me.
“Princess,” he purrs.
“Prince,” I respond with a coy smile.
“May I have this dance?”
He holds a gold-laden hand toward me, and I eye it for a moment before placing my hand in his.
“You may.”
I fucking hate court politics.
I throw a quick glance over my shoulder at Nyssa. She returns it with a slight nod and melts into the crowd as Keres guides me onto the dance floor. Tonight, she’ll be monitoring the royal family while I watch the prince.
Without relinquishing his grip on mine, Keres’s other hand settles against the small of my back, the pressure just shy of controlling. He moves with the kind of precision that demands attention, his steps fluid, his posture commanding. The music swells around us, but the tension between us is sharper, cutting through the lilting melody like a blade.
He tilts his head, a predator studying its prey, before his lips part in a too-sharp smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Do you know why I kept two of you in the final trial?” he asks, his tone almost light, but the cruelty in his amusement is unmistakable.
My pulse stutters, but I keep my voice steady. “Because unpredictability makes for a more compelling story?”
His laugh is quiet, more a huff of superiority than genuine amusement. “A compelling story, yes. But no. I don’t leave decisions to fate, Aella.” He pulls me a fraction closer, just enough for the pressure of his hand to feel like a warning. “I wanted to ensure the decision was mine. Power demands choice, and I enjoy the luxury of having all the options laid before me.”
The meaning behind his words sinks in slowly, like poison working its way through my veins. My throat tightens, my heart hammering in my chest.
