Amalie offered me a weak smile. The prince seated next to her, Hugo, regarded me with suspicion, and Tarben gazed at me with a heat rivaling the fire he stood in front of. I ignored him. With a face like that, females probably threw themselves at him all the time. If I was to make this man fall in love with me, I needed to be different.
“And how is it that you managed to come across the princess, rescue her in the midst of a devastating storm, and live to tell the tale?” Hugo drawled, his eyes narrowed.
I had expected this question, but something about the way he delivered it grated on my nerves. I had to bite my tongue—he didn’t know he was addressing Mer royalty.
“You will forgive my son. He has had little sleep and appears to have forgotten his manners.” The king threw him a glare. “However, if you please, we are interested in hearing how you came to rescue Princess Amalie.”
By now, a silver tea tray had arrived, bearing tarts and sandwiches. My stomach growled, but I ignored it as I launched into my tale.
I told them I had been traveling onThe Queen Astridwhen the storm descended. As soon as I saw the princess tossed into the waves, I jumped from my lifeboat and swam against the current to retrieve her, nearly drowning in the process.
Aside from those fabrications, my story was mostly true. After all, lies were more believable when they were grounded in the truth.
After I had finished speaking, I glanced at my hosts. The king’s face was unreadable, Amalie looked shaken, and Hugo wore a wary expression.
It was Tarben who finally addressed me. “I was on a different lifeboat. I didn’t find out about what happened until we reached land. If I had known, I would have gone after her myself.” His throat bobbed. “I thought we had lost her.” He shook his head, as if shaking away the emotion that appeared to be swelling up inside him. “Why would you risk yourself to rescue a stranger?” It was curiosity, not accusation, in his tone.
I decided that,because you were nowhere to be found and my pesky conscience would never have let me live in peace if I hadn’t, would be the incorrect thing to say. Instead, I answered, “Because I couldn’t stand to watch an innocent life be claimed by the ocean, Your Highness.”
Hugo scoffed. “Surely you must have known it was the princess you rescued?”
I bristled at his sneering tone. What was his problem? “I confess I did not know who she was when I saved her, YourHighness,” I said, masking my irritation. “And, even if I did, it would have made no difference to me. A child’s life was in peril, so I had to act.”
“Indeed.”
I was almost impressed by how he managed to make the word sound condescending.Bastard.
Amalie mustered a grateful smile as she said, “Thank you, Alara. You are remarkably brave.”
Doing my best to look modest, I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “You were tremendously brave yourself, Your Highness.”
The girl looked exhausted. Charcoal shadows ringed her heavy-lidded eyes and her silent yawns increased as the conversation wore on.
The king apparently noticed too. Roused from whatever unpleasant thoughts he’d been having, he said, “Thank you, Alara. That is sufficient for the time being. Princess Amalie needs to rest, and I am sure you, too, are weary. I would like to invite you to stay at the castle as our honored guest for as long as you wish.”
Yes!My heart drummed a beat of triumph but, outwardly, I dipped my head in a deferential display of thanks.
“Ingrid has prepared a bedchamber and will bring you a tray of refreshments. Join us for dinner tomorrow night when everyone is feeling more recovered.”
My stomach grumbled once more at the thought of food. “Thank you, Your Majesty, that is most gracious of you,” I said as I rose.
“Lord Helvig,” he called to the spider man still standing by the door. “Have Ingrid show Alara to her bedchamber.”
Helvig inclined his head. “Yes, Your Majesty.” He opened the door and waited while I bowed to my hosts.
Unhurried, I followed Helvig from the room, fighting off a smirk; Tarben hadn’t taken his eyes off of me the entire time.
Chapter 10
The bedchamber I was escorted to was modest in size compared to my quarters at Vellamere Palace. After Ingrid left me to get settled, I perused my new space.
The furniture in the room consisted of a plush canopy bed with eggshell hangings and a cream coverlet with canary-colored florals. Beside the bed sat a wooden chest of drawers, my pouch perched neatly on top. My shoulders sagged in relief when I confirmed that the potion and bone were still there.
A breakfast table and chair sat in one corner and an armoire sat in the other. A still life of daffodils was displayed on the wall and a mirror hung beside it. To my relief, the room connected to its own private bathing chamber with a marble bath.
The drapes on either side of the windows were opened, bathing the entire room in late afternoon sunshine which, combined with the crackling fire, made the chamber gloriously toasty. I crossed to the windows and peered outside.
The autumn-cloaked gardens with a hedge maze were a striking contrast to the endless ocean in the distance. It made me think of home. What kind of tempest would be raging in Vantillios courtesy of my grandmother’s fury right now?
