“You’re quite right, Your Highness. I had been traveling for a number of weeks before I boarded the ship to Barvik.”
He leaned back in his seat and swiveled his wine. “And what port was that again?”
Did he really think I wouldn’t know where the ship came from? I’d overheard the guards talking about it on our trek to the castle the day before. “Terenborg.”
“Remind me, how many days did the journey take?” he asked, tapping his chin with a long finger.
“Six. Although it felt like one month.” I’d tricked Amalie into revealing that information in the library that afternoon.
“And what is the dish Ranstein is famous for again?”
Shit. How in Seru’s name was I supposed to know the answer to this? I took a slow sip of my wine, biding my time. “We have many local delicacies, Your Highness, so I’m afraid I don’t know which one you are referring to.”
He snapped his fingers and said, “Oh that’s right, it’s pickled sheep’s heart. We must have Cook prepare it for you one of thesedays.”
My stomach soured at the thought, but I plastered on a smile like he had suggested chocolate-dipped strawberries for dinner. “That is most kind, Your Highness. I look forward to it.”
But Hugo wasn’t done with me yet. “I must confess, I’m curious about you,” he said. “You’re particularly well-spoken. You also appear to be exceptionally well-read.”
Why did it feel like he was setting a trap? A very public trap—half the table was now listening to our conversation. “You are most kind, Your Highness. Yes, it’s true, I do cultivate a fondness for literature.”
He appeared contemplative. “What is your station back in Ranstein? You are too well-educated for a commoner andthatis clearly worth a fortune.” He gestured to my charm bracelet. “Yet, if you were a member of the nobility, surely we would have heard of you.”
He was no fool. Luckily, I was prepared. “It’s true Your Highness, I did receive an excellent education. However, as you say, I am not of nobility. My mother and father were the most favored servants of a noble household and, as a reward, the Lord and Lady kindly allowed me to be educated alongside their children. I spent the last few years acting as a tutor to their youngest children until I decided to leave for Solvardunn. This bracelet was a gift of thanks from my old masters.”
His shrewd eyes regarded me. It was hard to tell if he was satisfied with my answer.
“What of your parents?” Amalie asked.
I looked down at my lap, making a show of my grief. “They have passed on to Yvora.”
The king, who had spent the majority of the first course discussing various kingdom goings-on with Tarben, spoke up from the head of the table. “Such a tragedy for someone so young,” he said somberly. “My children, too, lost their motherwhen they were young. Princess Amalie was a babe when her mother succumbed to the Crimson Fever.”
In my short time here, I had surmised that the queen had passed away, but for it to happen when they were so young? Amalie had been an infant... My chest panged with an unpleasant feeling; I felt sympathy for the royals. “I am very sorry to hear that, Your Majesty.”
“She was beloved by all in the kingdom. She is greatly missed,” the king said sorrowfully. He hadn’t married again; he must never have recovered from the loss.
“Father truly loved our mother. Their story was like one of the fairy tales you like to read,” Amalie added, her tone wistful with traces of pride.
Fairy tales? Well, I wouldn’t go that far, but I wasn’t going to split hairs over it now. Risking a glance at the king, I glimpsed a faraway look in his eye. Silence stretched across the dinner table until, at last, he cleared his throat.
“Come now, let us not discuss such grim subjects on this happy occasion. If Alara had not been on that ship, our beloved Princess Amalie might have…” He cleared his throat again. “The Princess is with us tonight, which is a blessing we must all give thanks to the goddesses for.” He lifted his goblet and said, “Let us raise a toast to tonight’s guest of honor. To Alara.”
Everyone raised their goblets and toasted to me, although Hugo and Oriane looked less than pleased to do so. A fact that lifted my spirits considerably.
“Saddened as we are by the wreckage ofThe Queen Astrid, we find solace in the fact that it did not claim any lives—a profound relief for all those who had loved ones aboard the vessel,” the king said. “In celebration of life, I shall host a grand masquerade ball one week from now.”
This was met with a host of approving cheers and an outbreak of excited chatter. I plastered a soft smile on my face,but, inwardly, I was doing cartwheels. A ball was the perfect opportunity to move things along with Tarben. I would have Runa make me look so gorgeous that it would bring the prince to his knees. Between dancing and flirting, he wouldn’t be able to resist me.
As the jubilance continued around the table, Livia leaned in and whispered, “Looks like you’ve made quite the impression. On some more so than others.” She nodded discretely towards Prince Tarben, who caught my eye and inclined his goblet towards me.
Ireturned his smile.Too easy.
***
After the king’s announcement, dinner passed in a blur. Over the course of the evening, I was introduced to a number of my fellow diners, all bearing titles of nobility. The wine loosened their tongues, and it didn’t take long for them to pull me into their vapid conversations. Fortunately, I was well versed in this language. It was easy enough to feign interest in their chatter about fashion trends and country manor renovations. It seemed that courtiers were the same no matter where in the world you went.
In between endless courses of salmon, duck, pork and venison, I spent most of my time talking to Livia. I decided I liked her. She was captivating and intelligent, with a wicked sense of humor that had me choking on my wine. It was a breath of fresh air in a room stale with small talk.
