“You’re supposed to use the larger spoon for soup,” he clarifies.
“Oh, thank you.” I paste a smile on my face and continue to use the wrong spoon.
“Personally, I prefer the smaller spoon anyways. Makes the soup last longer,” August says beside me.
I shoot him a grateful smile and take a sip of champagne. I mentally thank him for not taking this as seriously as it seems the Serpent Princes are. They’re both sitting at the end of the table, silently sipping on their drinks, looking like they’d rather be anywhere else.
“Mae, tell us a little bit about yourself,” Barrett says with a warm smile.
I welcome the easy request. Talking about myself is something I can do. Talking about the histories of the courts and current political happenings, on the other hand…
“I’m twenty-five. My favorite color is black. Before I was High Queen, I ran a bookstore. Although I love to read, I don’t have a favorite book because I can never choose.”
Barrett smiles and says, “Although I don’t own a bookstore, I do love to read.”
I’m about to ask him what his favorite genre is, but Koa turns his head toward me and asks, “What kind of books do you like to read?”
I smile gratefully at the question. I can talk about books all day long. “Hm…I can’t decide between mysteries or thrillers.”
He nods, then asks, “Since that’s the case, any thoughts on who did it?”
The table falls silent. “What do you mean?” I ask him.
“He means to ask you if you have any thoughts on who killed your father and his family,” Asmo says, deadpan.
I slowly turn my gaze back to Koa, who meets it. I muster an icy tone and say, “No, Koa. I do not know who killed my father. Doyou?”
He holds up his hands in mock surrender and says, “No. I’m sorry. I thought you might be looking into it.”
Instead of responding, I look at Asmo. His eyes are already on me, and his angular jaw is locked. “Asmo, tell me about you.”
“Why would you want to know about me?” he counters.
“Why would younotwant me to know about you?” I counter back.
He lets loose a low chuckle. “You certainly came to play tonight, didn’t you?”
I don’t respond, still waiting for him to answer my original question.
“Hello, class,” he says sarcastically, looking around the table. “My name is Asmo. I’m a Prince of the Serpent House. One fun fact about me is that I’ve visited every region of the nation, unlike our High Queen.” He raises an eyebrow at me in challenge, ready for me to fire something back at him.
Instead, I grin at him and say, “Thank you, Asmo.” I look to Marik, seated on Asmo’s left. “What about you, Marik?”
He clears his throat and sits up straight. “Not many people realize this, but Asmo and I are twins. I also think it’s a cardinal sin if you’re born into our house and your favorite color isn’t black.”
The princes around the table give a polite laugh, and I smile. “No, I had no idea that you were twins. How does that work?” I ask. He raises an eyebrow, confused. “If you are both in line to be king of your court, but you’re twins, how do you decide who gets the crown?”
“Well, Asmo is technically older by a few minutes, so he’ll take the crown.”
I glance at Asmo, and for once, his eyes are not on mine.
The waiters appear in the doorway with the next course of food floating behind them. The bowls in front of us glide away, replaced by a steaming plate of roasted chicken.
I grab a fork from the table and look across the table, only to find Asmo staring back at me.
He gives me a brief shake of his head. “Wrong again.”
My cheeks flare with warmth again. I don’t bother to respond this time.
