Irritation swelled in Jax’s aura, and a low growl escaped him. His gaze cut to his parents, but they were too busy speaking with other nobles to acknowledge us.
I quickly finished scanning the room and realized that Lars and Phillen were missing, but since Jax’s personal guards weren’t needed for duty at the moment, I could only surmise that they were with their families or elsewhere in the palace. That also meant Cassim would likely be tucked into bed by his da tonight.
At least there’s that. Despite irritation also filling me that Jax’s parents had blatantly defied his request for a private meeting, I took some comfort in knowing that everything else was falling into place.
My plan to twist fate hadworked.
For the first time since waking in the inn, I took a deep, unencumbered breath. All it’d taken was for me to venture to the Veiled Between and demand complete submission of the semelees. And now, with my magic fully free, they’d done as I asked.
The only side effect of the entire thing was my fatigue, not to mention I still had to return to the Isle of Song to share my knowledge. Yet those things were trivial compared to what had been at stake and was now rectified.
Another tentative sense of triumph coasted through me. Perhaps everything truly would be fine.
Jax ushered me forward, and the navy gown swirled around my legs.
“Father. Mother,” Jax said to his parents when we reached them. “I thought I asked to meet with you in private.”
I faced the king and queen and automatically curtsied, but one look at the royals had my hope at everything working out dying.
Annoyed expressions covered their faces, and they both stared at me with cold eyes.
“I didn’t see why we would need to do that,” the king replied. He looked exactly as I remembered him, similar in coloring and features to Jax, but older and slightly heavier.
His mother was the same too. Pale skin, tepid blue eyes, and blond hair. And the way she glanced down her nose at me was no different from the first time we’d met—unbeknownst to her.
I straightened from my curtsy, my smile slipping, but then I reminded myself I’d done the right thing by not manipulating fate to suit my needs. I could have commanded the semelees to have Jax’s parents accept me, but the more one interfered with reality, the more threads were woven...and the more likely it was that a thread would tangle. Master Fistideeous had taught me that too.
I took a deep breath and braced myself for what was to come. One thing I knew...this was a battle Iwouldhave to fight. I wouldn’t twist fate again to make his parents accept me.
Standing tall, the king’s chest puffed up. He wore the same clothes as the first night I’d met him, and he had the same air of disapproval radiating from him. “So this is the young lady I keep hearing about that you wanted us to meet in private?”
“This is,” Jax said stiffly. Everyone was watching us, yet Jax’s voice didn’t falter when he said, “This is Lady Elowen Emerson of Faewood Kingdom.”
I dipped into another respectful curtsy, but when I glanced up, the king’s nostrils were flaring, and his mother’s eyes were shooting daggers at me.
My stomach tumbled, but I still said, “Your Majesties. It’s an honor to officially meet you both.”
His mother arched an eyebrow, then lifted her chin and focused on Jax. “Adarian, you may seat your guest at the end of the table. There’s a free chair down there.”
Jax’s aura pulsed. “Actually, Mother, I plan to have Elowen sit beside me.”
“Adarian,” the king growled. “Don’t make a scene. Do as your mother said. We’re eating in a few minutes as we had to change our plans to dine earlier than normal. An unexpected meeting’s come up for me after supper. Apparently, something’s happened in Faewood.”
“Oh?” Jax asked, eyebrows rising. “What’s that?”
The king waved his hand. “Who knows. They said it’s urgent, but they always say that, so I told them it can wait. We shall dine first and give you a chance to explain thisfemaleyou’ve brought along.”
“Yet you didn’t give us the courtesy of a private meeting beforehand, and now you’re insisting she not sit with me.” Jax’s free hand curled into a fist, but before an argument could begin, I squeezed his arm.
“I’m fine to sit wherever. Thank you for having me.” I curtsied again to his parents.
Neither the king nor queen so much as glanced my way.
Jax’s aura puffed even more in irritation, but I squeezed him again, my fingers firm on his arm. I had to try to win over his parentswithoutthe use of my magic, if it could even be done, but it would be harder if he began to fight them here and now.
And a fight it would undoubtedly be. Because the fact remained that I was a commoner. Granted, I was a commoner with immense magic, but I wasn’t of royal or noble blood, and that would work against me at all turns.
But Jax didn’t move.
