“Thank you.” I fought the urge to smooth my gown. “You look very nice as well.”
Nice?Savory sounded incredulous.The king looks like he stepped from a painting, and you say ‘nice’?
I ignored her.
Dominic crossed the room to join me near thefireplace. “I hope you’re hungry. I may have gotten a bit carried away with the menu planning.”
“You planned the menu?”
“And personally selected every ingredient.”
Someone knocked on the door, and Dominic crossed the room to open it. Alaina and two staff members entered, carrying trays laden with covered dishes. The scent of roasted meat and herbs filled the air, making my mouth water.
“Your Majesties,” Alaina said with a warm smile. She caught Dominic’s eye and gave him a wink before directing the staff to arrange everything on the table.
I watched them work, noting the care they’d taken with presentation. This wasn’t standard court fare. Everything from the choice of serving dishes to the arrangement of garnishes spoke of personal attention.
“This looks wonderful, Alaina,” I said as they finished. “Thank you for preparing it.”
“It was my pleasure, Your Majesty.” She glanced between Dominic and me, her expression knowing. “Enjoy your evening.”
After they left, Dominic moved to the table and pulled out a chair for me.
I settled into the seat, aware of his proximity as he pushed the chair in.
He chose the chair that lets you face the best garden view,Savory said.Small considerations reveal deeper care.
Dominic took his own seat and began uncovering the dishes. “I should probably mention that I personally tested all this food with my magic. There should be no contamination, no interference in our meal tonight.”
“You can detect the contamination?”
“Subtly, yes. It’s similar to what you described feeling inthe tea leaves, that sense of wrongness. I tested everything in the kitchen before selecting ingredients.” He served roasted quail onto my plate. “The vegetables are from sections of the garden I tend myself, and the herbs are from my private stores. Nothing that’s been sitting in the general kitchen supplies.”
“That’s brilliant,” I said. “So we can confirm the contamination is widespread in the court’s regular food supply.”
“It appears so.” He added spring vegetables to my plate, then his own. “Which suggests either a contaminated common source or deliberate tampering on a large scale.”
I considered the implications. “If it’s deliberate tampering, the perpetrator would need extensive access to the kitchens and storage areas. Someone trusted, or multiple people working together.”
“My thoughts exactly.” He poured wine into our glasses. “We could set up surveillance. Magical monitoring of the preparation areas, perhaps discreet observation of the staff.”
“Without making anyone feel accused,” I said. “We don’t want to create paranoia or damage morale if this turns out to be accidental contamination.”
Dominic nodded, then caught himself and smiled. “Although, I was actually hoping we could avoid discussing court problems for at least part of dinner. Is that terribly irresponsible of me?”
I opened my mouth to redirect us back to strategy talk. It was safer territory, more comfortable than whatever personal conversation he was suggesting. But his expression made me pause.
He looked hopeful but uncertain, like he was taking a risk by asking.
“That’s not irresponsible,” I heard myself say. “What would you like to talk about instead?”
His smile widened. “Tell me about your sisters. What was it like growing up with them?”
The question caught me off guard. I’d expected more political discussion or perhaps questions about witch magic versus fae abilities. Personal history felt more vulnerable somehow.
But also…nice.
“Cyrene and Adele are wonderful,” I said, taking a sip of wine to buy myself a moment. “My cousin, Victoria, too. Her parents travel a lot, so she spent a lot of time at Grandmother’s with us. Though the three of them drive me absolutely mad sometimes.”
