She enjoyed being in the thick of things, but for the first time, it felt like work. To keep her welcome among everyone, she had to be charming, friendly, and occasionally a little vicious. She had to deal with the expectations that went along with flirting. Then she felt guilty when keeping one group appeased required cutting remarks about someone else. She used to argue with Merine that maintaining her social position gave her the power to do more good, but now she wondered if her friend had it right; there was no good excuse for being mean.
“Lord Arvin,” Reyn tapped his forearm with her fan. She kept her tone light and joking, but she wished she could snap the words at him. “You are too cruel. Surely she wasn’t as hideous as you claim.”
Arvin laughed. “But she was. Upon my honor, I’ve never seen a woman so ill-favored in my life. And she thought I might accept her charms in lieu of coin.”
Reyn had reached her limit. The men and women standing with her and Arvin were all laughing along. The more decent sorts had long since left. Reyn should have gone with Fideo, even if it meant risking her toes on the dance floor. She hated to think that her lure might encourage people to fawn over Arvin.
No. She knew better. Her uncontrolled magic wasn’t the problem. By flirting with the lord while he said horrible things, she was bestowing her approval on him. She could maintain her social standing without condoning his behavior.
Still, it was better to not make an enemy. She looked up at him, her eyes wide in a way that always had men forgetting what they were about to say. “I hope you offered her an extension on her loan instead.”
He blinked. “Well, no. If you came to me with a similar proposal, however . . .”
The other men began murmuring agreement.
Reyn looked at him straight on. “I don’t think you can afford my charms, Lord Arvin.”
The men and women who had flocked to the young lord laughed. Reyn turned and left them behind. It might not make up for any damage done by staying with him for so long, but at least she hadn’t left him in a position to make any further social gains under her name.
Only after she left did she realize that she had completely forgotten to watch the women in the group while she flirted. So much for learning how much she used her lure while socializing.
Velario spotted Fideoin a crowd of men and women and altered his path to match. He didn’t particularly want to deal with a crowd, but he was here to smile and laugh and pretend he had no concerns. At least Fideo was guaranteed to make Velario’s laughter more than an act.
The other man broke away from the crowd just before Velario reached them, though. He paused, not sure if he should aim for the larger group or the man he actually liked. Then he spotted her.
The men must all be pressing in close, three deep around her, because Velario hadn’t gotten a single glimpse of her on his way over. He would have noticed even a strand of her sun-gold hair.
Lady Reyn in an evening gown was a sight to behold. A generous swath of skin was on display, and the bits hidden under sapphire blue silk were no less alluring. She giggled, a sound that usually had Velario running in the opposite direction, and he took an involuntary step forward. He caught himself before he took a second.
She was laughing with Lord Arvin.
Once he recognized the lord at her side, Velario turned away. It didn’t matter how beautiful Lady Reyn was; he wanted nothing to do with a woman who would laugh at Arvin’s jokes. Wait, he wanted nothing to do with her, anyway. He had already decided that. Velario shook his head. He hadn’t had a lover in months. That was the problem. Lady Reyn was undeniably attractive, and his body was primed to respond to the stimulus. Nothing more.
He shook his head and followed the path Fideo had taken. Velario was at tonight’s ball for a reason.
His father had made a comment that he looked stressed. Velario couldn’t ignore that. He had come to the ball not so much because it would be relaxing—a night playing cards with his friends was a better option for relaxation—but to prove to his father that he wasn’t stressed or struggling with the banks.
Lhanaperi Banking was not, strictly speaking, a private Family Ferrini concern. The Family’s personal interests extended more to the silk trade. Nor was the national bank truly a public, government-controlled bank. Instead, it was a shared concern between the five Elector Families. The Family on the throne in any one generation took the lead at the bank. Velario’s father had handed over the day-to-day running of the bank to Velario that past spring. The monarch generally did so when they deemed it time for their heir to prove themselves and establish a reputation ahead of the next election. Which may not be for another decade or two, for all Velario knew. His father hadn’t spoken to him of any plans of stepping down, but his mother might insist, eventually.
For the first few months, Velario had thrived managing the banks in Tryn. He only instituted a few changes, and only ever one at a time, making sure the first worked and the bank employees liked the change before doing anything else. He thought he was doing well. Then disaster had struck.
No, it wasn’t a disaster, not yet. Not ever, if Velario had a say. But if he wanted to keep everything under control, he needed to act like everything was fine. Rumors would do more damage than anything else. No one could suspect that Lhanaperan currency was at risk.
His father knew what was going on—Velario couldn’t very well keep it from his king—but otherwise only a few trusted bank officials had been informed. Attending the ball tonight had been Velario’s way of showing his father that he had everything under control. And maybe, even if it wasn’t relaxing, it could still prove enjoyable.
“Fideo,” Velario called out when he got close enough. Not only was the other man a pleasant companion, but he also didn’t dance, which suited Velario’s mood perfectly.
Fideo turned. “Five hells, you just lost me a bottle of Vairainian brandy, Velario.”
Velario crossed his arms. “You bet that I wouldn’t talk to you?”
“I bet Giorden that you wouldn’t show your face at an evening event for another week.”
“You make it sound like I’m hiding from some scandal.”
“Like you’d ever be embroiled in a scandal. But you have been noticeably scarce of late. I figured it’d be another week before Princess Biatra bullied you into coming out. She has a soft spot for you, after all.”
Velario laughed. His aunt was a force to be reckoned with—which was probably why Selona was so stubborn; she had to be to withstand her mother. “Aunt Biatra had nothing to do with my attendance tonight, if that saves you your brandy.”
