The endless stairs felt so much shorter on the way down, and it wasn’t long before we arrived at the private dining room reserved for royals. Upon reaching the great wooden doors that marked the entrance, Raena bid her goodbyes and wished me luck with a final squeeze of my hand.
I held my breath as the guards heaved open the tall wooden doors. The pink ruffles of Raena’s gown had long since disappeared down the hallway, leaving me alone with my thoughts and each one was far too heavy with dread. Swallowing thickly, I paused for a moment. Then, without giving myself any more chances to change my mind, I stepped into the room.
Despite the grand entrance, the royal dining room was much smaller and far more intimate than I was expecting. The walls were painted a warm shade of cream and decorated with gilded portraits, while several large arched windows bathed the room in the glow of the evening sun. In the centre of the room was along wooden table, covered with a pristine white tablecloth. And sitting at the head of that otherwise empty table, leaning back rather comfortably in his chair, was a familiar young man. This morning’s athletic tunic had been replaced by a loose ivory dress shirt that fit tightly around his wrists, and resting perfectly upon the dark waves of his hair was a shining silver crown.
I could feel the prince’s eyes on me immediately as I entered the room. His fingers, which were drumming softly away against the table, paused as he cast a slow, sweeping look over my gown. Once he was satisfied, he rose from his seat and tipped his chin in respect. Not wanting to offend, I returned his greeting with a small curtsy.
“I see the servants have worked their magic.” He spoke first, meeting my gaze.
“Was that supposed to be a compliment?” I asked bluntly.
He raised an eyebrow. “In a way.” Then he gestured to the seat beside him. “Please, join me.”
‘No thank you,’ was what I probably should have said. But instead, I ignored him and moved to pull out the chair at the opposite end of the table, making no effort to hide the deafeningly loud noise as it scraped along the wooden floor. Without waiting for him to object, I plopped myself down into the chair and turned my head towards the nearest window. Though I could still feel him studying me, even as my gaze drifted over the distant mountains.
“I feel like I have offended you,” he said indifferently, before taking a seat in a much more graceful manner at his end of the table. “How about we start again?”
Tentatively, I returned my focus to him as he reached for a spiced bread roll that was resting on a silver platter.
“You look ravishing in that dress, Naria,” he breathed before taking a bite.
Unwanted heat flooded my cheeks, flushing them red. Therewas something so dark and enticing about the way he said my name. It was as though each vowel danced off his full lips. No one had ever said it like that before…
Clenching my jaw, I caught myself before I could tumble any further. I barely knew him, and the little I did know was violent and saw no issue with embarrassing me in front of more than a dozen of his sneering friends. It would take a lot more than a nice compliment to sweep me off my feet.
Taking a breath, I reached for my wine goblet. “So, what’s it like being a prince?” I asked, desperate to hear anything other than the pounding of my own heart in my ears.
Lukas shrugged. “There are good days and bad days.”
“And what would be a good day?” I took a sip.
“Well…” He pondered for a moment, resting his chin on his palm. “I suppose this morning was quite a good day… waking up to a knock on the door, being told that I’d finally get to meet mymysteriousfiancée, and that the carriage had already been sent to fetch her.”
Something mischievous danced across his features. I opened my mouth to respond, but his voice cut me off. “Then again, when I came back to bed, Giselle wasn’t best pleased with the news.” My entire body stiffened. He was handsome and a prince, so of course he already had a lover. “Lady Vivian wasn’t too happy either at breakfast, when I told her that you were on your way,” he added, a half-smile tugging at his jaw.
So much for good first impressions.
Biting back the urge to launch my silver goblet at his head, I continued, “A busy morning for you then.”
“Indeed,” the prince chuckled, tearing off a piece of bread and tossing it into his mouth.
A line of servants appeared from behind me then, each carrying plates filled with various delicacies. They placed them down gently on the table between us, and when the delicioussmells hit my nose, it was a struggle not to gasp.
Meals in the village had never been anything special. We’d usually have some kind of plain meat or potato dish, and we’d be lucky if it was even warm. This feast, however, was like nothing I’d ever seen before. Rows of different meats, fish, and pastries covered the table, and my eyes widened as they darted from platter to platter, unable to decide where to begin. There were fruits and vegetables I couldn’t even name, stirred into colourful sauces and pasta dishes.
As I took it all in, I could still feel Lukas’s judgmental stare burning into me, but I didn’t care anymore. I would marry him and he could have a thousand lovers if it meant I would get to eat a feast like this every day.
“Did they not feed you where you come from?” He glared across the table.
“Not with food like this,” I sighed, my mouth watering.
Neither of us spoke for a while as I spooned as much as I could fit onto my too-small dinner plate. I tried pieces of everything, each mouthful tasting more divine than the last.
When I was finally too full to eat another bite, I lowered my fork and forced my attention away from the food. Across the table, Lukas was staring with a look of disgust plastered across his face.
“Remind me to ask my father to organise you some etiquette lessons,” he scoffed.
It took everything in me to not pull a face of disgust straight back at him.
