Tasia reminds me of Lord Buckley’s daughter in Carrowmore, always cozying up to everyone in order to spread gossip.
Damien hardly ate anything at breakfast, instead using the time to blatantly and incessantly flirt with Tasia.
Damien wouldn’t actually steal a married woman, unlikesomebodyI know. And no one would be stupid enough to try it in front of the woman’s high-ranking husband. No, this is a game. Damien is playing “How Much Can I Get Away With Before Heinrich Punches Me In The Face?” So far, Damien is winning.
Heinrich’s patience hovered just below the explosive threshold. Whenever he was about to go over the edge, Moeller would distract him with a complicated but ultimately unimportant question.
Damien leaned forward. “Tasia, did you know that sound shields are one of the first skills Auditory fae learn? They hide all sorts of noises you don’t want the neighbors to hear. Heavy breathing, grunting, moaning, screaming?—”
Heinrich growled. “You?—”
Moeller cleared his throat. “Heinrich, you studied the properties of iron recently, correct? Would it make a better shield against Fire or Water magic?”
I can’t tell if Moeller wants to keep the peace, or if he’s secretly entertained by Damien’s drama.
Tasia was delighted by the attention, while Victoria seemed nauseated.
“I am obsessed with your eyes, Lady Tasia,” Damien crooned. “I thought only the Trickster fae had purple irises.”
“That’s true!” Tasia batted her eyelashes. “I’m actually from Velletri.”
“Really? What magic do you have? I bet it’s something exciting like being able toarousethe senses of people around you.”
“She controls dreams,” Heinrich said firmly.
“How does that work?” Evelyn asked.
Tasia sneered, annoyed to get a question from Evelyn instead of Damien. “I can make people fall asleep and decide their dreams.”
Damien grinned. “Will you try it on me? I would love a dream with you in it.”
Tasia waved a wispy blue fog in Damien’s direction. The captain slumped in his chair, instantly asleep.
“We should’ve thought of that earlier.” Heinrich lifted Tasia’s hand and kissed it. “He’s finally quiet.”
She giggled. “Trust me, darling. You know I always have a plan!”
After everyone finished eating, Tasia used her magic to wake Damien. He inhaled sharply and gripped Evelyn’s arm, gazing at her like he was surprised by her presence.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Damien said gruffly. “That dream was intense. It felt… real.”
Victoria reluctantly invited Leo, Evelyn, and Damien to meet the rest of the Legislative Council in a large assembly room on the other side of the castle. A long table, covered in various books and sheets of parchment, sat on a raised platform underneath the windows. On the left and right sides of the room were three rows of benches, but the center was open for guests to greet the council.
Six women already sat at the long table, three on each side, with two empty chairs in the middle. Each of the women had a different hair color, skin tone, and attitude. There was animpressive range of expressions, from smile to scowl, as Victoria introduced them. Leo and Damien bowed and Evelyn curtsied. Then Victoria took her seat at the high table.
A door opened on the left side of the room and another woman entered. She had ashy brown hair, with streaks of silver tied back in a braid. Unlike the other women dressed in shades of green or brown, she wore black.
At the sight of her, Damien dropped to his knees and lowered his head. Leo and Evelyn exchanged a confused look.
Is this a protocol we weren’t informed of?
The woman noticed Damien and approached him. “Not today, young warrior,” she said in a sad voice. “Be at peace.”
Slowly, Damien got up and took two large steps back. He continued to silently stare at the floor.
The woman went to the last empty spot at the high table but didn’t sit down yet. “Good morning, King Alexander and Queen Evelyn. My name is Ophelia Klein. I am the longest-serving member of the Legislative Council. We welcome you to Lochmatten.”
