17
Introductions
Damien rested a hand on Evelyn’s back and led her off the dance floor. “I’m going to start introducing you to the lords. Stand up straight and smile. Pretend you’re a princess.”
“I am a princess!” she hissed at him.
“Then pretend to be good at it.”
“You are theworst!”
They approached a family along the edge of the room. The man had short, black hair and a sneer on his face. The smiling woman beside him, presumably his wife, wore a high-necked gown with sleeves pulled down past her wrists. Evelyn felt immodest in comparison. Two ladies around Evelyn’s age stood next to them in flattering dresses, one gold and one light pink.
“Princess Evelyn,” Damien began formally, “I would like you to meet Lord Stuart and Lady Nadine Fontaine of the Auditory Court.”
Fontaine? These are Damien’s parents! Did he ever mention being a lord’s son?
Lord Stuart bowed. “It is nice to meet you, Your Highness.” His kind words didn’t hold an ounce of sincerity.
Lady Nadine curtsied. “I was hoping to see you tonight, Princess Evelyn.” She sounded genuine, unlike her husband.
“Thank you,” Evelyn said. “I am very happy to meet the family of the man who has been so kind to me this week.”
Lady Nadine’s eyes lit up, but Lord Stuart’s expression was calculating.
Damien gestured toward the girls. “These are my younger sisters, Daphne and Desirée.”
They each curtsied in response.
“I love your dresses,” Evelyn told them truthfully. “You both look beautiful tonight.”
The sisters appeared thrilled and thanked her.
Damien’s father cleared his throat. “And how did my son get so lucky as to secure a princess’s first dance of the evening?”
Lord Stuart doesn’t sound like a proud father. More like he’s collecting information to scheme later.
“He simply asked,” she replied pleasantly.
“I keep hearing stories about the two of you,” Lord Stuart continued. “A lot has happened since you arrived in the kingdom, Princess Evelyn.”
“You’re right,” Damien said passive-aggressively. “So much has happened. The princess and her unique magic discovered the fate of the four missing soldiers. Then she single-handedly saved nearly a hundred lives after an explosion. I would say that makes Evelyn an asset to the kingdom, wouldn’t you?”
Damien wrapped an arm around Evelyn’s waist protectively, the gesture not going unnoticed by the lord. The women of the family were frozen in place, anxiously observing the interaction between Damien and his father.
Safe to say they don’t have a good relationship. But what does Lord Stuart want? And why does Damien need to defend me?
“You’ll have to excuse us, Mother,” Damien said, disregarding his father. “The princess needs to meet the lords of the other courts.”
Damien’s mother and sisters dipped into curtsies again, while Lord Stuart didn’t bother to bow.
“I hope we can talk again later,” Evelyn said politely to the women before Damien whisked her away.
“What the hell was that?” she asked when they were out of earshot.
“It would’ve been rude not to begin with my court,” Damien said.
“Why didn’t you tell me your father is a lord?”
