“Seven!” He hiccuped. “I keep telling Lucille we could marry each of them off to a different lord’s family in both kingdoms.”
“That would be quite the empire.”
Damien rolled his eyes.
“Will you have a drink with us, Connolly?” Lord Robert offered with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Or can princesses not handle wine?”
This is a challenge.
“I would love a drink.”
One of the women handed Evelyn a glass of red wine. Evelyn drank it in two gulps, then set the glass back on the table.
I’ve never had wine burn like that on the way down.
Raucous cheers erupted from the Taste Court. Lord Robert stood to bow to Evelyn, albeit unsteadily. “Consider this court your ally, dear Princess.”
“Thank you, Lord Robert,” Evelyn said as the alcohol crawled through her body. “You have friends in Carrowmore.”
He collapsed into his seat. “Come to Solstice this summer! You’ll love it!”
Damien observed the whole exchange with an unblinking expression. “Forget what I said earlier. You knowexactlyhow to be a princess.”
“You’re a terrible etiquette teacher.”
Damien smiled down at her. “How is that wine feeling?”
Evelyn swayed slightly. “Amazing.”
“The wine they gave you was from Barbeau’s private vineyard.”
I have a bad feeling about that.
“That explains the delicious taste.”
Damien’s lips twitched with amusement. “It also has the highest alcohol content of possibly anything on the continent.”
Oh no.
“That explains the… taste.”
Damien snorted. “On the bright side, it wears off faster than normal wine. It allows them to drink continuously.”
Evelyn was about to respond, but she caught a glance of Leo over Damien’s shoulder. He was bowing to Hannah, inviting her to dance again.
No! Leo hasn’t even acknowledged me since dinner ended, and he’s dancing with Hannah for a second time? This isn’t fair!
Damien followed Evelyn's gaze and sighed. He sidestepped to block her view. “For now, you are going to dance withme. And I will make you spin over and over until you puke on your pretty dress.”
She scowled at him. “Gabrielle will stab you for ruining one of her gowns.”
“I’ll make sure to flee the kingdom after the ball.”
Damien steered Evelyn back to the dance floor. As promised, he did force her to spin several times. But instead of making her nauseous, the movement was exhilarating.
This is what the ball should be: drinking and dancing with a handsome man. How different would this night have been if I’dplanned on spending it with Damien? Being disappointed with Leo is exhausting. Dancing with Damien is like a scene from one of my romance books.
Evelyn built a wall in her mind to barricade thoughts of the explosion and the hospital, then tucked the memory of Leo’s kiss in another corner.
