‘Heaps of fun in my presence, of course,’ he said, every bit as confident and charming as he was insufferable.
This man was dangerous.
The vague instructions to “dress in layers” made it difficult to decide what to wear. I doubted I would need formal wear, so I picked black jeans, a silky burgundy top, and an emerald cardigan that brightened my eyes.
My fingers hovered over the jewellery drawers. They were full of treasures I hadn’t dared touch. It’s not like I had an occasion to wear them either.
Todayfelt like an exception. I chose a black onyx pendant shaped like leaves, its gold chain glinting softly as I pressed it to my neck. Perfect.
‘It suits you,’ Maddie said from the doorway, and I nearly dropped it.
‘I didn’t mean to startle you,’ she said quickly. ‘I should’ve knocked. I thought you’d already left.’
‘Did you need something?’ I asked, trying to mask my suspicion. It was in my nature to suspect the worst, even if the lady was nothing but nice to me.
‘Yes. I wanted to give you this.’ She handed me a small book. ‘It belonged to my mother. I thought you might enjoy it. I never tried any of her recipes; they are wasted on me.’
I blinked, touched. ‘Thank you. That’s very kind.’
Maddie’s sharp smile caught the light—those teeth again—and curiosity prickled down my spine.
‘Do you know where River’s taking me?’ I asked, testing her reaction.
She looked surprised. ‘To the princess’s birthday celebration, of course.’
A celebration. That could mean anything. ‘How formal is it?’
‘It changes every year. Usually, not too formal, given her age.’
‘And how old is she?’
Maddie chuckled. ‘Ask her yourself. I’m sure you two will have plenty to discuss. Fellow princesses and all.’
She turned to leave and brushed past her king in the corridor. ‘River, child, women need to know where they’re going so they can dress properly.’
He pressed a hand to his chest in mock offence. ‘She looks fine, doesn’t she?’
‘Men,’ she sighed, disappearing.
He noticed the gleaming piece of jewellery I was still holding and urged me to put it on. I refused. Our ongoingverbal battle ended only when he stepped closer and fastened the necklace around my throat himself, muttering something about saving time.
It felt surreal to let him so close to my neck, but I didn't fear him anymore.
The journey took about an hour. We parked by a lake where a picnic sprawled across vivid pink blankets. As we stepped from the trees, a girl in a puffed pink gown ran towards us and flung herself at him.
The girl’s tone was harsh as she said, ‘Finally! I had to wait for my cake because of you!’
River smirked, looking strangely at ease. ‘My sincere apologies, princess. Won’t happen again.’
The girl turned to me, eyes bright. ‘Are you Princess Avari?’
‘Yes. Ava,’ I said, curtsying to appease her.
‘No need for that! We’re both princesses.’ She giggled. ‘I’m Isla. Like the Isle of Blaze. Have you ever been?’
I shook my head. ‘No, I can’t say that I have.’
As we walked towards the picnic, she chattered on. ‘It’s lovely! That’s where my party was last year. We had fireworks and clowns, and daddy couldn’t come because he’s always busy fixing our kingdom, but it was fun anyway.’
