Page 188 of Blood of the Fairest

I know he said he wasn't going to accept the betrothal his parents arranged, but damn. He and Anika must have done some serious catching up last night.

"Your Highness is incorrigible," Anika replies, fighting a smile of her own. "I'll wear no crown."

Aha, I see. It's a game of cat and mouse.

Konrad is in a dark suit and mask tonight, looking the exact opposite of his brother—except for the fact that they're both gorgeous and apparently impossible to discourage.

"So, Ruby. How was your night?" he grins, eyes sparkling with double meaning.

Prince Leif elbows him. "What are you doing? You still must address her formally. She is a queen."

"There's no one around to hear the stuffy titles," Konrad points out.

"It's about respect," the crown prince chides before looking at me. "I apologize for my brother, Queen Reinhilde. He is tenacious and well-meaning, but often uncouth."

"She likes that I'm tenacious," Prince Konrad declares. "And she likes her nickname."

He's not exactly wrong. Then again, I tend to like any nickname, since my parents had to go and give their kid a fuckass name like Verena Konigin.

Still, I can't encourage Cinderella's prince.

"Could you tell your uncouth brother he's deluded?" I ask Leif.

He laughs and says something else to Anika, but that's when Konrad spots Fritz standing nearby. One of the masquerade attendees has worked up the courage to approach close enough to say hello to the Pied Piper, gushing about yesterday's performance.

Konrad tilts his head. "Are you interested in the piper, or his music? I could take up some instrument, too, if you want."

"He really is persistent," Eris muses, still observing from some reflection on my ballgown.

Before I can tell Prince Konrad to stop flirting with me and go find Cinderella, the orchestral music cuts off. Everyone turns to look up as King Roderik once again stands on the dais to address everyone with a smile.

"Welcome back, everyone. As some of you have heard, our guests from Hamelnmark were delayed by a great storm on their long passage sailing to our far west territories. They are finally joining us tonight, and shall be entering the ballroom any moment. When they do arrive, I hope you will all give King Nemrick and his company a warm welcome."

My world comes to a screeching halt.

Although I can see people in fine ballgowns and suits applauding around me, I can't hear them. My ears are glitching so all I can hear is the hiccupping of my own heart.

Until Konrad gently touches my arm.

I flinch, blinking up to see that his brow is furrowed, warm brown eyes concerned.

"Ruby?" he says, making me realize he's been calling that nickname.

"Verena?" Eris asks, too, this time from a gleaming button on Leif's suit. "What's wrong?"

I can barely get the words out. "W-what did your father just say?"

Konrad glances at the dais, where the king is saying something else I can't hear through the pounding in my temples. "Everyone in Hamelnmark was delayed by⁠—"

"After that. At the end."

"You mean about welcoming King Nemrick and his guests?"

My stomach dive-bombs. The perpetual thirst tormenting me abruptly takes a back seat, replaced with this too-familiar paranoia.

No. This can't be happening.

It's a coincidence—it has to be.