“Thank you for the dance.”
He gestured toward the ballroom, where her mother was hovering with two glasses of wine, attempting to appear uninterested in whatever Lunelle was doing.
He cleared his throat as she stepped away, drawing her attention over her shoulder.
“For the record, you may hurt my feelings anytime, Lunelle.”
She sighed, a gentle smile threatening to reveal the tingle she felt in her spine.
“Remember you said that, Your Highness.”
She was nearly backto her chambers when her mother caught her arm.
“You didn’t want to stay for another round of cards?” Oestera’s eyes glowed with a delight Lunelle recognized. One that made her uneasy.
“I am quite exhausted,” she said.
“All that dancing, I suppose,” Oestera mused, her brows raised as they wandered through the dark hall.
“Do you think you’re being subtle?” Lunelle asked, the ache in her neck returning.
Oestera stopped walking, her face falling as she looked her daughter over.
“I was not trying to be. You know, Lunelle, duty does not always have to be painful. If you can find even a little joy in this, seize it.”
Lunelle chewed on her lower lip, stretching that knot in her neck, begging it to release.
“We can discuss it more tomorrow, darling. Get some rest,” her mother said, disappearing into her bedroom.
As Lunelle pushed her own door inward, the heavy boots of the Mercurians echoed through the hall, buzzing in a large group as they returned to their chambers.
“Princess!” Mirquios called, his bright eyes mellowed by the haze of a few too many glasses of wine.
“Good evening,” she said quietly as he broke away from his court. He leaned against the meticulously tiled wall outside of her door and folded his arms, a playful smile tugging at his full lips.
It was irritating, actually, how ridiculously handsome he was. It should have been enough to be born a king, but she knew all too well that monarchs had a tendency toward greed.
Mirquios spoke in a low tone, laced with an amusement she resented immediately.
“I hope you’ll forgive me for eavesdropping earlier. I stepped onto the terrace for some fresh air, and I couldn’t help but overhear a rather vicious execution of a certain prince.”
Lunelle’s cheeks heated, trying to think back to what exactly she might have said to Arcas.
She waved her hand between them, clearing her conscience. “He insisted I tell him what I really think!”
The king chuckled. “I was not judging. I rather enjoyed it.”
“Oh, well, ifyouenjoyed it, then I suppose I should just go around dressing down every dignitary I find,” she huffed, rubbing at the pain in her neck. “I could start with you, if you so desire, Your Majesty?”
An even deeper laugh rumbled in his broad chest.
Ridiculously broad, Lunelle thought.
“You and your sister have a talent for eviscerating men, you know that?”
Her heart twisted around itself, an angry tide crashing against her ribs. “Fire and ice both burn in the right circumstances.”
“I did not mean to offend?—”
