I grunt, rubbing my arm after he pinches me playfully for my sassiness.
We amble toward the door and the crowd reluctantly makes a narrow path for us to get through. A beautiful girl with long blonde hair catches my attention, it's the Princess. She’s standing next to her brother Sebastian, who is now sporting a devil-may-care smile.
As we move closer, the sheer beauty of Princess Amelia is alarming. The portrait in the King's office didn't do her justice. She gives me a dazzling smile that I find to be authentic. MyUncle shakes both their hands and holds his finger up in an, I'll be right back motion. Panic sets in, but I will eventually have to meet everyone anyway. No time like the present to pull the Band-Aid off my social anxiety ridden self.
Princess Amelia lends out her hand for me to shake. "Finally, you have come home. I look forward to getting to know you better." She sounds relieved, and her eyes show so much emotion.
I shake her hand gently. "Thank you, Princess. I look forward to getting to know you better, as well, and it's good to be home."
She waves away my use of formality. Her accent is a British one. "Please, call me Amelia, this is my brother Sebastian, or as I like to call him, Asshole."
Sebastian stares at me unabashedly and pays no mind to his sister. "We've already met. How's your neck, Bells?"
The dark Prince gives me a look so smug that I wish I was throwing him to the mat. My face turns even redder as he telepathically whispers,please do, with pain comes pleasure.
Turning to Amelia, I shrug. Sebastian wants a reaction, so I'll give him one. "He's crazy, do you know he bites strangers on the neck just for funsies."
She laughs. "You don't know the half of it, and it appears I don't either." She turns to her twin with her brow raised.
He gives me a sensual glare. "Some people are just too delicious not to take a sample from.?
"Ready, Ella?" Ethan comes to stand beside me, making Sebastian literally growl.?
I furrow my brow in confusion but hide it quickly behind a smile. "Yes, are you going with Uncle Jo and I?"
Ethan quirks his brow. "He had to take a meeting and said you were perishing, so I volunteered."
Sebastians expression is feral.Be careful, Arabella. Remember what I told you. If he touches you...
I whisper back to him in my mind, but Sebastian never finishes the sentence.Then what??His reminder calms down the butterflies I feel at being this close to them both again. My earlier conversation with Hadar, comes to mind. No one can be trusted.?
Ethan places his hand on my lower back and guides me toward the exit. When we are out of hearing distance of the twins, he sighs with relief. "You have to promise me that you will only keep it professional with Sebastian. You know what they call him, don't you?" He gives me a coy look. "No, of course, you don't. The UGN has dubbed him the "Playboy Prince", and they aren't wrong. He doesn't respect woman and only wants to see how many of them he can fuck before his bloody dick falls off."
My answering laughter bounces off the concrete walls, earning me a stern look. While I'm not as experienced as most, I'm not dumb enough to think Ethan hasn't had sex with just as many women. You can respect females and still be a playboy, it's our choice whether we want to play with you or not. "Sorry, but that was hilarious. I may enjoy flirting but there is absolutely no time in my schedule for romance—of any kind."
Ethan nods his head, I'm not sure why he's rubbing me the wrong way, but he is, and the smile plastered on his face doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Sorry, he's my cousin, and he’s not a terrible person or anything. It's just that his personal life is an absolute mess. You need to stay away from him."
I fake giggle. Is he trying to mansplain to me what I need to do? Because that's a dickhead move, and his words in factmake me want to do the opposite. A subject change is in need before I flip him over my shoulder and kick his ass. "Where are we going to eat? Also, since you volunteered your time, you owe me something fun afterward."
He gives me a boyish grin, his first genuine smile of the day. "Luxington Valley is small compared to the other societies, but we still have everything you could want or need. We must be careful though because of the prison break we shouldn't venture away from the palace. My favorite place to dine here is theKing's Kitchen. It has all sorts of southern cuisine."
Intriguing, maybe he's winning me back over. "Shrimp and Grits?"
He winks. "Only the best or so I'm told."
Chapter 15
The First Five
I’m a girl that knows what she wants most of the time, and a man ordering food for me isn’t one of them.
-Arabella
TheKing’s Kitchenis a massive restaurant in the heart of the palace. The high ceilings are lined with giant crystal chandeliers. They’re overly extravagant but beautiful, and with the way the adjacent light fixtures are shining on them, it looks like little diamonds are jumping up and down on the walls and ceiling. The walls are a cream color and have different murals painted throughout.
One mural catches my attention the most, and it's the only one painted from floor to ceiling. Both sides of the wall tell a story, and some of the same people are in both scenes. "Ethan, what's the story behind these murals? I can't take my eyes off the one on the back wall."
He smiles. "Your Mom painted that one. The King says, "Isabella was a very gifted artist."
