A day after the ball, I am in the garden where I shared a drink with the Ibim girl. I lay on my back on a stone bench under the dappled shade of a tree. I hold a book above me, skimming the pages. My fine tunic is bunched up under my head as a pillow, leaving me in just my undershirt and trousers. My sleeves are rolled up, the summer heat warming my skin as I tuck an arm under my head. I hear someone clear his throat, and lower my book to find Father ducking under the branches of the tree.

“I thought you’d be entertaining the princesses,” he said.

“Al-Amir wanted to speak to them,” I reply.

I sit up, and my father comes to sit beside me on the bench. “Just as well,” he says. “I wanted to give you this anyway.”

He pulls a small velvet box from his pocket and hands it to me. Inside is a glittering ring. The diamond set in its gold band is gigantic, surrounded with sapphires.

“For one of the princesses?” I ask. Father nods.

“For Zinat, I was hoping,” he says. “She comes from a very noble military lineage. Making her your queen will solidify our alliance with Taja. They’ll be an invaluable asset in our fight against Astria.”

I bite my lip. Suddenly my future as king seems certain, and all too close. “I will give it to her, then,” I say, hearing my voice as if from a distance.

My father claps me on the back as he stands from the bench.

“Put on a new tunic before you do, Jas,” he says. “That one is wrinkled. It’s not fit for a prince.”

Later, Zinat loops her hand over my arm as we stroll through the halls of the palace. The sun has begun to set, casting the marble in an orange glow. My other hand is clasped hard around the velvet box my father gave me; it feels too heavy in my pocket.

I clear my throat. “I hope you are enjoying our city,” I begin. I give the princess a stiff smile. She no longer wears the traditional flowing fabric of Taja, but instead wears a corset and simple gown of Odrendi fashion. Her dark hair is braided back and wrapped in a coil behind her head.

“I am, my prince,” Zinat says. “I had never seen the sea before my trip here—Onera is far inland—and I find I like it.”

“That’s good,” I say. “And please, call me Jasper. I’d much prefer it if you used my given name.”

“Oh, of course,” she says. “I’d be glad to, Jasper.” She smiles at me.

“You look lovely in our fashion,” I say. “It suits you.”

Zinat giggles a little. “Thank you very much.”

“My pleasure.”

“Please, call me by my given name as well, Jasper,” she says.

“Right. Uh, Zinat,” I stammer, pulling her to a stop. “I do hope this isn’t too sudden for you, but…” I take the box from my pocket and open it. “Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Zinat smiles warmly. “Of course,” she says. She seems unsurprised by my proposal, but I imagine Al-Amir has prepared her for this, just as my father prepared me. She holds her left hand out, and I slip the ring onto her finger.

When she takes my arm once more, we begin walking to the dining hall for the evening’s meal. The monstrosity on my new fiancée’s finger glitters in the sunset.