-Jaonah-
Awaiting us inside the palace was a dark-complected woman with a notable scar above her left eye. She was dressed even more richly than the capital’s citizens and seemed to have been expecting us.
“Gentlemen.” She greeted us with a half-bow. “I am Dame Magdalene, the House of Rodin’s steward. We’re honored to receive such distinguished guests from the Empire.” To my surprise, she made the same respectful obeisance when mentioning the Empire as any elf would. Stranger still, I could sense magic within her—though it felt unfamiliar in some ways. She was smaller in stature than the typical human, but her thick hair hid her ears, giving little away.
“The honor is ours,” Taegen said, returning her bow while Lorant and I did the same. Fascinating how easily he could read a situation and know whether to be a scoundrel or a diplomat.
“If you’re ready, I’ll bring you before His Majesty so that he can welcome you properly.”
“Of course. Lead on.”
His Majesty. The twins had also said that the king was expecting us. It still struck me as odd that most human countries—kingdoms, as they were often called—gave such preferential treatment to their male rulers. Similarly, it was always jarring when they referred to our leaders as ‘emperor’ or ‘empress,’ when they shared the title of empere. I had yet to determine why a king and queen couldn’t rule as equals.
Dame Magdalene led us through the entrance hall and up to the next floor. Lorant’s calling the place ostentatious wasn’t entirely unwarranted, as the soaring ceilings and intricately-carved walls could serve little purpose but for decoration. That idea was further cemented as we entered a highly traditional throne room, the sort that featured the royal family in all their glory and was likely used solely for receiving guests. All this, just for us? I could only assume it was an effort on the king’s part to impress upon us his power and severity.
And he did seem quite severe. Along the far wall was a line of no less than ten plush thrones, three of which sat empty. The largest and grandest was, of course, the king’s, and he stood to greet us as we approached. He was quite a large man, broad-shouldered and solid in physique, with a carefully-shaped goatee and a grave look to his eyes.
“Thank you, Magdalene,” he said in a thickly-accented voice, and she answered with a curt nod. The king surveyed us for only a moment longer before the shadow lifted from his face and he smiled. “Welcome to Aurilême, my friends. We’ve anticipated your arrival for some time. How have you found our country thus far?”
“Hospitable and, quite frankly, dazzling,” Taegen answered for us. “It’s a pleasure to be here, Your Majesty. I am Prince Taegen Famaer of the Elvin Empire. My companions are Prince Jaonah Shadi and Captain Lorant Percyne.” We each nodded in turn.
“Marceau Rodin, at your service,” the king replied with a deep bow. Gesturing to the throne on his left, he added, “My wife, Séraphie.”
“Charmed,” the queen said, and she certainly seemed so, looking us over curiously.
“My daughters, Caterine and Nicolette.” The king gestured to the two young ladies at the queen’s other side. Though they looked similar—and much like their mother—one seemed far more self-assured than the other; while Caterine sat up straight and inspected us critically, Nicolette was pressed back into her seat and refused to look up from her lap. She looked to be the youngest of the group. “And my sons, Gilbert, Dominie, and Alfonse. Émile and Pascal should be here as well, but it’s impossible to know whether those two will be where they should at any moment.”
“In fact, I believe we met them outside,” Taegen laughed. As he and the king spoke, I let my eyes wander across the princes at the king’s side. Gilbert, the first, was clearly the oldest and appeared to simply be a younger version of his father, from his sharp jaw to his intense presence. Dominie looked similar in some ways but was notably smaller, and although his expression was more relaxed, it was no less calculating. The entire family, it seemed, had the same black hair, so black it bordered on blue. They presented quite a handsome group.
When I glanced at the last prince, who seemed to be looking pointedly away from us, my mouth nearly fell open by reflex. He looked much more like his mother than either of his brothers, with the same soft features and upturned eyes. Pale eyes. Raven hair. Olive skin.
Oleander.
How was this possible? My mind reeled at the very sight of him, struggling to understand what he was doing there. On one hand, it seemed quite clear: the king had just introduced him as his son. But on the other, how could the man I had encountered in a brothel days ago also be a prince? For a moment, I thought my eyes must be deceiving me—but when he looked in my direction and his eyes met mine, there was no mistake. Even with his hair pulled back and up, even with his wardrobe so drastically changed, his was the same face I’d been thinking of without end since last we’d met.
Yet when he looked at me, he didn’t seem at all surprised by my presence. He didn’t react in the slightest, only observing me for a moment before looking to Taegen instead. There was no way he could not recognize me. Either he had expected me to be there or he was incredibly skilled at disguising his shock.
“But I imagine you must be exhausted from having traveled so far,” the king was saying by the time I managed to draw my attention back to him. “Magdalene will show you to your rooms, and you’ll have some time to rest, but I insist that you join my family for dinner this evening.”
“We would be happy to, of course,” my cousin agreed. I noticed Lorant had said nothing, and although his body language remained politely neutral, I knew he was none too pleased with being in a palace full of humans.
I followed almost automatically as Dame Magdalene led us from the room and toward the guest wing. Taegen noticed my distraction and asked quietly, “Is something wrong? I’d thought you were recovering from your gloominess, but it seems to have overtaken you again in force.”
What could I possibly tell him? He hadn’t seen Oleander without his mask and therefore would likely assume my desire to see him again was now affecting my mind. “No, no, I’m fine,” I lied, still trying to determine what (if anything) I should do with this new information. “It’s just a bit overwhelming, meeting the entire royal family at once.”
“Here we are,” Magdalene said, coming to a stop at the mouth of a pristine, white-walled corridor. “These suites are yours for the duration of your stay. Please make yourselves at home, and your things will be brought in from your carriage soon. And never fear, I intend to scold the twins soundly for their misbehavior.”
“Oh, don’t be too hard on them,” Taegen chuckled. “I encouraged them, after all.”
I let him and Lorant choose their rooms and took the one that was left over, combing my hair back from my eyes and trying to calm my racing heart. Was it possible this could be a good thing? However it had happened, I now found myself in close proximity to Oleander—no, his name was…Alfonse?—again, which was exactly what I had wanted since our meeting. Perhaps that meant we could speak again. That in itself was a blessing.
A knock at my chamber door brought me back to the moment in confusion. Had the servants brought our trunks from the carriage already? As I opened the door, my heart nearly stopped at the sight of Alfonse waiting outside. “Prince Jaonah,” he said evenly. Hearing my name on his lips sent a chill down my spine as I recalled the last time I’d heard it. “Could we speak privately for a moment?”
“Of course,” I answered, dry-mouthed, stepping back to allow him inside. I panicked briefly as I tried to decide what to say to him—but I needn’t have bothered. The moment the door closed, Alfonse grasped my shirtfront and shoved me roughly back against it. Some foolish part of me almost anticipated a kiss. Instead, he brought a dagger toward my throat, forcing me to catch it with one of my bracers at the last moment.
Not quite the welcome I had hoped for.
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