I could hear a blend of voices coming from the reception hall. Swallowing hard, I leaned around the corner. My mother drew me back and rechecked my appearance. 

“Nervous?”

“Very,” I replied. 

“It’s not your first time around mortals.” She smoothed my coat. “Have you met a fae?”

I nodded. “Once or twice, it was from a distance. The only mortals I’ve been around are the men Father hires to beat the shit out of me. At least, I’ll never reach the level where we will use real swords. The wooden ones hurt enough.”

“Well, these mortals are nobles.” She let out a deep breath. “Not much better than your—your teachers, but they should have better manners.” With a nod, she looped her arms with me. “Stay by my side, and I’ll lead you through it.”

“Will Father be angry ab—”

She waved me off. “Let him. He won’t cause a scene in front of his guests. How would he ever show his face again if all the known realms discovered he had a defiant wife?”

I smiled to myself and nodded.

We entered the hall and stood to the side as people mingled about.

“Arbela.” A woman with ropes of jewels draped through her brown hair approached us with her arms outstretched. “As gorgeous as I remember. It has been too long.”

My mother gave her a side hug before kissing one another’s cheek. “Welcome to my home.”

“It is a lovely home,” she replied, but it didn’t sound sincere.

It made me curious about what the other palaces in the known realms looked like. This was the largest building I had ever seen.

“This must be your son.” She smiled at me.

“Yes, Prince Alric.” My mother motioned to me.

I bowed my head slightly. “Your Grace.”

She extended her hand. I lifted it to my lips and kissed the back of her hand. 

“He is quite young for an elf, correct?”

“Just twenty.” My mother forced a smile and hugged my arm. 

“I’ll have to introduce him to my eldest son. He’s only a few years older than you.”

“Perhaps tomorrow at the garden party,” offered my mother. “The men should be wandering about, preparing for the events of the evening.”

“Will the prince be participating?”

I shook my head. “No, Your Grace. I’ll be watching.”

“What a shame. I’ll find you tomorrow.” She left us with a slight wave.

“Who was that woman?” I whispered.

“The queen of Gildorn—be mindful of her,” stated my mother. “Her exterior doesn’t match what’s going on behind those eyes.” She lifted her chin.

“Gildorn,” I whispered. “Did I address her, right? I didn’t—”

“You did fine.” She patted my arm. “Out of the three mortal royal families, be wary of Gildorn. The king is a man of faith, which helps us remain in his good favor. He won’t risk his bloodline by angering the gods. He’s the reason we are this year’s hosts.”

“Thaloria or eternals in general?” I asked.

“Eternals,” she replied. “He understands that the gods favor our people.”

Nodding, I sucked in my lips. More people passed by and gave my mother their pleasantries. I stood at her side and followed her lead as we greeted our guests. Something caught my eye through the crowd. I stepped to the side to see my father standing in the middle of the room with my sister.

“What is it?” whispered my mother.

“Cena is here. She is standing over there with Father.”

My mother bristled, and a look of disgust flashed across her face for only a moment before returning to a pleasant expression. 

She struggled to smile and rubbed my arm. “We should greet them.”

“Mother,” I whispered, unsure. 

“Come along.” She kept a firm hold on me as she pulled me forward. 

I’d rather leave than get caught up in the middle of this. We circled the group surrounding my father.

“Hello,” said my mother. “Welcome to our home,” she announced to the group. She kissed my father’s cheek. “Cena, you look lovely.”

My sister curtsies slightly with a coy smile.

My mother let go of me to loop arms with my father. “I apologize for not arriving earlier. I was introducing Alric to some people.” She pushed me forward. “This is my son, Crown Prince Alric.”

I nodded to the group.

A man with a thick beard and broad shoulders looked me up and down. He smiled and glanced at the people beside him. “Your Majesty, the princess is a delight to the eyes, but your son is by far the prettiest man I have ever seen.”

I felt my shoulders drop at the comment. What did he just say? In front of everyone… I could hear muffled laughter and felt my chest tighten.

My father forced a chuckle. “Yes, the queen is a highland elf. Alric clearly took after her.” He nudged Cene further into the middle of the circle. 

“Why have you kept him hidden for so long?” asked the man. “Were you afraid someone might mistake him for a woman and snatch him away? It’s a shame he is your heir. Elves may not take concubines, but I know a few mortal lords who would pay an army’s price for such a stunning creature.”

This was mortifying, and I struggled to keep my expression pleasant. I wanted to leave. Attending the banquet wasn’t worth becoming a joke to keep the mortals entertained. My mother squeezed my hand as she narrowed her gaze. The laughter was getting less muffled.

“The best part is his beauty will never fade,” said the man. “Elves make the best prost—”

The man’s head snapped to the side with a red imprint of my mother’s hand. My breath caught in my throat.

“How dare you,” she stated. “Lowering the status of my son to a whore.”

“Your Grace,” said the man, appearing amused. “It was merely a comment—one I would never direct at a man of such noble birth.”

“I have ears,” she stated. “They are a very prominent feature of my people, and they’re very good at cutting through your bullshit, Lord Langston. Never refer to my son in that way again.”

“Arbela.” My father stepped in front of her. “Go. Take Alric and go upstairs.”

“You would let a man of his status talk to your son in that way,” she stated. “He insulted your blood, our line.”

“Since when has being considered beautiful been an insult to an eternal?” my father replied. “You’ve called Alric beautiful since he was born to the point you refuse even to cut his hair.” He arched a brow. “I think you’re overreacting.”

“Those words didn’t come from the mouth of an eternal,” she stated. She gripped my hand and began to leave. “They came from an unkempt mortal of the lowlands. Even the perfume he’s dosed in isn’t enough to hide the stench. Be careful, it doesn’t spread northward.”

She led me off to the nearest exit. 

“I apologize for my wife. She’s quite protective. It’s why I can’t take Alric anywhere, even at his age. His mother won’t allow it.”

They laughed at this comment. I glanced over my shoulder. This turned out worse than I imagined. We stopped in a nearby hall, and my mother began to pace.

I leaned against the wall with my hands behind my back. Letting out a sigh, I stared at my feet.

“For a mortal, it might be strange to see someone like me. It’s not a big deal,” I breathed. “It’s been said before.”

“From who?!” 

I saw the fury in her eyes. I shrugged and remained slight.

“Point out every person who dares to mock you in my house”—she lifted a finger—“and I will see to it that they are deposed.”

“Mother,” I whispered. “You can kill everyone standing in the other room. One man was brave enough to say it. It’s easy to decipher that the others were also thinking it. Every mortal man looks at me weird—the hair,” I breathed. “The only thing that saves me from being mistaken regularly for a woman is that I do have some height.”

She folded her arms and looked at me unimpressed. “Ricky, honestly.”

“Sorry,” I replied, trying not to smile.

She let out a heated breath and leaned against the wall beside me. “Nothing is appealing about a pig in expensive clothes. The smell lingers, and the company never improves. That’s what happens when you spend your day wallowing in shit.”

I tried not to smile. “For years, I’ve heard people go on and on about the queen’s poise and grace. If they only knew the truth.”

She eyed me with a raised brow. “No woman is a delicate flower. A rose, perhaps, because if you squeeze her too hard, you’ll be the one bleeding.”

“You’re not going to let Father get away with this, are you?”

“No.” She rolled her shoulders back. “I’ve been trying to get him to take you to The Annual Banquet since you were sixteen. His response has always been you were too young. Elves take longer to mature,” she muttered. “So, tell me why Cena, at seventeen, is being paraded around the reception hall without my knowledge? I’m not stupid. I’m not married to your father by choice, and clearly, your father is using the occasion to choose Cena’s future husband.”

I turned to her, confused. “There aren’t any other elves here that we’re not related to.”

“That’s what concerns me.” She pressed her finger to her lips. “Wait here. No, go to the back stairs. I’ll try to find out what he’s planning and meet you there.”

“He wouldn’t go as far as to mix blood?”

My mother shook her head. “I won’t let him. If he wants to be a mortal so desperately, we can see if that unkempt pig will take your father home to his shit hole.”

“Mother,” I laughed.

“Wait for me.” She kissed my cheek. “You are beautiful, and you should be proud of that.”

“I am,” I replied.

She stepped away and lifted a finger. “Because your mother knows what she was doing when she raised you. Go on, we’ll meet up before dinner.”