Page 297 of The Wishing Game

Everyone stops what they're doing to stare at Wyn and admire her dress. Whispers abound, and I catch wind of a few remarks—mostly positive. They're praising her beauty and the way the color blue accentuates her coloring. Yet there are also the off-handed comments, and they all come from one side of the ballroom. I hold onto the sound of those bitter voices and search them with my gaze, not surprised when I spot Elora and her band of bullies present. The king is by her side too, together with a few other people whom I assume to be in the royal entourage.

As Wyn and her parents go around the room to make introductions with all people present, the butler calls out our names and invites us to proceed inside—me on Ze's arm, and Thea on Cer's.

"What happens now?" I whisper to Ze as I let my gaze roam about the room.

"Arwyn and Cerenios will open the first dance. But first, she must finish her introductions."

"Maros and Rhea are taking her to meet all the men, I see," I note drily.

Although I suppose they'll have to greet everyone eventually, it's quite obvious that her parents are vying for the eligible bachelors first, more or less pushing Wyn forward to force them to notice her.

"It is my understanding they wish to see her wed before the end of the year."

"So soon?" I blink.

He purses his lips as he nods, and I get the impression there's more to that than meets the eye.

Ze takes me to the refreshment table, straight to the dessert section, and piles a plate full of chocolates for me before thrusting it into my face.

"Eat," he commands.

"Oh, thanks," I murmur, accepting it. Did I eat today? With everything that happened, I don't remember having much. And although chocolate doesn't qualify as food—technically—it is the one thing I can never refuse.

As I take a bite of the delectable truffle confections, I turn to look for Cer and Thea. After we came inside, they somehow disappeared.

"There." Ze points to the open doors that lead into the gardens. "They are there."

I don't get to question him for reading my mind without my approval as I note the tension between Cer and Thea. He grabs Thea by the shoulders, shaking her while telling her something. His jaw is clenched tight, his body tense as his fingers dig into her bare flesh.

"What's happening?" I whisper, worried. We've barely been here for a few minutes and they're already fighting?

"Something about a bet," Ze frowns.

"What about the bet?"

He licks his lips as he slides closer to me.

"You cannot proposition a male in the middle of the ballroom, Thea," Ze says in a somber voice, and it takes me a moment to realize he's repeating what Cer is saying. "This is cheating. The bet is off."

"I didn't see her proposition a male." I blink. If she did, damn, she works fast.

"You didn't sayhow, Cer. You're just salty you're losing," Ze continues, now changing his voice to a high-pitched one to emulate Thea.

Laughter bubbles in my throat at his acting, though even more amusing is the fact that Ze doesn't realize how funny he is.

"You know, sometimes Cer acts more like a jealous boyfriend than an overprotective brother," I add jokingly.

Ze narrows his eyes at me, silently glaring at me.

My smile dies on my lips.

"Cerenios should learn to ignore her folly. She is an inconsequential female in the grand scheme of things, and his affection for her will only bring about his downfall," Ze grits out.

And that is my cue to drop the subject. I can understand that a stickler for rules like Ze would disapprove of Thea for her past mistakes, but I don't see why he'd carry such a grudge forcenturies.He really doesn't like her. And that in turn makes any conversation that mentions her uncomfortable. He might be my friend, but Thea is my friend, too, and I don't badmouthanyof my friends.

We remain on the sidelines as I continue to silently eat my chocolate. Ze is faithfully by my side, his hand on my shoulder as he keeps me close to him, looming over me with his imposing height.

Yet even as we keep to ourselves, it's easy to see that Ze acts more or less as a repellent to everyone in the ballroom. There's a danger zone of a couple of meters radius that no one dares to cross, just because Ze is there. The space around us is eerily empty considering the ballroom is packed. And the few people whose gazes stray to us quickly look away and pretend to busy themselves with something else.

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