Page 19 of Beacon

Prince Owen introduced me before giving me the last two princes’ names. “These are my younger brothers, Prince Jaron and Prince Damon.”

Prince Jaron bowed again, this one accompanied by a charming wink, but even the sound of his name didn’t cause Prince Damon to look up from his book. It took two subtle nudges from Prince Jaron until he finally glanced up. His cheeks darkened upon seeing me. For a moment he looked almost panicked before he managed a breathless “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” His duty seen to, he ducked back behind his book, lifting it higher to better mask his crimson face.

I bit my lip to suppress a sigh. After only four introductions, I was already weary from the exchange, and I hadn’t even greeted Their Majesties or sat through an entire royal dinner. The already daunting task became much more intimidating when the doors opened a final time to admit the King and Queen of Bytamia.

The king entered with a bounce in his step and the queen on his arm. He was a rotund but cheerful-looking man while the queen was refined and emanated a calm presence. He helped her into her seat with all the tenderness of a doting husband before turning a rather jovial grin towards me. “Who might this charming young lady be?”

Once again, Prince Owen went through the introductions. “She’s the maiden who rescued me.”

The king’s grin widened. “Is she, now? How wonderful. I am so pleased to meet you, my dear.”

I blushed under his fatherly look, one I hadn’t expected from the ruler of the kingdom, especially considering my common station, but it seemed my act of heroism made it easy to overlook such things. I bowed my head with a shy smile.

Their Majesties’ presence signified the beginning of dinner. I hoped to endure the meal entirely invisible, a feat made easier considering the royal family had already begun a comfortable conversation amongst themselves. But my reprieve was short-lived; the first course had barely been set before us when the queen turned towards me.

“It really is a pleasure to meet you. Owen has told us the story of his rescue, but I’m afraid he might have embellished it a bit.” She gave her son a rather indulging look before turning back to me. “I’d love to hear it from you.”

Despite her kind smile, I stiffened. My silence made it impossible to answer her, but surely not doing so would be a slight to our monarch. Unable to bring myself to convey anything, I said nothing, and while the queen’s expression remained warm, puzzlement furrowed her elegant brow the longer my silence extended.

“Are you alright, dear?”

I exchanged a panicked look with Prince Owen, who finally intervened. “Marisa is mute.”

The queen paused with her fork halfway lifted to her mouth. “Pardon? She’s mute?”

Prince Owen nodded. She and the rest of the table gaped at me in shock; I could even feel the prickling attention from the attending servants lining the walls. Heat tickled my cheeks and I hastily lowered my gaze.

For an uncomfortable moment an awkward silence reigned, finally punctuated by Prince Jaron’s sigh. “How unfortunate. Now we’ll never know what really happened when Owen fell overboard since we can’t hear the truth from a more reliable source.”

“Jaron…” The queen gave the prince a scolding look before turning a much softer one towards me. “My apologies for making you uncomfortable. As much as I’d love to learn more about you, I’m content enough to at least meet my reckless son’s rescuer and express my gratitude by dining with you. I know it’s a small token, but we’re sincere in our appreciation.”

Her smile was warm and helped lessen my lingering tension, which further eased when the royal family finally turned their curious attention away and returned to their own conversation. My shoulders relaxed as I once more faded into the background, which allowed me to better enjoy the elegant meal.

Not only was the food delicious but the conversation whirling around me was pleasant to observe—the enthusiasm from the gregarious king, the kindness from the soft-spoken queen, the intelligent observations from Princess Seren, and the charm from Prince Ronan and Prince Jaron. Prince Damon seemed content with his book and didn’t participate, and to my surprise, even Prince Owen was surprisingly quiet; I’d have expected him to talk more, but instead he seemed content to allow his family to carry the conversation.

The conversation suddenly took a drastic shift when the king set down his goblet and turned towards Prince Owen with a cheerful grin. “I have a surprise, Son.”

“A…surprise?” By his wary tone, he wasn’t expecting to like the surprise, a suspicion the uneasy look exchanged between Prince Ronan and Princess Seren only confirmed.

His Majesty gave an eager nod. “You’ll be so pleased.”

The king’s enthusiasm only made Prince Owen more apprehensive. “Will I?”

“Indeed. It’s been such a pleasure welcoming dear Seren into the family; she’s truly brought so much joy to us this past year.” He gave the princess a rather tender fatherly look, which she returned with a touched smile. “It made me consider how wonderful it’d be to have another daughter-in-law. As the second oldest, it seems natural that you should be the next one to marry, yet you’ve been uncooperative in interacting with the fine ladies of the court. So I thought I’d do my fatherly duty and help the process along.”

Prince Owen’s eyes rounded. “Father…”

The king rubbed his hands in anticipation. “As such, I’ve taken the liberty of inviting some…guests.”

Prince Owen stiffened while Prince Jaron grinned wickedly, but the queen looked wary. It took a long moment for Prince Owen to speak; he seemed to be searching for the right words, all while the king looked on with almost giddy anticipation.

Prince Owen finally swallowed. “And what is the reason for their visit?” By his tone, he seemed to already suspect his father’s intentions.

“For you to begin a courtship, of course.”

Prince Owen’s mouth fell agape with a look like his worst fears had just been confirmed; even Prince Jaron’s teasing smile faltered. Prince Owen took a steadying breath, as if gathering his courage for the battle ahead. “Whom did you invite?”

“Princess Lavena of Lyceria.”

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