Page 288 of Night's Fall

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This made me happy.

But then she was standing before me.

She stared at me.

I glanced at her, looked to her parents and dropped a bob to them.

Both inclined their heads,Dagsbruncuriously,Delantadismissively.

Anna didn’t curtsy to me, but instead, kept staring at me like she was expecting it from me.

It wasTimothee, notAleksei, who intervened.

He muttered loudly, “Anna,Laurais theTrueBride.”

Anna’s face took on another mask, one of outrage, before she bobbed the quickest curtsy known to beingkind.

Aleksei’s silk flowed through us. “Laura, meetPrincessAnna,KingDagsbrunandQueenDelantaofDawn’sBreak.”

“My pleasure,”Isaid for the five hundredth time (literally).

“MistressLaura,”KingDagsbrunreplied.

He was the only one who did.Delantawas also staring daggers at me.

Suddenly,Bainonwas there.

“Mother.Father,” he greeted. “Anna,” he said, not hiding the disapproval in his tone as he took in how his sister was graspingTimothee’sarm.

By the by,Bainon’smask was a take on the wings of a body glider.

And it was mega.

“Son,”Dagsbrunreplied.

“Dagsbrun,Delanta,Anna, so lovely you came,”QueenCalisacalled fromAleksei’sother side in a manner that stated they were holding up the line and they needed to get a move on.

I didn’t know how she managed to state that without actually stating it, but she did.

I took note of how she did that too.

Dagsbrun,BainonandTimotheemoved their party along.

Errol shifted closer to me to fill the gap left byTimothee.

I tensed.

Aleksei put his hand to the small of my back and pressed in briefly, but reassuringly.

I relaxed.

Five minutes later, the rest of the guests were directed away from the receiving line and into thePalace, and we were given the notice to disperse.

ThankHecate.

Aleksei tucked my hand in his elbow and led me down the hall.

“Arnaud didn’t show,”Isaid under my breath.

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