Page 61 of The Forsaken Heir
“They’re going to see me and know I’m alive,” I hissed, doing my best to hold a fake smile on my lips.
“Will they?” Aurelius asked, lifting an eyebrow. “When was the last time you saw your family? In person?”
That brought me up short. It had been years. How old had I been? I was sixteen when I was exiled, but I had seen Freddy a few times after that. I’d become a whole different person since then. If Freddy was in attendance, he might recognize me, but even so, with this makeup, hair, and the dress, it wouldn’t surprise me if he didn’t. Not from a distance, at least.
“Cinderella,” I muttered to myself.
“What’s that?” Aurelius frowned at me. “I didn’t catch it.”
Heat rose to my cheeks. “Nothing. A stupid thought.”
We approached the final landing before descending to the ballroom below. Two guards stood at attention. The lead man, dressed in a ridiculously over-the-top military uniform, stepped forward and bellowed out our arrival, first announcing Rasp and his escort, then us.
“Crown Prince Aurelius Alexander Decimus and his lady escort!”
Even the staff had been told to keep my identity a secret until the last possible moment. The fact that he hadn’t called out my name showed the plan was going up until even the introductions.
Below, dozens and dozens of groups turned to gaze up at us. I had an overwhelming urge to look down at myself, suddenly sure I was completely naked. Of course, that wasn’t true, but the mind played weird tricks when you were nervous.
Aurelius nudged me, and I accompanied him down the last ten steps. More eyes lingered on me, some envious of my station at the prince’s side, others confused and wondering. My senses weren’t as strong as a full shifter’s would be, but I could still detect the strange aroma of intermingled dragons, wolves, and fae. Many of the eyes that tried to catch a better glimpse of mewerewolves.
To the far side of the room, a man I recognized rose up on his tiptoes, trying to see me better, and I ducked, turning toward Aurelius to hide my face.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yeah. That’s my Uncle Humbert. I haven’t seen him since I was fifteen. He’s… Well, he’s not very nice.”
He led me toward the throne where his father already sat on the dais a couple steps above the ballroom floor. As we walked, servers moved through the crowd with golden trays laden with canapés and glasses of champagne. Out of habit, I snatched something off a tray and popped it into my mouth. The explosion of flavor on my tongue made me moan in delight.
“What was that?” I asked.
“I think it was a potato puff with Gruyère and topped with caviar,” Aurelius said, craning his neck to see what was on the server’s tray.
“My son,” Cassius said, standing from his throne and beckoning us up the small steps to join him. “Welcome.”
“Father,” Aurelius said with a nod.
Cassius beamed at me. “My goodness. You look like a walking dream. Beautiful.Absolutelybeautiful.”
More heat flooded my cheeks. It wasn’t everyday a king paid you a compliment. I dipped into a small curtsy. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
With all the preparation and hurry to get here, I hadn’t noticed my own reaction to the affair. My heart hammered, sweat oozed from my palms, and it was difficult to do more than take quick, shallow breaths. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this nervous. I didn’t think I’d ever been this nervous.
“Have the rest of the Laurents arrived?” Aurelius asked, lowering his voice.
“Some of the lower-ranking members of their house arrived early. Titus let me know about five minutes ago that the rest have shown up as well. Bastien among them.” He nodded toward a far end of the massive ballroom. “They’ve set up shop over there. Congregated with many of their closest allies.” He grunted a laugh. “Like kids at a school dance cordoning themselves off in cliques.”
A stage stood at the south end of the ballroom, and a large band played subtle chamber music, but now that Aurelius had arrived, it had stopped playing, obviously waiting for something.
Thatsomethingwas Cassius standing to address the crowd. Aurelius and I stepped to the side as Cassius’s voice boomed through the corners and alcoves of the massive ballroom. He must have been using some magical projection.
“Good evening, fellow shifters and honored fae guests,” Cassius said, raising his hands to address the crowd. Below, hundreds of faces turned up to watch the dragon king speak.
“I thank all of you for making the trip here for this honored tradition. Some have come from across oceans and seas to behere, and House Decimus is honored to be hosting the gala on our lands for the first time in generations.” His face became grave, and his voice lost some of its amicable luster. “Over the past several weeks, things have grown tense in our world. I know you’ve all heard the allegations.”
A murmur ran through the crowd, and far in the back where most of my family had gathered, the sounds were even louder. Not enough to drown the speech out, or disrupt the evening, but enough to make sure everyone knew how tenuous the peace was between the two shifter species in the room.
The fae all looked rather aloof and confused about the whole situation. They chose to partake of the food and drink being passed around rather than watching the drama unfold.
