Page 110 of The Throne Seeker
Grant pulled away, a hazy victory lying in his eyes. “I’ll speak to my parents. I know they’ll see the match.”
She nodded, agreeing.
And that was that.
CHAPTER 47
Grant had left hours ago to speak with his parents. She had never seen him in such high spirits. It made Rose feel slightly better to know that at least someone was happy about the whole situation. Her mother had spoken to his parents at tea and considered them “quite agreeable,” confident they’d accept her as their daughter-in-law.
Everything was falling into place.
Rose forced herself not to think of Tristan, trying to numb the pain in her heart, if only to save her poor swollen eyelids. She had been avoiding the grand hall for this very reason.
Her mother had mentioned that the treaty negotiations had been… strenuous. They had held the final meeting hours ago, but Rose had received no updates. It was nearing dinner when her stomach grumbled. She was no longer able to prolong the inevitable. So, equipped with the best internal armor she could muster, she went downstairs.
As she entered the grand hall, the first thing that caught her attention was the high front table, which was at full occupancy. Everyone was there—King Henrik, Queen Lenna, Roman, Harriet, Tristan. Additionally, both of Satin’s parentswere present—even her father, Vertmere’s king, sat with his family. Satin was seated beside Tristan.
And she was wearing a large, shiny ring on her left finger.
Rose swore a rusty sword had been thrust into her chest from the pain that erupted within her, leaving her bleeding out on the floor for everyone to see. She had her answer.
Tristan had signed the treaty.
In that instant, Rose realized she’d held on to a stupid, naïve hope that he wouldn’t sign it. That he wouldn’t listen to her. That he really would’ve thrown the world into chaos just to be with her. But she knew it could never be. He had done precisely what she had forced him to do.
She tried to hide all emotion, but she was sure the betrayal was all over her face as she stared at the ring. Satin was speaking to him, looking up at him with adoring eyes.
It wasn’t until Tristan’s gaze collided with Rose’s that she was roused from her daze as she stood in the doorway. In that moment, she swore she caught a flash of an ache slip onto his face. However, the longer his eyes lingered, the more they hardened before they shifted back to Satin.
Then he did something that made her stomach heave.
He slipped his hand into Satin’s.
Satin looked down at their hands as a pink flushed her cheeks, openly receiving his gesture.
Devastation hashed its way through her heart.
Rose was so entrapped in her own body that she didn’t even notice someone coming towards her to save her from herself.
“Rose,” Grant said, his handsome eyes looking at her with his infamous large smile. “I’m so glad you came. You look beautiful.”
She forced a strained smile like she hadn’t just been trampled under a stampede of elephants.
He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, intertwining his fingers with hers. “Come on,” he said, gesturingto the far table. “Your mother and my parents are waiting for us.” His eyes flickered in Tristan’s direction.
It was then she recognized just what Grant was doing. He must have seen the interaction between Rose and Tristan and was throwing the gesture back. It was a calculated move on Grant’s part—his challenging gaze goading Tristan with no sense of remorse.
She didn’t look back to see Tristan’s reaction. But she didn’t have to. Grant’s large smirk was all she needed to see.
She gave Grant a thankful squeeze with her hand, and he squeezed back, keeping her hand firmly in his as they approached the table.
“Mum, Dad, I don’t think we’ve all been properly introduced.” Grant gestured to Rose. “This is Rosalie. Rose, my parents. Neith and Lilly.”
Rose did her best to slip a bright smile onto her trained face. They were a beautiful couple. Both had the same blond hair as Grant, his face taking after his mother’s. Her smile lit up her whole face, reminding her of Grant’s large grin.
“Hello, darling,” Lilly said as they stood, holding her hand out to her. “It’s so wonderful to formally meet you.”
Neith, a large, intimidating man, even gave her a tight smile. “It’s nice to finally meet the sea rider.”
