Page 81 of The Queen's Crown
The second the door clicked shut, Lottie said, “My brother told us something extraordinary.” She came and stood before Sabine, folding her arms across her chest. “He said he went and married you in a private ceremony.” She lifted her eyebrows, awaiting confirmation.
Sabine didn’t respond since she didn’t know what Rainer had told them.
Lottie reached forward and took hold of Sabine’s hands, examining them until she spotted the queen’s ring. “It’s true.” Her voice held a hint of shock to it. She released Sabine and turned toward her brother. “How dare you get married and not have me there to see it.” She whacked Rainer’s shoulder.
“Anton was there,” he said, as if that explained everything.
Lottie rolled her eyes. “And Anton won’t tell me a single thing about it. At least Axel would give me details if you’d allowed him to be present.”
Rainer, wearing the same shade of blue as Sabine, moved to stand beside her. He wore the traditional loose fitted pants and long-sleeved jacket unbuttoned up the front, leaving his toned chest on full display. Tonight, she’d probably be running her hands over that bare chest. Her face warmed just thinking about it.
Axel chuckled, shaking his head, but he didn’t say anything as he slid his hands in his pockets and turned away from them just as the door swung open.
“It’s time,” Rainer mumbled.
Sabine heard the royal family being announced.
Lottie went first, followed by the twins.
“We’ll go together,” Rainer said as he placed his hand on the small of her back, ushering her toward the door.
It would have been nice if he’d told her what to expect and if there were any Lynk customs she should be aware of. However, she’d been to a hundred of these in Bakley, so she held her head high as she glided into a large wall-less room unlike anything Sabine had ever seen before. A dozen or so pillars supported the domed-shaped ceiling. The only wall was a small section around the door that they’d just walked through. The sun began to set, lighting the space in a soft orange, making the mountains in the distance appear as if they were glowing. On each pillar in the room, an oil lamp burned. Hanging from the ceiling, hundreds of candles twinkled like stars.
“Are you okay?” Rainer whispered in her ear.
“This is beautiful,” she replied. Like something out of a fairytale.
“There’s so much of Lynk you haven’t seen,” he said, smiling down at her. “I hope to take you on a tour once things have settled down.”
“I’d like that.” Then she could meet the commoners and understand their needs better, see the land, and gain a new perspective of Lynk.
They joined the three siblings, Anton and Axel on one side, Lottie on the other. The five of them stood on a low platform, facing the crowd that had gathered.
Rainer welcomed the Avoni delegation before thanking his subjects for coming to greet their esteemed guests.
Sabine tuned him out and began surveying those before her. Hundreds of people were in attendance—probably every single person staying at the palace had shown up. A group of about two dozen stood at the front of the crowd, directly in her line of sight, wearing dark clothing covering every part of their bodies except for their faces. They even wore gloves. They must be the Avoni delegation. Given the warm air and the fact that this room was open, these people had to be hot. Granted, what they wore would keep them warm in a boat out on the open ocean.
Most of the people in the delegation were men; she only spotted two women. Like the men, the women wore pants. The Avoni people all had paler skin. Several had lighter hair as well. One even had dark red hair with freckles on his skin.
“Again, the kingdom of Lynk welcomes you,” Rainer’s voice boomed.
One of the Avoni men stepped forward. “Thank you, King Rainer.” He bowed. “I would like to request a meeting tomorrow with you and your intended to discuss some pertinent matters.”
“My steward will arrange everything,” Rainer responded. And with that, he headed back to the door through which he’d entered the room.
Sabine took off after him while the princes and princess followed her. She thought there would have been more to the welcoming than that.
Alone in the antechamber with the door closed, Rainer said, “Was the League member with them?”
“Yes,” Anton replied. “And he didn’t look happy. He kept glaring at Sabine.”
Rainer rubbed his face. “That’s to be expected.”
“They’re not going to allow you and Sabine to marry.”
“Which is why we already have,” Rainer snapped.
Sabine thought they’d married to keep her alive since the assassin was in Rainer’s inner circle.
