Page 63 of The Royal Throne
Sabine’s laughter died in her throat. “Why is she here?”
“She is Evander’s fiancée.” Anton took another sip of his drink, finishing it off. “At least he didn’t bring Heather.”
“Probably because of Prince Evander,” Axel mumbled. “He’s afraid he’ll push Sabine straight to the prince’s bed if he keeps flaunting her around.”
Sabine looked at him, considering his words. “Is that true? Is that why she hasn’t been around as much?”
Axel shrugged. “If I were in Rainer’s position, and I had a beautiful woman I’d just married and a rival prince showed up, I’d tread very carefully. You’ve played your cards well, Sabine.” He winked then headed inside, welcoming his brother.
“Shall we?” Evander asked, holding out his arm to escort her.
“I’m sorry about last night,” she whispered. “Nothing happened between Rainer and me.” She slid her hand on his arm, reveling in the warmth and feel of him.
“Oh, I know.” He chuckled. “The entire thing felt like a setup. I could tell he wanted a reaction out of me—or you.” He led her toward the dining room. His free hand came up, covering her hand on his arm. “Though it would be well within your rights since you’re married to the man.”
“Evander.” She didn’t want to make light of the situation.
“Of course, if he took advantage of you, I’d either go insane or kill the man with my bare hands.” Evander released her as they stepped into the dining room. He went over toward Lottie, taking her hand and bowing over it.
Smug satisfaction filled her when she noticed he didn’t kiss Lottie’s hand like he’d kissed hers. She went and took her place at the head of the table, opposite Rainer. Evander and Lottie sat on one side, Anton and Axel on the other. Once they were all seated, the servants brought in dishes of fish, rice, and vegetables.
“Prince Evander,” Lottie said as she scooped food onto her plate, “why don’t you tell me about Avoni. I would like to know about the kingdom I’ll be living in.”
“It’s the opposite of Lynk,” he replied. “It’s cloudy, cold, and it rains all the time.” He waved his hand at her. “You’ll need to dress differently there, not only warmer, but more reserved to suit Avoni fashion.”
“Oh.” Lottie pouted her lip. “I adore the fashion here in Lynk.”
“Our own queen has become quite the trendsetter,” Axel said, a wicked glean to his eyes. “Queen Sabine truly is the epitome of what a Lynk queen should be. We are lucky to have her.” He raised his glass, saluting her.
“When I was training with your men,” Evander said, “the sentiment was shared by many. Almost every soldier commented on Queen Sabine’s beauty—many saying it’s unmatched.”
“I’ve also heard many talk about her kindness,” Axel added.
Sabine didn’t know what Axel was trying to do, but she wished he wouldn’t push Rainer.
“It has been a long time since we’ve had a queen on our throne,” Anton commented before he, too, saluted Sabine with his glass of wine.
Not knowing how to respond to these unnecessary compliments, Sabine simply raised her glass in thanks, taking a sip of the heady wine.
Lottie’s eyes narrowed as she looked between Anton, Axel, and Evander. Reaching out, she set a hand on Evander’s arm, garnering his attention. “What’s the queen of Avoni like?”
“Queen Serilda has been trained in the art of assassination, as most women in Avoni are,” Evander said. “My mother and father live in one of our more centrally located palaces. My sister, the heir, lives with her family in another palace.”
“Which palace will we live in?” Lottie asked. Her smile had gotten larger at the mention of multiple palaces.
Evander shrugged. “We’ll probably live in mine. It’s the smallest of the palaces since I’m the youngest. It’s a simple four-room structure. It’s pretty secluded, so it’s safe. But there’s always a risk an assassin will come for me. I’m not home often since I’m out on missions most days. I’ll try to find someone who can live at the house to help you, though I’m not sure where that person will sleep.” He scratched the back of his head. “You need to understand that our palaces are nothing like yours. They’re small and humble. For us, it’s all about safety from the warring assassin guilds.”
Lottie’s face had gone white about half-way through Evander’s speech. She turned to her brother. “Are you marrying me off to Avoni so I can end up dead?”
Sabine had to keep her focus on her food so she wouldn’t start laughing. Lottie would hate Avoni.
“Don’t be dramatic,” Rainer replied. “No one there will know who you are, so no one will want to kill you. Unless you open your mouth and annoy them. From what Evander has told me, you’ll be fairly secluded, so the chance of that happening is slim.”
Sabine coughed to mask her snicker.
“Avoni doesn’t have an army,” Evander said. “Just five warring assassin guilds. But my family has control. At least for now, so we should be fine.” He picked up his fork and began eating.
Lottie started picking at her food—she seemed no longer in the mood to talk.
