Page 65 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
Myra tapped her fingers on the side of her chair as she observed him. "You know, he said you were more fun at taverns, yet so far all I’ve seen you do is get your feathers ruffled by a drunk stranger and pout."
"I am not pouting," he said, tucking his hands beneath his arms.
Cocking a brow, Myra hummed.
Laurince scoffed and unfolded his arms.
"I think you’re just jealous," she said with a smirk.
"Jealous?" Laurince asked, eyes widening. "What do I have to be jealous about?"
"He’s flirting with some stranger while you’re stuck over here babysitting me."
His lips parted, but he shook his head as if deciding against his original response. "Let the man flirt. After his engagement went up in flames, he deserves some kind of romance, even if it’s fleeting." He flicked his hand, but she could taste the bitterness on his tongue.
Myra pursed her lips.
"Unless," Laurince began, leaning forward with a knowing smirk, "you wish he was flirting withyouinstead?"
"Me?" If anything, Myra was jealous of how carefree Rian was, how simple and nonchalant the two were flirting with one another. Myra only wished she had an ounce of the innkeeper’s confidence. Of course, she admitted none of that and instead said, "I’m nothing but a handmaiden."
"Youwerea handmaiden," he corrected.
Myra shifted uncomfortably. She was still getting used to that. Beyond traveling with Laurince and Rian, she still wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. It was hard to think about her future when a war was upon them.
As if sensing her tension, Laurince said with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "I’ve honestly found that I prefer handmaidens over the ladies in the court." He wrinkled his nose. "They’re a little toostuffyfor my liking."
Myra’s stomach twisted at the captain’s words. But before she could stew in it for too long, Laurince added, "Plus, sorry to disappoint, but I only dance on tables when I’ve had one too many pints of ale."
A pitcher slammed onto the table. Myra and Laurince both jumped back as liquid sloshed over the rim and spilled onto the table.
"Would spiced mead do the trick?" Rian asked with a wide grin and a red smudge on his cheek.
Chapter 28
MYRA
Myra burst into raw,unfiltered laughter as Rian tried to pull Laurince up to force him to dance. Laurince glared at her, and she slapped her hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter.
"Come on, Cap’n," Rian said, stumbling on his feet and acting veryun-kingly. "You know you want to."
"I really don’t," Laurince argued. Although Myra could see the shadow of his dimple at the corner of his mouth. "Perhaps you should go to bed. Are you tired?I’mtired."
Rian yawned, and his grip on Laurince slipped. "I suppose I am a little"—he stumbled—"tired."
Laurince clapped his hands triumphantly. "Let’s all go to bed then." He reached for the king, but Rian swatted Laurince’s hand away.
With an unsteady finger, Rian pointed at Myra and Laurince. "No, no. You two should stay. Have some fun. You’re both always so..." The king waved his hand around as if searching for the right word. Suddenly, he clutched his hand as if snatching the word from the air. "Uptight."
Myra’s mouth fell open. She didn’t know whether she should be insulted or simply laugh.
"That’s quite enough," Laurince said, ushering Rian away from the table. "I think it’s time to go to bed."
"When did you become Mr. No-fun, huh?" Rian challenged, poking the captain in his chest.
"I am fun," Laurince retorted, batting Rian’s hand away with a small pout.
"Prove it." Rian tipped up his chin. "I’ll go to bed if you stay here and prove to Mys that you can actually be a good time."
