Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
I gave him a nod, pretending it didn’t bother me even as my belly did flip-flops. What if someone came to speak to me? Would they think I was rude for not responding? Or had the news already spread that I didn’t speak? I’d prefer that.
“You look like you need a drink,” a voice said as a body moved in at my side.
Then there he was.
Tove.
Cass’s advisor. Or if what Jet and our guards said was right, the man who pulled the puppet strings on the mad king.
He was surprisingly attractive for such a morally grey man—more strongly built than the average fae. But those eyes of his—they felt like they could see everything. Like they could potentially see through me.
I took the glass from his hand but caught a quick shake of Nira’s head in my line of vision and chose just to hold it, not sip.
Unbothered, Tove watched my profile long enough for me to want to squirm. But I forced myself to stay still. Well-bred and raised women almost certainly didn’t shift around nervously. Even less so, a princess.
“I hear you are mute,” he said, allowing the pressure on my lungs to loosen slightly. “That feels quite convenient.” I felt a sharp pain in my arm, enough to make me suck in a breath, but I managed to keep any sounds in as I realized he’d pinched my arm. Hard. When my head whipped over, staring at him, his lips just twitched. “Hm. Interesting.”
I just stared at him.
The longer I did, the more I saw his cockiness slip. Like he couldn’t quite figure me out. Was I challenging him? Was I simply upset with him?
“Now, I wonder. Are you just mute? Or are you simple-minded too? What’s going on in that head, I wonder?”
Mostly that I wished I had that nifty little knife Nira kept in her boot so I could poke him with it and see how he liked being assaulted for no reason.
“I can’t decide if you are simply another female pawn in a man’s chess game… or if you are Grimwood’s spy. An awful thing to do to a daughter, no doubt, sending her into the arms of a cruel prince to endure… whatever a woman must just to feed information back to her father. But men have done much more wicked things, don’t you think? Especially a man who might want a crown and kingdom for himself.”
“Tove,” Jet said, his tone deceptively light even as I looked over and saw the tension around his eyes. “I’m sure you’ve heard by now that my wife doesn’t speak. Were you just looking for someone to listen to you speak?”
“I wasn’t sure if the rumors were true. But not a peep.” His gaze cut across the room at a booming laugh from the king, making him stiffen. “It was lovely to formally meet you, Princess. If you’ll excuse me.”
As soon as he was gone, Jet fished the glass out of my hand and gave it to Vishen.
“You didn’t drink that, did you?” he asked, making me shake my head. “Good. Are you all right?”
I couldn’t speak to him, not in a room full of eyes watching me. So I lifted my arm, showing him the little purple mark on my arm.
Jet reached for my forearm, his touch gentle, and little sparks shot off at his touch.
“Did he… pinch you?” I nodded. Jet sighed. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have left you. He’s… something else. Did he say anything to you that is interesting?” I nodded. “Okay. Keep it fresh in your mind. We will talk about it after the feast.”
With that, the food was brought in.
I let everything else fall away but sharpening the memory of my interaction with Tove… and stuffing as much food in my mouth as I could without looking like a complete glutton in front of everyone’s eyes.
The sights and sounds around me were overwhelming, making my nerves feel frayed, and seeming to sap more energy than they should just sitting there. But it wasn’t long before a chill settled into my bones and aches started in all my muscles.
It was enough to make me put my piece of bread back down when my arm felt too heavy to hold, and fold my hands in my lap.
Jet’s gaze cut over, seeming to see something in my face, but knowing he wasn’t able to do anything about it right then.
Under the table, he grabbed my leg and squeezed. My hand went over his, holding onto him, grounding myself to him, reminding myself that this would be over soon.
Just when I wasn’t sure I could take it anymore, Cass said his goodbyes and was led away from the table by Tove and several of his soldiers.
Jet took it as his opportunity to excuse us as well, leaning in as he pulled out my chair to beg me to just be strong until we got to the stairs.