Page 34 of Under the Lion Star

Then why did I feel more isolated than ever? I knew that he had meant that I would rule with my siblings, with Atlas, and with the family I would eventually start. But now? This moment? None of that was true. My siblings were broken, Atlas was kept on the outside by his own father, and although I’d potentially choose a wife tonight, it would not be a partnership. Not truly.

My parents were gone, leaving me to clean up the mess they’d inadvertently left behind. Nausea churned in my stomach as I tried to shove down the anger I felt toward them. They didn’t ask to die, but they had been the ones to keep the war going for so long that the former human king resorted to assassins in the dead of night.

They should’ve been here. They should have done a lot of things.

Sighing, I turned to the mirror, situating the crown atop my head. The metal was lightweight, but the emotional burden attached to the object caused my shoulders to slump. Tonight would be my first public appearance as king, and I wasn’t sure how long I could maintain the facade.

“Lookin’ good,” Atlas grinned as he entered.

His face fell when our eyes met.

“We’ll be alright,” he set a hand on my shoulder, studying my face through the mirror in front of us. “But you give me a signal if you need a distraction. I’ll get you out of there, no problem.”

I could only manage a grunt in response.

“At least you’ll get to eat,” my friend’s grin returned as he shrugged one shoulder. “No one’s going to poison the entire buffet.”

“Always looking on the bright side,” I mused.

“I mean, this is going to be a great night for me,” Atlas smirked. “Beautiful women, good food, plentiful alcohol. Basically, the only things I require to be happy.”

I shook my head and laughed. For as long as we had known each other, Atlas always managed to lighten heavy moods. He tugged on the hem of his ornate tunic, looking over his shoulders and plucking away a few minuscule bits of lint.

“I’ll try my best not to distract all your potential wives, but there’s only so much I can do.”

With a deadpan expression on my face, I studied Atlas. He winked before smoothing out a few wrinkles that had crossed my doublet and nodded his head toward the doorway.

“C’mon, then. Let’s go show Fjorn their brooding shithead king.”

“And she recently completed her studies at university in astronomy,” the lord continued to stammer on, listing the qualities of his daughter, who stood before me in silence while staring at the floor.

In truth, she was an impressive woman. Every single potential bride that had been paraded before me was. All of them were beautiful, educated, and displayed humor and wit. I’d be lucky to call any of them a wife, but none of them deserved to be bound to me for eternity.

How could I allow some poor woman to live the life that I was able to offer? Sure, she’d be queen, but beyond that, I couldn’t provide time, affection, love, or any of the qualities that women, especially those I’d been introduced to, both deserved and could easily find in the arms of another. Even the thought of fathering a child soured my stomach. I just didn’t have the mental capacity to care for yet another person.

“A pleasure, King Leor,” the woman whose name I’d forgotten finally spoke.

“The pleasure is mine,” I replied, kissing her knuckles and watching as the next member of Galvord’s high society moved before me to shill his daughter.

“This is my eldest daughter, Ella,” Lord Merhan said proudly.

Atlas pepped up beside me, his spine straightening as he puffed out his chest. I stole a glance from the corner of my eye and quickly realized what had caught his attention. Ella was a gorgeous woman and exactly Atlas’s type—all curves and wide hips. While I had come to appreciate nearly every form the female body could take, Atlas liked them thick, and his fist tapping against my lower back let me know that he wanted to leave tonight with Ella.

We both listened as her accomplishments were listed, and I did my very best to keep the smirk off my face as Atlas nodded along, humming his appreciation for the woman who stood before us. Her eyes were locked on Atlas, not that I minded.

As she and her father walked away, Atlas let out a quiet cough and muttered something about needing to make the rounds.

At least one of us is going to have a good night.

The over-the-top finery I wore felt constricting. My skin itched under the heavy fabric, my body too warm, and all I wanted to do was run my fingers through my hair in that familiar motion that was being prevented by the stupid fucking crown atop my head. I wanted to leave.

A familiar laughter caught my attention when I was ready to motion for the next group to move forward. It was musical, light, happy. My breath caught as I looked around the crowd for my sister. Somewhere in the opulently decorated ballroom, my sister was laughing. Genuine, carefree laughter. It had been some time since I’d heard that sound.

As my eyes scanned the room, they caught on her silver hair, a trait we had inherited from our mother. She was standing near the buffet table. Next to her stood Z, the one woman I had hoped not to see, while simultaneously praying that I would run into her. Sanna laughed again at something Zialda said, the two of them stacking food onto their plates.

Zialda really was stunning. It was something I’d thought since I first crossed paths with her. Even dressed down with grass in her hair and a scowl on her face, she was gorgeous. So, as she stood in an elegant gown, the smooth skin of her back on display, I took my time to memorize all of her.

The dark blue fabric clung to her upper body but spilled down from her waist, a slit in the gown giving just a tease at her long legs. Ribbons crossed the open back, tied off just above her perfect ass. One that I had studied far more than was appropriate for friends.

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