Page 115 of The Heir's Bargain

"Am I?" Rosalina asked, tipping her small, pointed nose higher into the air.

"A queen is whoever she wishes to be. Queen Esmeray may not be a soldier, but she is one of the fiercest and strongest people I know. And if you think even for a second that neither she nor her son have seen through your poor pursuits of the crown, then you are the one gravely mistaken."

Rosalina laughed, but the sound was strained, forced. Her hands fell to her side, rolling into a tight fist, the white cotton fabric stretching over her knuckles. "Whatever you and Fynneares have will pass. It always does with him."

"Here's the difference between you and me, Rosalina," I said, walking around her. My shoulder bumped against hers when I stopped beside her. I leaned over. "You've been running after Fynn for years, but I was the one he ran toward."

Chapter 29

FYNN

Dinner with the leaders was going exceptionally well, despite Moris stuffing his mouth with whatever he could get his hands on and Dani's bouncing nerves as we sat. Usually, I was good at reading Dani's body language, but tonight, things were muddled. One second, she looked excited; the next, that excitement bled into apprehension.

Before dinner, she tried to pull me aside, but her mother barged in and forced us to the dining room before Dani could get a word out. Soon enough, the dinner guests pulled us into different conversations.

Commander Ferrios, General Walen, and General Cornish filled the evening with stories of old missions.

After almost two hours of reminiscing, General Cornish's husband, Eryn, patted his spouse on the shoulder, saying, "Are you three so old that you have no new stories to tell besides the ones you've bored us with for the past decade?"

The three men scoffed and tried to recall a new story. However, all they could come up with was Menides' recent trip to inspect a military school in the west, where several cadets tripped over themselves upon seeing him. Not much of a story but more of a brag.

While the stories might have been tales the others had heard many times, I enjoyed them. It was nice seeing Menides away from the rest of the council. Even with the other military leaders sitting at the table, he was more relaxed than during the council meetings.

However, I did not miss how the commander avoided looking at me for too long at the dining table. Or how he had avoided me when I had spotted him once or twice after Dani's training during the days prior.

Although, in truth, I hadn't tried too hard to seek him out once I had seen Dani. When Dani was around, all sense was lost.

During council this week, I asked about the mission’s status. Menides, however, simply said they were working on it. I should have trusted my mother’s war strategist and the commander of our military, but this mission was too important. We needed to get ahead of the war before it started.

But I wasn't going to bring the mission up now. Not in front of everyone else.

I folded the napkin over my lap and pulled the crystal dish closer. Grabbing a spoonful of the chocolate mousse, I took a bite.

Dani nudged me gently in the side, pulling me from my thoughts. "You have something on your chin," she whispered, pointing to a spot on her face.

I grabbed the napkin and dabbed my face. When I pulled the napkin away, Dani rolled her eyes. She swatted my hand away and reached forward. With a gentle hand, she swiped a finger across my chin, near the corner of my lip.

When she sucked the mousse from the tip of her finger, my eyes widened for a second.

She might have been nervous about something, but at least she was no longer anxious because of our courtship.

Near the end of the table, metal tinked against glass. Everyone shifted their attention to General Cornish, who sat to the commander’s right.

The general raised his glass, and everyone lifted theirs along with him. "Let me be among the first to wish the three of you and Quint well on your upcoming mission."

He tipped his glass up, and I looked around the table to see whom he was talking to.

My hand froze in the air, glass in hand, as Moris, Sylvia, and Dani nodded at the general.

I took a sip from my glass, the red wine bitter on my tongue as Dani refused to meet my gaze, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

Dani always told me everything, yet she had kept an upcoming assignment a secret?

There were only a few reasons she would keep something like that a secret. It was either too dangerous that she knew I would be concerned or. . .

My attention flicked to Menides. "What mission would that be, Commander?"

Instinctively, I reached for the invisible thread leading to Dani's mind. Her walls were high, the cracks sealed shut. But I needed to know if I was right. For years, Dani had kept her mind locked away from me.

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