Page 78 of Kingdom of Crowns and Daggers

I grin. “Your turn.”

His eyes rove over the crowd before landing on two females huddled together, whispering. “The one on the left is saying—” He clears his throat, and when his voice comes, it’s higher, making me grin. “‘I did see his muscles, but did you see his butt?’ The other is now saying, ‘His butt is so cute, but I saw his thighs in his armour.’”

I can’t help but laugh, and he grins at me as I pick out another. “He’s saying, ‘This food tastes better than my wife’s cooking, but don’t tell her. She’ll chase me from the house again, and I’ll have to sleep with the pigs.’” I grin as I glance at Orion, who stands at Joha’s side. “Your turn.”

“I’m working,” he comments without even looking at us, but his jaw tightens.

“So am I. Come on, big guy, just try one. It’s fun,” I promise.

“Come on, Orion,” Joha cajoles.

Orion sighs, and I think he’s going to ignore us until his deep voice comes out, sullen and sure. “She is saying that she loves her friend more than her husband.” He glances at us as we both stare. “Did I do it wrong?”

Joha and I share a look before bursting into laughter, leaning into each other. “Good one.” I nod. “Oh, him!”

We spend our time making up conversations and laughing with each other until we are all genuinely enjoying our time, but then a shadow falls over us, sobering us.

“My king.” Queen Mother bows before us. “How nice it is to see you two connecting and so very obviously infatuated with one another during such a special occasion, especially after yesterday’s festivities.” She clutches her throat.

“Indeed,” Joha replies, all traces of laughter gone as his eyes sweep over the crowd, not even glancing at her.

Her eyes narrow, her barbs not landing like she wants, so she turns to me. “That dress is very beautiful. I once wore something similar.”

“I have no doubt you looked as beautiful in it as you do today.” I smile sweetly. “I think I saw the dress you are wearing in the presentation of last season’s must-haves, didn’t I? How very forward of you, Queen Mother, to recycle and give back to the designers of the city.”

That does the trick. Her cheeks heat, and with narrowed eyes, she turns and heads into the crowd, snubbing me, which is exactly what I wanted.

“Let’s get out of here,” Joha whispers as he leans in.

It’s my turn to jerk back, eyeing him. “What?” I blurt.

“Just for a minute. I need some peace from prying eyes,” he pleads, turning his wide eyes to me, and I’m helpless to say no. Nodding, I let him take my hand, and then he hurries from the hall with me in tow. I hear Orion’s footsteps behind us, which is good, as Joha leads us through the winding halls and a double door into a room beyond, leaving Orion behind in the hall.

“Stay here,” he commands Orion.

“Joha,” he begins.

“I’ll sweep the room,” I promise as Joha shuts the door on him and slumps against it, looking far too tired.

“I just needed to get away. All I kept thinking was, which one of those smiling faces betrayed me? Even now, are they plotting my death?” he admits, rubbing his head as he pushes from the door, marching across the room and slumping onto the cushioned seat under the window that looks out onto the lake, giving us privacy and a beautiful shot of the scenery.

After checking the room, I head his way and carefully sit, arranging my skirts so I don’t rip the dress. It means our knees are touching, but he stares out of the window, looking lost and confused. I don’t like that. I want my smiling king back. I want happy Joha. The assassination attempt is taking a toll. He looks tired and so much older than he did when he first found me in the Lowers.

For one moment, I want to remind him that he can be happy. I want to see him smile. I don’t overthink it nor question why it’s important to me. I’m leaning in to do just that when he speaks.

“I used to enjoy these things when I was younger and my father was alive. He would make a game of it. We would laugh and joke all day. Now, they are simply duties I must do, but today . . .” He glances at me. “Today, you reminded me what it felt like to enjoy myself, even if I worried about the weapons trained on me. I enjoyed it. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I murmur. “We are a team, remember?”

He nods, looking out the window again, and he looks so forlorn and lost that my train of thought circles back to what I was going to do. Before I can second-guess myself or move away, I lean in and use my fingers to turn his face to me. His brown eyes widen at how close I am.

“Alyx?” he whispers, but I ignore it.

“You look better when you smile,” I murmur before I press my lips to his. It’s a soft, chaste kiss, but he gasps all the same, opening his lips, and I can’t resist biting down on his lower one. He jerks, and I chuckle as I lean back.

His smile is slow, but it grows as I stare at him. “There it is, my king, the smile you deserve.”

His laughter is low and soft, and when his hand comes up and cups my cheek, I lean into it. “I did not have a reason to smile until you,” he admits, and before I can work out how I feel about his confession, his lips are on mine once more. When he pulls away, I’m wide-eyed and staring.

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