Page 66 of Dueling the Suitors

Astoria stared at him in disbelief. Was he defending Cyrus? Of course, he would. She knew Emmett and Jasper would do the same for each other, but she never understood it. How could she? She had never had real friends growing up other than Emmett and Skylar, though her dynamic with her older brother was more sibling-like than one of friendship.

“Would your best friend still find it endearing if I changed the colour of his flag?”

Rowan blinked, still grinning. “What?”

“See for yourself.”Astoria smirked and turned her back to him, facing the bustling throne room and flicking her wrist.

A gust of wind swept through the room at her command, lifting the banners that hung over the walls in a dramatic display. When they fell back against the wall like a soft sigh, the black backdrop was replaced with lavender-grey and the lavender-grey dragon with black.

Astoria dropped her hand and turned back to face Rowan with a smile. He gaped at her, flabbergasted.

“I believe the phrase you are searching for is,‘Oh, my goodness’.”

Before Rowan could compose himself, a voice boomed her name from across the room.

“Princess Astoria!”

Astoria pivoted towards the voice and saw one of the courtiers, a man around her father’s age, storming towards her. His face was pinched together in a scowl.

“Oh, no,” Rowan mumbled from behind. “You are in trouble.”

“Well, let’s see how much trouble an Empress-to-be could get into,” she muttered back, smiling at the approaching courtier.

“You don’t understand.”

“Then be a good friend and back me up.”

Rowan muttered something about not understanding women and sighed deeply, but he stepped to her side and called out to the man cheerfully, “Lord Garrett! I assume everything is alright?”

Astoria fought the urge to roll her eyes at his lame inquiry.

“Of course not!” The older man huffed, his glaring eyes on Astoria. “Princess Astoria, I insist you change the banners back!”

“Youinsist?” Astoria raised a challenging brow at him and dropped her smile. It was no use holding it up.

“What you did is utterly disrespectful as the Emperor’s wife and the Empress-to-be.”

“Tsk, tsk,watch your words…” Rowan sing-songed.

“And if I don’t change them, you will do what exactly?”

Lord Garrett sneered at her. Astoria was surprised he would react towards her that way. Did he have some kind of superior position that she wasn’t aware of?

“Then all of Draken will know just how unfit you are to be the Empress,” he said.

Astoria snorted a laugh, but Rowan’s playfulness dropped.

“Hey!” He stepped towards the man, but then, a sharp voice cut through the air.

“Lord Garret, you will not talk to my wife like that.”

Astoria’s amusement drained faster than her breath could hitch.

Footsteps neared her from behind, and the hair on the back of her neck stood up in awareness of his presence. Then, a pair of warm but strong hands clasped her shoulders.

Lord Garrett trembled like a kitten in the rain.

“Apologize.” It was a command.

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