Page 76 of Glow of the Everflame

“This was a bad idea,” Luther muttered. “You two becoming friends is my worst nightmare.”

“That’s incentive enough for me.” I cuddled into Taran’s side and pat my hand playfully on his upper thigh. “Taran, you can call me Diem.”

Luther’s eyes darted to the gesture. The levity on his face faded. “May I remind you both we are in front of a very large crowd, and every one of them is watching this exchange.”

Crimson rushed to my cheeks. I pulled my hands into my lap and sat stiffly upright.

“No need to ruin our fun just because you’re jealous, cousin,” Taran said.

“I’m notjealous,” Luther ground out, the words sounding so insincere that I looked at him in surprise. “And you shouldn’t lie to your Queen. Everyone knows your real favorite cousin is Eleanor.”

I suddenly remembered Eleanor’s anguished expression when I first arrived. I whipped around to search for her in the gallery, only to find her seated behind me, her eyes red and puffy, her lips tightly pursed.

I reached for her hand. “Eleanor, what’s wrong?”

Her fingers trembled in mine. “The dress... I should have warned you.” She looked down, her voice falling to a whisper. “Someone finally gave me a chance, and I let them down.”

I squeezed her hand. “It’s fine. It’s just a dress.”

“It’s not,” she said, wincing. “We wear red to honor our Kindred blood, and we wear something that reflects light to represent the glow of the afterlife where souls rest if they are found worthy. Wearing black, it... it...”

“It will be seen as disrespectful to the Kindred and a suggestion that you believe the King’s soul will be found unworthy,” Luther finished for her. His tone had gone cold, and he glowered at Eleanor with reproach.

I snorted. “Had I known that, Idefinitelywould have worn this dr—”

Luther’s glare shot to me, and my mouth snapped shut.

“It can’t be thatbad,” I argued. “I saw others wearing black.”

“Those were the mortal guests,” he said. “They aren’t held to the same standards. But if people believe you’re wearing black as a show of loyalty to them...”

I recalled Remis’s warning that fear over my connection to the mortals was my greatest risk of provoking a Challenge.

“Alright, it’s pretty bad,” I admitted.

Eleanor’s head sank. “I’m so sorry, Your Majesty. I’ll tell everyone it was me who chose the dress, not you, and I’ll step down as your advisor.”

“You made her your advisor?” Aemonn spoke up from the adjoining settee.

“Iknewhe was eavesdropping,” Taran grumbled.

“Eleanor is my advisor on matters of court and culture,” I answered to Aemonn.

His eyes narrowed on his distraught cousin, looking as if he was assessing her as a new threat.

“Court and culture?” Taran repeated in a mocking voice.

My brows rose. “Do you have some thoughts, cousin Taran?”

“None that I’m going to say out loud.”

I patted him lightly on the cheek. “You’re smarter than you look.”

Taran clasped my hand between his and smiled even wider. “Oh, I’mdefinitelyin love.”

I laughed and turned back to face Eleanor. “First of all, I told you to call me Diem. We’re friends, remember?” I offered an encouraging smile. “And you absolutely will not take the blame.”

“She should,” Luther muttered. “This is precisely the kind of matter she should have advised you on.”

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