Page 6 of Crown of Slumber

“The weather today is lovely,Sir Levin,” I said, my hands clasped demurely in front of me. I resisted the urge to fidget with the blue fabric of my dress. “It would be perfect for a ride. We have forest trails the horses particularly enjoy.”

Sir Levin, a fae lord from the Sea Court, wrinkled his nose, his thick brown mustache quivering with the motion. We sat in the receiving room in the castle, sitting on opposite sofas with a tray of tea and scones on the table between us. The wide octagonal window next to us boasted a view of lush green pine trees and rolling hills. I ached to be outside to enjoy it.

“Ah, no,” Sir Levin said. “I’m afraid I’m not much of a rider. And all these trees make my nose itch.” He sniffed as if to emphasize the point.

My eyebrows lifted. “You… do not like trees?”

“Well, notpinetrees. From my court, we are accustomed to beech trees and palm trees. Much less stuffy.”

I forced a smile. “I see.”

He was not the only noble to complain about our woodsy terrain. And he certainly wouldn’t be the last.

“We do have the Jewel River that winds through our forests,” I continued. “You would be surprised how cool the air is there. And the pebbles at the bottom of the river glisten like jewels, which gives the river its namesake. Would you like to see?”

Sir Levin grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. “Actually, I was hoping to catch a glimpse of your dragons.”

I stiffened. “Dragons?”

SirLevin’s dark eyes lit up with excitement, nearly bulging from his rotund face. “Yes, they are legendary! I hear you have one that is the size of this castle!”

“My dragons are not an attraction for public display, Sir Levin,” I said coldly. “And at this time of year, many of them are hibernating and wish to not be disturbed.”

“Ah, yes. I understand. But… surely you have one or two I could sneak a peek at? A union between our courts could bring great things to both kingdoms. I would have to be comfortable around the dragons eventually.”

I lifted my chin. “You speak as if our negotiations are complete, Sir Levin. I must remind you that nothing official has yet been decided.”

His face reddened, and he scraped a hand through his short cropped black hair. “Forgive me. You are right, of course. Well, perhaps you can return to your embroidery and I can speak with King Stefan instead?”

My eyes narrowed. “The king is otherwise engaged. As you may have heard, he is abdicating to me in a few days. So whatever you need to speak with him about, you can discuss it now. With me.” I offered a humorless smile.

Sir Levin fidgeted, shifting his weight from one foot to another. “Ah. Right. Of course. Well…”

I raised my eyebrows expectantly, waiting.

“I merely… wished to discuss commerce,” Sir Levin mumbled after a moment. “The treasury and tithes and other financial decisions your kingdom makes. Surely a dull topic for a lady like yourself to worry about.”

“Our lumber mills provide our main source of revenue,” I said, my voice brisk. “We keep them well maintained and staffed throughout the year. We do not take tithes from our people, but we do tax them, which pays a comfortable wage for our soldiers and armies, should we have need of them. As of right now, our people live well and have few complaints.” I cocked my head at him. “What specific financial questions did you have, Sir Levin?”

His cheeks turned even redder, making his round face look very much like a ripe tomato. He stammered something incoherent aboutconversing with women,and I’d had enough.

My hands fell on my thighs and I fixed him with a glare. “If you are not here to converse with women,as you say, then whyareyou here, Sir Levin? Merely to gawk at our dragons? To size them up for your own use? I was under the impression you wanted to get to know me to see if a union between our courts would be amenable. But I am sorry to say I am not impressed in the slightest. May I recommend, in the future, that should you seek the hand of a bride, you should show an interest inherand not her assets? Oh, and be sure not to belittle her with talk of embroidery and the assumption that financial discussions are too complex for her fragile mind to understand.”

I stood and smoothed my palms along my skirts. “Captain Huxley will show you out. Good day to you.”

Sir Levin babbled something that sounded like an apology, but I wouldn’t hear of it. I’d swept from the room before he could even rise from his seat. My steps were quick and purposeful as I made my way down the hall and toward the staircase.

“Aurelia?”

I stopped with my hand on the bannister, turning to find Mother emerging from the opposite hall. She glanced from me to the receiving room, a question in her blue eyes. “Where is Sir Levin?”

“I dismissed him,” I said shortly.

Mother huffed a laugh. “Burning suns, Aurelia, you have to make a match eventually. You can’t dismisseveryonesimply because they look silly when they chew.”

“Sir Belefort’s beard wasoozingwith stew! It was repulsive.”

Mother leveled a hard stare at me. “Aurelia. Be reasonable.”

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