Page 114 of Crown of Slumber

Before I could scrutinize this emotion further, I cleared my throat and said, “Tell me how I can help prepare for the fete tonight.”

Fenn smiled, linking my arm with his as we strode from the throne room. “I’d be delighted to.”

I knewI had made a terrible mistake in confessing my feelings for Aurelia. The instant that look of shock and confusion flitted over her features, I knew.

She did not love me.

But I couldn’t take it back now. And my plan had worked. We had secured Mother’s approval—for now.

All we had to do was host the greatest fete the court had ever seen.

I knew I needed to pull Aurelia aside and tell her about the captured dragon. But I also knew that as soon as she found out, she would drop everything and try to free it, even risking her own life to do so.

No, it would have to wait until after the fete. We couldn’t afford for this to go badly. Afterwards, I vowed I would tell her everything. I would even help her free the dragon myself.

For the rest of the day, Aurelia and I worked together, overseeing all the preparations for the fete. To my surprise, the castle staff took kindly to Aurelia, ever polite and courteous, a few even offering tentative smiles. It wasn’t until I caught sight of Cela, Aurelia’s handmaid, whispering excitedly with her fellow maids as she glanced at Aurelia and back again, that I realized why. Cela was the castle’s biggest gossip, and the most influential of the maids, as she and her mother, Donna, had been with us the longest.

I knew Mother had assigned Cela to Aurelia to dig up any dirty secrets and report back to her. But in truth, Mother haddone us a favor. Aurelia had clearly made a positive impression on Cela, and she was now sharing this impression with her colleagues.

I couldn’t keep the smile from my face as Cela curtsied to Aurelia, who grinned broadly at the maid and thanked her for her hard work. The Summer Princess was indeed a queen in the making.

The nobles of the Midnight Court, however, were another thing entirely. When we summoned the court to announce the fete, several courtiers cast hostile looks toward Aurelia. And when we shared our courtship and arrangement, several nobles rose to their feet, raising their voices with vehement objections. It wasn’t until I informed them a dragon would provide us with Nightfire for the fete that the court fell silent. Some still scowled, obviously displeased with the arrangement, but no one voiced any further qualms. Even they weren’t stupid enough to refuse what we so desperately needed to protect our people.

Mother was nowhere to be found, of course. She had claimed important fete preparations required her attention. But I had a sneaking suspicion that she wanted me to handle the objections. Perhaps she hoped that if enough of our court voiced their concerns about the union, that we would call it off.

She didn’t know her wish would come true. This time tomorrow, Aurelia would be gone, and I would be making excuses for her. Mother would be pleased on that front, but when she discovered Aurelia had taken the dragon as well, she would go blind with fury.

It would be a miracle if we could hold this alliance intact. After Aurelia’s departure, I wasn’t sure if even I could smooth things over with the court.

But I didn’t need to tell the princess that. Her kingdom needed help. She shouldn’t stay here on my account. Hopefully, I would find a way to put out the fires we would start after this bargain ended.

Gods, what a mess.

To be honest, I was grateful for the distractions. They kept us busy, preventing us from addressing the grievous blunder I’d committed which had driven a tangible wedge between us. I felt it in every glance she threw my way, in her stiff posture as she stoodalongside me, in the way her hands clasped in front of her, wringing together as if she was afraid to even touch me.

Stars, I had really mucked things up.

I told myself it didn’t matter. As we sampled pastries and sparkling fire wine, oversaw the setting up of faerie lights and bonfires, checked the stores of stardust and the protective wards, and dispatched royal decrees with each of our nobles to announce the fete to all the districts, I reminded myself this would end soon. After tonight, it would be over. We needed to ensure we had enough stardust to keep the Dragonfire burning, but after that, I would give Aurelia a generous amount for her needs. She and Mal would return to the Summer Court to break her curse, and we would part ways.

I was a coward. In truth, maintaining this facade of our betrothal, of the love we claimed to share, was too painful for me. Over the past few days, with the way Aurelia seemed around me, I had thought…

Well, it didn’t matter what I thought. If she seemed enamored with me, it had to be merely a part of her act. She was just a good actress. That was all. Or perhaps she found me maddeningly attractive. It wasn’t hard to succumb to the charm of my good looks and flirtations.

But I couldn’t force her to love me. And I didn’t want to. I didn’twant her to feel obligated to feel something for me. I couldn’t bear to see the pity in her eyes.

No. She needed to leave. We both knew it.

Despite how we both desired to uncover the mystery behind the Dream Mage, it was more important for Aurelia’s kingdom to be protected against any threats. We could focus on the Dream Mage later.

But this didn’t mean I wouldn’t try to reach Marek. While Aurelia was busy working with the castle staff, ensuring the courtyard was properly prepped, I snuck away to my chambers and bolted the door, then pulled the loose stone from the hearth that hid my book of witch runes. After looking over the page on portal communication, I etched the chalk markings in a circle on the floor, then painted a charcoal rune on the back of my hand. I didn’t have time to light candles.

To my surprise, the runes on the floor started to glow. I didn’t expect the spell to work the first time. My chest lightened, and I stared as the floor within the circle of runes began to ripple like the surface of a lake. I stepped outside the circle, envisioning me falling through the liquid floor into some otherworldly witch dimension. Probably best if I kept a safe distance.

Squinting, I watched the floor turn smoky, like the contents of a crystal ball. The fog churned and floated, and I frowned as I tried to make out shapes or objects.

But nothing happened. The smoke continued to roil, but no objects or people appeared.

“Marek?” I called uncertainly.

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