Page 61 of Ties of Deception

“Yes.” He raised his eyebrows and nodded.

“Well, I…I…” I failed to come up with a reply and gave in to the pull drawing me to him. I pressed my lips to his and lifted one hand to cup his neck. He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer. Warmth rushed down my spine in a tingling wave of sensation. I kissed him again, marveling at the feel of it all.

When we broke away—far too soon—his smile had been replaced by a vulnerable expression, his eyes wide and his lips parted. His fingers entwined in mine as if he never wanted to leave my side. I leaned in, wordlessly asking him to kiss me again, but instead he kissed the back of my hand.

I swallowed, trying to lighten the mood and repress the sting of rejection. “Do you think that has won him over? It was rather brief.”

He stared at me for a few seconds before looking away with a chuckle. “I would say so. I mean it was such an altruistic service for the whole of Fierro. Just think how many people were just Blessed around us.” He paused to clear his throat and straighten the label of his jacket. “Now if you don’t mind, you’ll have to excuse me—I have a rather important banquet to attend.” He pressed his lips firmly against the back of my hand and slipped through the curtain. I blinked after him, my heart still racing. That man was out of his mind. The litter kept swaying forward as though he’d never been here.

I lay back in the cushions, stretching out my legs again, and smiled. He was right. It would be much easier for us to ignore each other now, and I already felt less nervous, making it easier for me to Bless the guests. I pressed my fingers to my lips, my skin still tingling. I just wished these stolen moments could last longer. I just wished he would be freer with his kisses.

Was there something in particular he wanted me to remember before he stopped feeling guilty? Could our relationship still progress? I still struggled to believe I could have been somebody as competent and well-loved as Snow. I had a lot to live up to in order to be like her.

But if everything went well, and we found out how the souls were being kidnapped, he would take me back to his home. In the Unseen Lands, nothing between us would need to be hidden. And maybe the familiar surroundings would bring the rest of my memories back.

Until then, I had a job to do.

I talkedand smiled at the guests, desperate not to forget any of their names, while signaling to Flavia when to bring out the various courses. The tables were arranged in an open square with the entertainment in the middle. First, we had dancers, then jugglers and acrobats, and now a group of four women played stringed instruments with impressive skill.

Things seemed to be going well, though I was relying heavily on the guests to start the conversations. The more I listened, smiled, and nodded, the more I realized I knew so little about the day-to-day life of people here. I’d been isolated. With only a few months of memories, I was sure to be less interesting than the older Graces who had been around the palace for years. Constance had seen whole generations pass. It was yet another obstacle to earning Prince Sebastian’s affection.

Still, I could amuse guests by bringing them fortune, brightening their complexions, and making flowers bloom brighter. Their lives of luxury jarred with what I wished I could use my powers for. They already had so much, and here I was bringing them more. I needed to ask Ethen to smuggle me into one of the poorer areas of the city again so I could do some genuine good.

Ethen sat at one of the farther positions from me, eating methodically with little expression, and only talking occasionally to Tamel who sat beside him. None of the others tried to engage the Aida in conversation. Ethen hadn’t glanced in my direction once, though he had watched the performances intently.

Voices quieted and my conversation was interrupted by the sound of scraping chairs. I looked up to see Prince Sebastian entering—the guests stood as soon as they noticed. He was smiling and called for everyone to sit back down. He walked behind the tables greeting and talking to each guest in turn, remembering names, inquiring about family members and building projects. He was a natural politician—every person he spoke to was smiling before he left. Well, every person but Ethen, with whom he only exchanged the briefest greeting. I tried to hide my smile at Ethen’s barely veiled distaste for the man.

Sebastian reached the middle-aged lady beside me and kissed her hand. “Lady Anii, so good to see you again. How has your back been treating you?”

She smiled, raising a hand to her heart. “Well, enough, well enough. Now you really need to come and visit us in Hassia. You don’t come and stay with your father nearly often enough. The weather might be cooler up here, but nothing beats our cuisine and our dancers. You can’t forget your roots.”

He nodded in easy agreement. “Very true, very true. It’s not long until our next scheduled return. Maybe we could share a boat trip.”

She beamed. “Ah that would be lovely. And you can see Saffron again. My daughter has grown so much since you played together as children.”

Sebastian looked over her head and winked at me when she wasn’t looking. I covered my smile with my napkin. He turned back to the woman who was arranging her long braids around her shoulders. “Of course. It would be my honor.”

He turned to me. “You’re doing a wonderful job, Purity. The quartet is exquisite. Where did you find them? I’ll have to ask them to play again.”

“I’m glad you think so. I’ll send you their details. I have a seat here laid out for you. I didn’t know if you had eaten at one of the other banquets or might just like a drink.”

He sighed and fell gratefully into the chair. “A drink would be perfect. Charity was so eager that I eat her special pudding, I couldn’t refuse—and I was already full from Constance’s and Hope’s meals.”

I laughed. “You must be tired.”

He shrugged and accepted a glass of wine. “It’s not too bad. I enjoy talking to people, and all the hard work has been done for me. I hate organizing these things.”

I decided to be bolder. “You know, we spoke of swimming together. Well, I noticed the weather is already starting to cool. Maybe we could do so next week…if your mother has nothing else planned?”

He grinned in a mischievous way that made me feel like I was one of the people closest to him. How did he do that with a simple expression? “I know just the place. I’ll arrange it all.”

“I—”

The sound of breaking glass cut me short. My eyes shot first to Ethen—the person I was most drawn to in the room—but he was staring past the string quartet to the opposite table. The ambassador from Suza slumped by his plate, a broken glass fallen from his hand.

Sebastian drank some more from his own cup and murmured. “Somebody has had far too much to drink, it would seem.”

The woman beside the ambassador flushed under the sudden attention and elbowed him, muttering something too quiet for me to hear. When he didn’t respond, she reached out to shake him. His body remained prone. Her annoyance and embarrassment turned to panic as she leapt to her feet shaking him and rolling him over. He didn’t respond.

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