Page 57 of Forged in Flame and Shadow

“Both are possibilities,” Phaia says.

“Can I just decline the invitation? Go to the ball but avoid this wreathing thing?”

I can tell the answer just from reading their expressions.

“You can’t really refuse without insulting the host,” Desme says. “Which would give her grounds to exclude you from the ball entirely.”

“Says who?” Tira demands.

“Says tradition,” Phaia replies. “Like it or not, if you’re going to be a guest of this court, you’re going to have to play by its rules.”

“There’s another possibility,” Helia says. “This could have nothing to do with Prince Leonidas. Lady Naia may simply be looking to gain favor with a future queen.”

“I think we should go to the wreathing then. Tira can come too, right?”

“Yes, invited guests often bring their friends,” Phaia confirms.

“Good. Then it’s settled. I don’t want to insult someone if it really is just an innocent invitation.”

“And if it isn’t?” Tira asks skeptically.

I straighten, pulling my shoulders back. “If it isn’t, if this woman wants to go toe-to-toe with me over some rumors she’s heard, I’m not afraid of a fight.”

I tell myself I shouldn’t be intimidated. After all, this Naia woman might be a noblewoman, but I’m a bloody princess. If there was a time to lean on my rank, it’s now. I’m just as worthwhile as any beautiful, blonde fae woman.

“Phaia is automatically invited to the wreathing as one of the ball’s guests of honor,” Helia says. “So we’ll be there too. Don’t worry, Your Highness, we’ll keep an eye on you.”

I smile and thank them, though I hope I won’t need any protecting. It’s just some silly pre-ball party, after all. How bad can it be?

Chapter 19

Morgana

“Why are there so many of them?” Tira whispers to me. “And why are they all sopretty?”

Tira and I stare out into a room full of fae women milling about with drinks in their hands and hair half-done, servants trailing behind them with piles of beautiful fabric.

I search the crowds for any sign of Phaia, Helia, and her sister, but with so many fae around, I know they’ll be hard to spot.

“I think we have to get in there and mingle,” I say to Tira, who looks alarmed at the prospect.

A melodious voice drifts over to me.

“Your Highness, I’m so glad you could come.”

I turn around to look into the porcelain-skinned, perfectly symmetrical face of Lady Naia. She glides toward me with an outstretched hand. The last time I saw this woman, she was practically wrapped around Leon, welcoming him home. I didn’t get to see how that interaction ended. I was too busy beingescorted from the throne room to prepare for a deadly test to save Leon’s brother.

And this is the reward I get for it.

I force my face into a smile as I reluctantly reach to take Lady Naia’s hand, which grips onto mine tightly. She’s wearing several elegant rings, and as she curtseys, the jewels on them cut into my flesh.

“Thank you for inviting me,” I say.

“Well now, we could hardly have a foreign royal staying in the palace and menotinvite her, could we?” she says. Her face is serene, but there’s the slightest hint of a sneer in the way she says “foreign.” I decide to test the waters a little further.

“It is kind of His Majesty to host me, but then I suppose he’s just returning the favor after we had Prince Leonidas to stay atmypalace,” I say.

No need to mention that it was really my parents who invited him, or that some of that time Leon spent in the dungeons. I deliberately left that information out to see if Lady Naia will call me on it. That will tell me her real motive for inviting me here.

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