Page 153 of Enchanted Kingdom
I should feel excited, but I actually felt the opposite. The faster these women went home, the less time I had to figure out my feelings for Keir. Silvia and the Assemblage advisor had warned us that once the Assemblages were cut to under ten, things would slow down. So maybe there was still time.
Which was good, because I was still a mess.
Keir had been so worried about me when Owen and I had been attacked in the forest. I knew even though he was a great actor, that much could not be faked. I just didn’t know if I trusted him. I’d trusted him the night the king sent me that dress, and he’d let me down. While I couldn’t pout and stay mad at him forever, I didn’t know what I wanted. Or if I even wanted him anymore.
But at least I did like my dress for this evening. It was strapless and sparkling, a beautiful light gold color. And though my shoulders were bare, it was a poufy dress, so every other part of me was covered. Silvia did my hair down to cover me even more and I approved of all of it.
It was nice to walk and not have to worry about how much of my leg was slipping out.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go in my place?” I begged Silvia.
“Honey, I am good with makeup, but I cannot make myself look twenty years younger,” she laughed as she swatted the air at me.
“Well, dammit,” I muttered.
There was a knock at the door as she finished powdering my face.
Keir’s head poked through the doorway. “Hey. Just wanted to see if you wanted to walk in together tonight.”
Was he being nice? Yes. He had checked in on me and been nothing but amazing since I had returned from the forest.
I let out a long sigh. “No thank you.”
“It’d send Aiyana quite the message,” he offered.
I gave him a shrug. “I don’t wish to send messages. I’d just like to get through this ball in one piece. That’s my one and only goal tonight.”
He closed his eyes for a moment as his shoulders deflated a little. “Okay. See you down there?”
I gave him as much of a smile as I could muster. “See you down there.”
As soon as he was gone, Silvia placed a hand on my shoulder. “The two of you will figure it out.”
I didn’t say anything because all I felt at her words was empty.
* * *
Apparently,the room was still taking clothing cues from me. There was a ton of cleavage out in force. And not just in the gold dresses, there was plenty of it in emerald dresses also.
I smirked at Owen, who was posted near my favorite window. “These dresses though.”
“Don’t even,” he snapped.
“Don’t what?” I asked innocently.
His eyes went to mine. “Don’t even say a word about the dresses in this room. Like I will be doing anything but watching you after the week we’ve both had,” he said firmly.
Okay. So he had a point. “Fine.”
Renna arrived, throwing her arms around me.
“Hey,” I said as I patted her on the back.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered before pulling away.
“Me too.”
I wasn’t sure how many people knew what had happened, but I wasn’t sure I cared either. It was just another thing to make people look at me. And I wasn’t sure I wanted any more of that.
