Page 34 of Enchanted Kingdom
He smirked. “Yes, I suppose that is true.”
As we walked into the ballroom, I found the room mostly full and far less jovial than the previous night. Women were standing in clusters whispering, eyes darting around.
“Great,” I muttered to myself.
“Good luck,” Owen whispered before heading along the wall with the other guards.
I found Gwen and Molly first. “Hi.”
Molly tugged me by the arm and gave me a quick hug. “I thought you were out.”
“Out?” I asked as she pulled back.
She nodded. “At least two women have been sent home.”
I looked to the giant clock above the stairs. “Are you sure they aren’t late?”
She shook her head. “Someone in our Assemblage heard it all happen. Camille was found wailing in the hallway, completely and totally beside herself.”
Of course, a Rallis woman. A Rallis woman in Prince Krewan’s Assemblage. “Oh.”
Gwen added, “When we didn’t see you right away, we worried.”
They worried because I was from Nerede. They knew my days here were limited.
“Still here for now,” I assured them.
I searched for Renna, but found her speaking with Prince Krewan, so she was obviously still in as well.
Women were going home. I didn’t know how I felt about that. On one hand, it would be nice to look across the room and not see dozens of skirts standing between me and whomever I was looking for. On the other hand, things were only going to get messier as fewer women remained.
But we were only four evenings into this. It appeared the princes were wasting no time.
CHAPTER14
It turned out four women were gone, two from each of the princes’ Assemblages. And the two gone from Prince Krewan’s were from Rallis. Only twelve of us from the lower levels remained. Everyone had been in a quiet mood all evening, all of us left wondering if we were next.
“At least Prince Keiran didn’t send only the lower levels home,” Gwen whispered to me as I sipped my water during dessert. “Maybe there’s hope for us yet.”
Not having expected her to say that, I almost spit my water back out. I managed not to, but also made a choking sound that was very unladylike.
It must have been loud enough for others to notice because both Prince Keiran and Prince Krewan looked our way from across the room.
Ignoring His Royal Prickness entirely, I looked at Prince Keiran and smiled before adding to Gwen, “You never know, I suppose, but I for one will not be holding my breath.”
“Probably wise,” Gwen agreed.
After the long meal, it was time for more socializing apparently, this time with the king joining in.
My eyes went to Owen across the room, remembering his calling me a puzzle to the king. I found I didn’t even care if I got time with Prince Keiran this night, I only cared that I avoided the king at every possible opportunity. If he were to somehow figure out why I had Iron Will, then I would no longer be safe here. If I ever even was to begin with.
“Rinaldi, I don’t know what I would do without you,” I smiled at him hours later, still unsure when this madness would end. And honestly, weren’t these elaborate gowns for every evening kind of a waste?
“You’d likely just drink champagne,” he deadpanned.
I laughed. “And likely make an utter fool of myself.”
He winked as he went to walk off. It was too bad Rinaldi looked old enough to be my grandfather. He was too cute. In that way that only grandfathers could be.
