Page 111 of Artemysia
But now, I shift my focus to my next task. Blend in at the ball and gather intel. Riev is right. We need to know if the Syf lie or if North Kingdom hides a darker secret. I can then decide if we should continue with our original mission to seek aid from the North. If not, perhaps the Syf are potential allies.
If the attacks on South Kingdom can be prevented,I’ll stop at nothing to keep Stargazer and South Kingdom safe. That is where my loyalties lie.
Elodie chose wisely when she dressed me in this luxurious velvet traveling gown. I blend right in with the other noblewomen disembarking from their carriages.
The manor looms over us, menacing yet dreary, made worse by the eerie glow from the rows of frosted gas lamps on black iron posts that flicker along our path.
Fog rises from the East River, the same river that runs through Artemysia and South Kingdom. Here, the water snakes around the massive estate. I can’t see across the dark water at night, but I hear the constant hissing rush as it flows by.
I shiver. This place gives me the creeps.
Hauntingly beautiful string music plays from inside, perhaps from the ballroom.
From my crash course, I recognize it as one of North Kingdom’s traditional songs that’s paired with a specific dance. The Artemysian tutors spent hours that day making sure I got it right.
Riev beckons me to hold his hand as he guides me out of the carriage.
“Did the Syf teach you the choreography to this song too?” I ask. “The steps are more complicated than the ceremonial maneuvers we do at the Academy. Ivy wanted to lead, and she dropped me flat on my ass.”
He grabs me by the waist and spins me to him. “King Foss was a willing dance partner.”
“No way!” I sputter a laugh and follow his lead, moving with him and the music.
“You’re right. He made me observe another pair of Syf dancing.”
Riev’s entire body moves as if he’s danced this a hundred times.
“And you memorized it without actually trying it? How are you good at this already?”
He twirls me one more time, catching me in a dip before he comes to a standstill. He maintains a firm hand on the small of my back.
“Obviously, there’s nothing I can’t master.”
I scoff. “Except humility.”
He grins. “Stay close, my wife,” he hums into my ear, making mystomach tumble and my entire body heat.
“I need to change into my evening dress. You don’t have to accompany me—”
“A herd of wild elk couldn’t drag me away from you right now.”
“Can you guarantee you’d stay focused while I’m changing? In our bedroom? We’d both lose focus,my lord.”
“Our bedroom…” Riev growls, snatching me against him to kiss my throat so crudely that I’m afraid it will leave a mark. I gasp with a sudden intake of breath. He’s claiming me in front of the other guests, and I don’t hate it one bit.
“You’re already distracted,” I rasp, pressing into him, my body naturally drawn to his touch. “Maybe you should start mingling and poke around for information?”Sensible Delphine is back.
“I despise the idea of leaving your side,” he complains before mumbling something into my neck about not watching me undress for the sake of his sanity.
His mouth is in its natural frown as he pulls away, though his mood brightens at the sight of a server who greets us with a mirrored platter of rosy-pink cocktails in crystal flutes.
Our carriage clatters away from us, bouncing on the gravelly driveway.
“See you in the ballroom then, my lady.” Riev bows and heads for the entrance. I know he mocks our situation. He is elegant anyway, and it’s hard not to stare as he walks away. He disappears down the grandiose corridor toward the buzzing crowd lining up to enter the gold and black ballroom, fluted drink already in hand.
A crimson-uniformed valet lugs both my trunk and Riev’s bag, directing me down an endless hall that’s overly decorated with lush textiles and oil paintings of somber-looking royals. Black and gray flowers emitting a sultry sweet fragrance are stuffed into enormous gold vases.
He ushers me up a flight of wide stairs without a word. The deep purple rug silences my steps, and every wall I pass is papered with textured, moody floral patterns. Alarmingly large chandeliers of black crystal shards glimmer above me, appearing too heavy for the ornate ceilings from where they hang.
