Page 20 of Accidentally Ever After
With a sigh, I headed back to my chambers, more confused than ever about what I truly wanted.
Chapter 5
Three weeks into my unexpected life as a fairy consort, I found myself standing in front of a full-length mirror, barely recognizing myself. Gone were my comfortable human clothes, replaced by traditional Seelie formal wear that left me feeling simultaneously overdressed and underdressed.
The ensemble consisted of fitted black pants made of some material that moved like liquid shadow, soft leather boots that came to mid-calf, and the real showstopper—a tunic of midnight blue silk that shimmered with embedded crystals that caught the light with each movement. The tunic was sleeveless, showing off my arms (which Caelen had assured me were very appealing by fairy standards), and featured an open back that would have been scandalous for human formal wear but was apparently the height of fashion for consorts.
“The open back honors your prince’s wings,” Melronna had explained while fitting me. “It suggests your bodies join completely when embracing.”
The sexual implications had made me blush, but I had to admit—the outfit looked good. Different, alien, but good.
“You clean up well for a human,” came a familiar voice from the doorway.
Caelen leaned against the frame, watching me with those hypnotic violet eyes. He was already dressed in his own formal attire—black pants similar to mine but with silver embroidery down the sides, boots that came higher on his calves, and a tunicthat matched mine in color but featured elaborate silver armor over the shoulders and chest. His hair was partially braided back, silver threads woven through the platinum strands, and a circlet of white gold rested on his brow.
“Thanks,” I said, still fidgeting with the tunic’s high collar. “I feel like I’m playing dress-up.”
“You look like you belong,” he countered, entering the room fully. His wings were partially extended, a sign of the pleasure he took in my appearance. “The court will be impressed.”
Things between us had been… complicated since our conversation about the Spring Conjunction. We still shared meals, still talked, still occasionally shared a bed when the physical attraction became too much to resist. But there was a new hesitancy between us, a careful distance maintained.
“That’s the goal, right?” I said, trying to keep my tone light. “Impress the stuffy fairies, convince them I’m not completely hopeless as a consort?”
“Something like that,” he agreed, coming to stand behind me. His hands settled lightly on my shoulders, his reflection meeting mine in the mirror. “Tonight is important, Blake. Many of those attending have the king’s ear. Their impressions matter.”
“No pressure,” I muttered.
His lips curved slightly. “You will do fine. Just remember Thaelon’s lessons.”
“Bow to the quarter for lesser nobles, slight nod for equals, don’t speak until spoken to, don’t pick my nose in public,” I recited.
“I don’t recall that last one being in Thaelon’s curriculum,” Caelen said, amusement flickering in his eyes.
“I added it myself. Seemed important.”
He laughed, the sound still doing funny things to my insides even after weeks of hearing it. His hands squeezed my shouldersgently. “Your humor is one of your most charming qualities, though perhaps employ it selectively tonight.”
“I’ll save my best material for you,” I promised.
Something warm flickered in his eyes. “I look forward to it.” His hands slid down my arms in a casual caress. “There is one more element to complete your ensemble.”
He produced a small box from inside his tunic, opening it to reveal what appeared to be an ear cuff made of the same white gold as his circlet.
“A gift,” he said, lifting it from the box. “May I?”
I nodded, and he carefully attached the cuff to my right ear. It was surprisingly comfortable, curving along the shell of my ear in a way that accentuated its rounded, human shape rather than trying to mimic the pointed fairy ears.
“In our culture, consorts traditionally wear a token of their bonded’s rank,” Caelen explained. “This marks you as mine.”
The possessive statement sent a shiver down my spine. “It’s beautiful,” I said, touching it gently. “Thank you.”
“It suits you,” he said, his eyes meeting mine in the mirror. For a moment, that careful distance between us seemed to evaporate, and I could see something vulnerable in his gaze. Then he stepped back, composing himself. “We should go. It would not do to be late to your first formal court function.”
The great hall of the Autumn Palace had been transformed for the evening’s banquet. The usual crystalline walls now pulsed with warm amber light, and the ceiling seemed to have been replaced by a canopy of autumn leaves in impossible colors—scarlet, gold, purple, and blue—that shifted and rustled though there was no wind.
Tables draped in midnight blue and silver stretched the length of the hall, already filling with fairy courtiers in their finery. At the far end, a raised dais held the high table where the king would sit with his closest advisors and family.
As Caelen and I entered, a hush fell over the gathered fairies, all eyes turning to assess us. I straightened my shoulders, remembering Thaelon’s endless coaching on proper posture.
