Page 12 of Deadwood
I lowered the glass as I met his scrutinizing gaze across the table. He wore a pressed red suit with gold stitching tooled along every seam, and his graying hair was slicked back.
“Come.”
Reluctantly, I set the glass down where I’d found it and rounded the long, wooden table.
“This is Lander Bular,” my father introduced, gesturing to the man at his side. I hadn’t cared to look at the stranger—myfiancé—on my way over. “Lander, this is my daughter, Auria Tenere. Your fiancée.”
Our eyes met, and as I expected, no sparks flew. No heavy beating of my heart or a flutter in my stomach, like the old romance novels I used to sneak talked about. He was just a man, a stranger, a prince, one in which I had no physical attraction to right off the bat, despite his good looks. His hair was as blond as his mother’s, his hazel eyes nearly sparkling in the light from the chandeliers. Beauty ran in their family, but I wasn’t pulled by it.
“My fiancée,” Lander said, testing the word on his tongue.
Maybe he was as happy about the news as I was.
“It’s very nice to meet you,” Lander added as I politely held a hand out to him. He took it gently, placing a quick peck to my skin before dropping it. His hair was mussed slightly at the top, strands of it sticking up in odd directions, like he hadn’t cared to fix it before attending.
My father left us to speak, quickly getting lost in conversation with King Bular a few feet to the side. Neither seemed very interested in us meeting, which only proved my suspicions that this was simply a political move, not one set up out of love for their children.
“It’s nice to finally put a face to the name,” I stated hesitantly, not sure what else to talk about. I wasn’t good at…this.
He forced a sympathetic smile. “My apologies. I was caught up in something the other night and couldn’t attend the ball. I’m sure it was lovely.”
“Caught up gambling again, brother?” Paxon interrupted, sneaking up on the two of us.
I took a small step to the side, putting space between Paxon and myself. Our shoulders didnotneed to be touching.
Lander’s eyes narrowed on his brother. “And what were you doing that night?”
Paxon glared right back. I had no idea what was going on, but a brotherly dispute wasn’t something I wanted to get caught up in.
“I don’t mind,” I said hurriedly.
Both their gazes landed on me, and I struggled to swallow. Attention was clearly not something I craved.
“If you like to gamble,” I clarified. “And I didn’t mind that you weren’t there.” But I should have, given we were now engaged. Minding if your fiancé was out enjoying himself rather than attending the ball where your betrothal was announced seemed like something I should feel.
Then again, I truly had no idea how to react to any of this.
“You two will get along just fine, then,” Paxon said as he patted Lander’s shoulder a bit too hard. They both wore dark green suits, yet Paxon’s was more finely pressed. Lander’s, on the other hand, was wrinkled, the top button undone.
Before either of us could say another word, Paxon walked off, joining his father.
“Did you know?” I asked, moving my attention back to Lander.
He was a few inches taller than me, his stubble-coated chin tilted down as he regarded my question. “About the engagement?”
I nodded.
“Somewhat.”
I waited for him to continue, shoving down the frustration that threatened to creep up at the knowledge of him knowing more of this than myself. I’d never felt so clueless before, and that said a lot, given that my entire life was me being kept in the dark.
“Tensions have been high with trade between the other kingdoms, so it was no secret my parents were debating making an arrangement to keep the peace. I just didn’t expect it would involve you.”
I cocked a brow. What was that supposed to mean?
“Not that I’m upset it’s you,” he quickly clarified. “You’re very pretty, Lady Auria. Your eyes alone feel like I’m staring into an icy forest, but just from our conversation, I can tell you’re a warm person.”
Was warm supposed to be some sort of compliment? Clearly Lander was not well-versed in speaking to women.
