Page 108 of The Sovereign: Part One
As Leopold drifted away, absorbed into another gathering knot of guests, Lourdes hooked one arm around my middle.
“I hope you’ve at leastthoughtabout what you want to wear for the Oathbond,” she said, squeezing me to her side.
“I have,” I admitted.
“Good!”she chirped.“You have exactly sixteen days to be flawless.And before you try and tell me you haven’t picked a palette, I’ve already scheduled a consultation with Hecta.TheHecta.You’re welcome.”
Beside me, Maxim was trying not to grin.“You’ve thought about the Oathbond?”
I met his gaze, but Lourdes answered for me.“Only since we were children,” she teased.
He took my hand and brought it to his lips, the gesture subtle but thick with emotion.“That makes me… indescribably happy.”
Before I could speak, Bellam approached, with Roan following closely behind, both looking particularly tense.Her gown was a soft spring blue, fluid and sculptural at once.It was designed with a high neckline and a single draped sleeve, the other arm left bare to strike a sharp asymmetry.Diagonal ruching cinched the waist before releasing into a cascade of fabric that fell into a long train, each line clean yet softened by the movement of chiffon.Oversized floral appliqués traced the line of her shoulder and hip, subtle in tone but bold in form, giving the sleek silhouette a textured, almost architectural dimension.The look was modern yet romantic, polished yet daring—an ensemble that marked her as someone impossible to overlook.Made from a smart-fiber blend that would subtly adjust to her body’s temperature, it caught the light when she moved—so very Bellam, graceful without trying to be grand.
Lourdes’s eyes shimmered with excitement.“And you said you didn’t have a dress.You’re perfect!”
Bellam offered a forced grin.“Thank you, Lourdes.This is… absolutely magical.”She caught my arm, her fingers tight around my wrist.Her voice was low, urgent.“I need to talk to you.Now.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
I blinked, startled.“Oh… okay.Maxim?”
He didn’t hesitate, just leaned in and pressed a kiss to my temple, then offered a small smile, watching me for a moment before turning back to Roan and Lourdes.
Bellam tugged again, and I followed her down the stairs and through the press of guests and out into the cool night air.We crossed the threshold of the main pavilion and stepped onto the quieter edge of the courtyard, where the tiles beneath our feet gave way to floating plinths that hovered like open petals around a central fountain.This was where the gala breathed—less spectacle, more room for conversation to unfold without the need to compete with the noise.
I pulled back slightly as we walked.“Bellam!No hello?No hug?We’ve barely spoken in a week, and the first thing you do is drag me out of a party like you’re about to confess to treason?”
She didn’t answer until we slipped behind one of the orchid-strewn refreshment terraces into a small alcove lined with forgiving blue light.Half-private, wholly necessary.She faced away from me and took a breath so deep it shuddered through her shoulders.
Then she turned and, with eyes still closed, she said it.“He… kissed me.Last night.After dinner.”
I blinked.“Roan?Did you strike him very hard?”
She cracked one eye open, gauging my expression.Whatever she saw made her flinch.“No!No, it wasn’t like that.It wasn’t exactly… unwanted.”
I folded my arms, a hundred questions rising.“You went to dinner with him?”
She nodded, then looked down at the plinth beneath our feet, as if it might offer a safer place to confess.“You’ve been busy.I’ve been… lonely.He kept asking, and I thought… what could it hurt?One meal after sunset.It’s not so different than brunch or meeting for chicory.But then,” she sighed, defeated.“Isara, he made me laugh.Reallylaugh.His stories are fascinating.I could’ve listened to him for hours, the way he sees the world, his thoughts on, well, everything.And last night, he looked… Chiron help me, he looked beautiful.Even better than he usually does.Everyone was staring at us—mostly him.He was glowing or something, I can’t explain it.”She exhaled, defeated.“He was a total gentleman.He complimented me, in such aRoanway.He actually said, ‘You undo me with nothing more than a glance.You are the storm and the stillness both, and I am ruined for anything less,’” she said, doing a horrendous impression.“First of all,whydoes he talk like that?And second,whydo I like it?”
“I… don’t know,” I said, trying to keep any judgment from my expression.
“Then he asked if he could kiss me, and I said yes before I even thought it through.And do you think he waited until I could?Vale no, he pressed his lips to mine, and then held me closer, and then his tongue was in my mouth, his fingers digging into me, and I loved every second of it!”
“Okay, okay, okay,” I said, ducking my head and blinking, as if that would stop her from vividly describing a hormone-fueled collision with a man I considered a brother.
Her voice cracked as she spiraled.“It was amazing.The kind of kiss you feel all the way in your toes.My stomach flipped.My knees felt weak.The whole cliché.Only… it wasn’t cliché at all.Sovereign aren’t just saying it, Isara.It’sreal.Have you ever been kissed like that?”
I nodded slowly, breath caught somewhere between memory and ache.“The first time Maxim kissed me… it felt exactly like that.”
Bellam gave a fragile, broken laugh and swept her fingers beneath her eyes, but fresh tears gathered anyway.“I can’t feel this way.I can’t.”Her voice grew small, like it wasn’t meant for the open air.“I’ve tried to pretend it was nothing.I truly thought I—unlike every other Sovereign twenty-something—was immune to Roan Vashtane.My Veritas is in…” Her lips moved silently, doing the math, and then her shoulders dropped, heavy with realization.“It’s exactly one hundred days from today.”
“Oh, Bell.”I stepped forward and gathered her into my arms, holding her as if it might keep time itself from moving forward.“We’ll sort this out.I promise.Everything will be fine.”
A quiet cough stirred the air behind us, sharp against the hush.We both stiffened.
“Bell?”Roan’s voice was low and tentative.
