Page 16 of Of Storm and Emerald
Auraelia took a deep breath to calm the nervous butterflies that had taken flight in her stomach. With her anxiety momentarily in check, she straightened her shoulders and walked through the ballroom doors.
Here goes nothing.
Chapter Six
Daemon
Hefeltherpresencebefore he saw her.
It was like the room became charged with static as soon as she stepped into the space. She walked with the elegance of any lady, but with an air about her that demanded respect and loyalty. She was the embodiment of what a queen should be, and she wasn’t even a queen yet.
When she got to her seat, she faltered, but only briefly, and he was pretty sure he was the only one who noticed the misstep. Her seat was at the table head opposite her mother, and once they both took their seats, the rest of the table followed suit. To Auraelia’s right, was the midnight-haired beauty that he’d seen her talking to in the garden—her lady in waiting, Piper— and by a stroke of dumb luck, he’d been seated to her left.
Let the games begin, princess.
As everyone settled into their seats to start the meal, he had to force himself not to stare at the beautiful woman sitting next to him. He still couldn’t believe that of all of the people he encountered at the ball the night before, the damn princess was the one who rode his face with free abandon in the middle of the garden.
When the first course was served, he took the chance to glance at Auraelia in hopes of catching her eye, but she was in a deep, hushed, conversation with her lady. Deciding to take full advantage of her distraction, he took it upon himself to get a better look athis star.
She was stunning.
Being this close, in a brightly lit room and without a mask disguising half her face, he was able to really take in her features. She had long lashes that brushed her eyebrows when she fully opened her eyes, and a straight nose that ended in a rounded, slightly upturned point. It was also pierced, which was uncommon in the Sapphire Isles, but it suited her face. Her lips were full with a dip right in the center, and when she laughed or smiled, her entire face lit up, making her eyes sparkle.
So completely consumed by the beauty sitting next to him, he hadn’t noticed that people were staring athimuntil Aiden cleared his throat and Auraelia turned in his direction, catching his stare. When their eyes locked, all the memories he’d been trying to tamp down came flooding back to the forefront of his mind, and it was like she knew. Her lips tilted into a tiny smirk, her intense gaze full of the same passion and mischief from the night before.
“Is there a problem…Ser?” Her brow was furrowed in confusion, but there was a playful glint in her eye. A challenge to call her out on her white lie.
“Prince Daemon of the Court of Sapphire Isles, Your Highness,” Lady Piper supplied, matching Auraelia’s conspiratorial look.
“Oh yes, of course. My apologies,PrinceDaemon,” she replied, and inclined her head slightly in his direction in reverence to his title. After a few intense seconds of silence, she looked him in the eye and raised her brows. “Well, Prince Daemon. Is there a problem that I need to be made aware of?” The mischievous look in her eye never wavered, and the smallest of smirks graced her beautiful mouth.
He smiled and tilted his head slightly, feigning confusion, though he knew full well he had been caught staring.
Two can play this game.
“Not at all, Princess. Why do you ask?”
“Well, you’ve been staring at me like I have something on my face, or food stuck in my teeth.”
After that comment, her lady could no longer contain the laughter that she had been trying desperately to suppress. She snorted, and the wine she had been drinking took an alternate route, coming out her nose instead of going down her throat.
The women looked at each other and after a beat of silence, erupted into a fit of hysterics. The commotion halted the other conversations at the table, as everyone turned their attention toward them. The queen cleared her throat, raising a reproachful brow at her daughter, which brought the laughing to an immediate halt, and a deep flush to spread across Auraelia’s cheeks.
Daemon smiled to himself as images of Auraelia, flushed for an entirely different reason, flooded his mind.
As if his thoughts summoned her, she looked his way, and when their gazes met her flush deepened to a beautiful shade of crimson before she broke eye contact and turned her attention back to her friend.
Conversation slowly returned to the table as the second course was served and the rest of the meal went by in a blur of plates, glasses, and subtle glances. For the most part, Auraelia stuck to conversation with her lady, but she also politely engaged with the various court dignitaries that sat down the table from her.
She spoke with Lord Arlo and Lady Aesira from the Court of Opal about their warrior training techniques. Later, she complimented and thanked Lady Lavena for the beautiful fabrics she’d sent from the Court of Pearl–fabrics that were then turned into the gown from the night before and the one she wore now.
He watched the interactions in awe.
The air about her was one of superiority, but she never transferred that onto the people around her. She spoke to everyone as if they were old friends, and not as if they were below her station. Unlike the rest of the guests at the table, he could barely hold her attention for more than a few measly seconds.
When he turned his focus back to his friend, he chuckled to himself and shook his head. It was obvious that Aiden was immensely interested in Lady Piper, but like Auraelia, she barely paid him any mind. And from what he could see, she would probably chew him up and spit him out, and Aiden would say thank you.
Good luck, my friend.
