Page 129 of Of Storm and Emerald
Three taps were reserved for reigning monarchs and their families, and since Queen Adelina only used it for their family in formal settings, and everyone in their household was currently present, it could only mean one thing.
Daemon.
With her heart lodged in her throat, Auraelia turned and climbed two steps up the dais to stand a step below her mother. And as the royals from the Court of Sapphire entered, the steward announced them to the room.
“Announcing, King Evander and Queen Avyanna of the Court of Sapphire Isles, followed by Crown Prince Daemon, Princess Royal Yvaine, and Lord Aiden of the Court of Sapphire Isles.”
There was another crack of the staff against the floor, which signified the end of their party, and Auraelia looked on as they made their way across the floor.
Queen Avyanna looked magnificent.
Her raven locks that reminded Auraelia so much of Daemon’s, were twisted away from her face and cascaded down her back. She looked like a walking sapphire with her deep cobalt gown accented in gold. The bodice was form-fitting to her waist, then flared out into a skirt that flowed like the waves on the sea. It was beautifully simple, and seamlessly blended Lyndarian fashion with the structure and whimsy that was common in Kalmeera.
Even her crown was beautifully understated with golden branches of what looked like coral sprouting upward from a band of sapphires.
Even if he hadn’t been announced, one look into his moss-green eyes and Auraelia would have known exactly who the man to Queen Avyanna’s left was–Daemon’s father, King Evander.
They had the same strong jaw. Same slightly bushy brows, straight nose, and vibrant green eyes.
He and his father looked so alike, yet so very different.
Where Daemon’s hair was dark and unruly, his father’s was a light, chestnut brown and combed into perfection. His skin, a cooler tone in comparison to Daemon’s rich olive complexion. And where Daemon seemed more relaxed and carefree, his father looked straight-laced and stoic.
But their similarities were not lost on her.
Like the way King Evander looked longingly toward his wife. She knew that look. She’d been on the receiving end of it many times from Daemon. There was so much love that translated between their gazes, that it made her heart skip.
He was wearing something similar to the formal garb she’d seen Daemon and Aiden wear on their last trip to Lyndaria, though much more garish.
The fabric was a deeper shade of blue than his wife’s gown but decorated with the same luxurious gold accents. He wore a snow-white cravat at his neck, which was pinned with a large sapphire brooch, and the crown that encircled his head was a perfect match to the queen’s.
Then, like an invisible string that pulled on her heart or a siren's call, her gaze drifted away from the king and queen. As if he felt it too, Daemon’s eyes found hers in the same moment.
He stood a few paces behind his parents, flanked by Yvaine and Aiden.
Yvaine was gorgeous as usual, in a sky-blue version of her mother’s gown without the gold accents, and she had a slit up to her mid-thigh. Her short blue-black hair had been styled into small waves with one side pinned back, and she wore a simple circlet of silver and sapphires around her brow.
Aiden, who stayed a step behind the royal siblings, wore a tunic of dove gray with charcoal-colored pants and a royal blue brocade vest.
His eyes seemed to roam around the room in search of something–or someone. When they finally landed on Piper beside the dais, he quickly averted them as a flush of color spread across his cheeks.
Everyone in their party seemed to be dressed in shades of blue.
Everyone, except Daemon.
Auraelia’s gaze raked down his form. Taking in every inch of him as he strolled across the room. From the way his trousers hugged every muscle in his legs to the tight fit of his coat across his shoulders and torso.
Dressed from head to toe in black, just like the first time they met. The only color in his ensemble coming from the sapphires that were embedded in his circlet.
He looked like night incarnate, a living shadow.
The thought brought a smile to her face, and as if he knew what she was thinking, he smiled in return.
When they reached the end of the dais, Queen Adelina descended the steps and exchanged greetings with the visiting king and queen, while Daemon and Aiden bowed, and Yvaine dropped into an elegant curtsy.
Once the formal introductions and greetings were out of the way, Queen Adelina’s voice rang out over the crowd. “Now that all of our guests have arrived, let the festivities begin!”
As the last word left her lips, servers flooded into the room by the dozen. Some carried trays of bite sized foods, while others continued to circulate trays of wine and bourbon.
