Page 94 of The Queen's Crown
His words stung. She thought he liked it since he’d made that comment earlier. He’d said she lookeddelicate. He’d chosen that word for a reason. Maybe he didn’t want someone delicate by his side since he was a warrior king. He wanted—needed—a warrior queen. She’d chosen to dress the way she wanted tonight, not taking his or Lynk’s needs into account. It went against everything she believed by having to tailor herself to fit a mold. Yet, she was the king’s wife and the queen of Lynk. If they needed her to play a part in strengthening the kingdom, she would. When she was alone, she could be herself. But not at social gatherings such as this. Lesson learned.
They reached the ante chamber of the throne room.
“Your siblings aren’t here?” she asked.
“No. They’re already at the ball. We will enter separately from them.”
Somehow the act felt important but before she could ask him about it, Rainer went over and knocked on the door.
A voice on the other side announced, “Lords and Ladies, esteemed guests, may I present His Majesty, King Rainer Manfred, and Her Highness, Princess Sabine Ludwig.”
The doors opened.
Rainer took her hand and led her into the throne room.
ChapterTwenty-One
Like the last time Sabine had been in the throne room, thousands of candles hung from the domed ceiling, casting the area in a soft glow. Warm air floated in since there weren’t any walls. A group of musicians were situated off to the side. A couple hundred guests were in attendance. Most wore brightly colored outfits. Many of the men wore loose fitting pants, vests open in the front, and their masks covered their eyes and foreheads. Sabine spotted several bear, wolf, and deer masks. The women wore sleeveless dresses with high slits revealing their legs. Their masks tended to cover less of their faces and were mostly flowers or exotic plants.
As Sabine stood there holding Rainer’s hand, she easily spotted members from the Avoni delegation since they wore dark colors, a stark contrast to everyone else in the room. The Avoni men had what Sabine considered proper tunics and pants, fully covering their bodies. The women wore floor length dresses with long sleeves. Their masks tended to be a single color covering their lips up to their foreheads, none of them representing an animal.
After Rainer said a few words to the guests, he led Sabine to the center of the room for a dance, everyone parting to make way for them. The musicians began playing a soft, haunting tune that Sabine considered an odd choice. A joyful, fast-paced tune would have been preferable. However, the slow song allowed Rainer to easily lead Sabine around the dance floor without her getting tripped up. The skirts of her dress swayed, almost matching the music.
As they turned, she saw a maskless face behind Rainer amongst the crowd of people watching them. She blinked, and he was gone. How strange to have seen a single face among a sea of masks. Especially a face she thought she recognized. A face she’d seen before—the red-haired man from her balcony.
“We haven’t trained in a couple of days,” Rainer said. “Let’s meet tomorrow before breakfast.”
“That’s a good idea.” Not only did she want to practice, but it would give her the chance to speak with him privately on a few pressing matters.
“I’ll admit to being disappointed in your attire this evening. Next time, I will make sure to have Claire take care of your clothing.”
It was a good thing she’d spent years learning how to conceal her emotions. Anger and hurt warred within. “I understand my error,” she said. “It will not happen again. I apologize.” She wished she could see around his eyes to determine his reaction.
“At least you’re a quick learner.” He dragged his right hand up her back, over her shoulder, and along her arm, shaking his head. “Every single time I touch you, I should be able to feel your skin.” As the song came to an end, Rainer leaned forward, placing a kiss on her bare neck.
Sabine shivered, not having expected the intimate gesture.
He released her and the two of them faced the guests, everyone clapping.
“I believe you know the drill,” Rainer mumbled.
“I do.” She spotted Regina standing with her husband, Felix, not far away. Felix stepped forward, and Rainer handed her over to the commander. It was the first time she’d seen him not in uniform. Rainer took Regina’s hand just as the music started back up.
“Commander Felix,” Sabine said as the man placed his free hand on her back.
“Princess,” he replied.
“I see you’ve come as a wolf this evening.” She honestly wouldn’t have recognized him had he not been standing with Regina.
“I thought it a fitting creature for the commander of the army.”
“I agree.” She glanced about the room. Everyone else had returned to dancing now that the king had completed his first dance. “Tell me, have Cutler and Heather married yet?”
He slowed the pace, almost stopping in the middle of the dance floor. “Are you implying you won’t be attending their wedding?”
“Not at all,” she said with a forced smile. “In my kingdom, the royal family doesn’t go to many weddings. I did not realize it was the custom here.” She was making one blunder after another tonight.
He grunted, barely moving to the music. She wondered how someone so capable with a sword could be so lacking on the dance floor.
