Page 60 of A Tale of Treachery

Brandon released my arm and frowned. “You need to curtsy and play along for now. We’ll sort this out later. I promise.” He squeezed my hand, and I steeled myself as we reached the table.

Everyone at the table, apart from Aiden, stared at me with contempt. The queen’s pinched lips and scrunched nose gave off the impression that she considered me foul, like the dirt beneath her feet.

I didn’t blame her. I was ruining her daughter’s life, although unwillingly.

Brandon cleared his throat and elbowed me into action as he bent into a deep bow. I stumbled and bent my knees, a pathetic attempt at a curtsy.

King Drake snorted. “You may rise,” he announced, his voice echoing loudly enough to reverberate around the hall. “Lady Dahlia, take your seat next to Princess Gabriella.”

Swallowing nervously, I rose and clumsily approached the table, my legs feeling like jelly.

I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t sit next to the woman Aiden was marrying and pretend everything was all right, that this was normal. She must hate my guts, the interloper, the unwelcome intruder in their marital bliss.

Humiliation burned my face as Brandon pulled out my chair, wishing me good luck and goodbye. My eyes followed him, begging him not to go. Once he left me, I stared forward, my hands shaking as the taste of bile crawled up my throat, my nerves racing as the king stood and began his welcome announcement.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we are all gathered here today to celebrate my son, Prince Aiden’s upcoming marriage to Princess Gabriella Hazel of New Hazel.” Gabriella and Aiden stood, their hands linked as the crowd cheered. Once they sat, the king continued his speech. “The wedding will take place in two weeks, and until then, we will graciously host the King and Queen of New Hazel.” The princess’s parents stood this time, and another round of applause went through the crowd. The king chuckled under his breath and looked towards me, a wicked gleam in his eyes as he continued his speech. “Now that all that is said and done, I have one more announcement. My son has chosen to take a mistress, and therefore, I would like to present The Royal Mistress to the Prince, Lady Dahlia Flos.”

I cringed at the last name, a false name, meaning flower, that I’d chosen when first meeting Redmond. Thirteen-year-old me was hardly creative. At the announcement, all eyes shifted between me and the princess. The lords and ladies issued her sympathetic looks while staring at me with hatred and disgust.

“Please Lady Dahlia, stand and show yourself to the court.”

I stood begrudgingly, biting the inside of my cheek and giving a small little wave to the room. Whispers echoed through the hall, and I returned to my seat, wishing the shadows would swallow me whole.

The king continued his speech as if he hadn’t just dropped the largest blow in the world and finished it with, “Eat, drink, and be merry.”

The attention shifted from our table as everyone returned to chattering and laughing like nothing had happened. New Hazel’s king and queen carried on a conversation while Aiden, Gabriella, and I sat silently beside each other.

Aiden started talking with his father, so I took the opportunity to glance over at Gabriella, who remained still as a statue, her spine straight as she rapidly blinked in disbelief, her eyes watering.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness,” I whispered, unable to look at her directly.

“It’s all right. I expected nothing less from a future king.” Her voice was deeply accented—the R’s rolled. Her words were spoken with a tremble.

“It’s not all right.”

“You’re right,” she replied softly. “Did you know that we’ve been engaged since we were children? Did you know I’ve known him since I was five? That I’ve planned our wedding for as long as I can remember?” Her eyes glazed over.

My mouth dropped open. Time seemed to stop as I processed what she just said and a sick feeling churned low in my gut.

They had been engaged to be married far before what had happened between us. He’d never once mentioned his upcoming nuptials to me. I wondered if Brandon and George had known.

My eyes narrowed into slits over Gabriella’s shoulder, boring a hole into Aiden. He was still deep in discussions with his father. I would've never ventured down this path if I’d known about his promise to Gabriella. I glanced away, rapidly blinking back the feeling of betrayal that wanted to spill forth. Gabriella hugged herself, shielding her face beneath a sheet of dark hair. Her puffy brown eyes met mine, and my hand squeezed hers beneath the table.

“Your Highness,” I whispered, “I had no idea. I promise that I was completely unaware, and I guarantee that I will be out of the picture soon. Had I known of your betrothal, I would have never paid the prince any mind. I don’t want him…not anymore.”

I released her hand, realizing it was inappropriate for me to act so familiarly toward the princess. We both went back to sitting quietly, watching as the servants darted about the room, dropping off plates of food and bottles of wine.

Aiden glanced over at us. “Is everything all right, ladies?”

Gabriella responded with a sweet, “Yes, Your Highness.”

I didn’t answer.

Aiden dropped his fork and firmed his jaw, circling the table to offer me his hand. “Would you do the honor of granting me this dance?” he asked as the harpist played a string of chords that flowed through the hall.

King Drake scowled, the princess’s parents scoffed, and Gabriella tensed by my side. He should have offered her the first dance, not me.

I didn’t take his hand. I should have, but I was no princess and not trained in courtly manners.

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