Page 22 of Lost

“Because you were holding onto that contestant like a crazy person…with respect to her Highness.”

“Are you allowed to talk to me like that?”

“I think so,” he paused, considering, “Yes,” he decided, “I believe I am.”

“If you must know, I was socializing. Isn’t that what my parents want me to do?”

“Socializing is one thing. Assault is quite another.”

“Did he look assaulted?”

“I suppose not. Still, it’s not proper for a Princess to be so closely stuck to any single person like that. You have an entire room full of potentials and hopefuls to entertain. They are all fighting for your hand, after all.”

“Don’t remind me. And if you didn’t notice, I already gave at least one other contestant my attention.”

“Do you mean Lord Cyr?” Tellren spun me around, stopping me just as Lord Cyr came into view. He was sitting at a table, his arms folded in front of his chest… and he was sulking.

“What’s wrong with him?” I asked.

“You very rudelybrushed him off, if her Highness would forgive the parlance. I would say he is upset.”

“What did he expect? I couldn’t take much more of his platitudes anyway. The man is obsessed with me.”

Tellren’s eyebrows raised again. He didn’t say the words, or ask the question, but I could tell what he was thinking.

“I am not obsessed with Valerian.”

“Tell that to the Court,” he whispered.

My cheeks flushed red and hot again. I groaned, rolled my eyes, and tried my best not to look at anyone besides the Fae I was dancing with. “There’s something about him, Tellren,” I said, “I can’t put my finger on it.”

He smiled, slightly. “I distinctly recall another young Royal who was infatuated with a single woman above all of the others fighting for his attention.”

I followed his eye line over to my parents, who were laughing and chatting with some of the other nobles in the room. They were holding hands, and they looked happy, now; happier than before, anyway.

“My father?” I asked.

“Dahlia was the runt of her competition. Nobody believed much would ever become of her, until she entered this very ballroom wearing one of the most exquisite dresses Arcadia had ever seen. While the odds did not favor her to win, she caught everyone’s attention that night—especially your father’s. He could not distance himself from her, no matter what he did.”

I watched my mother smile and laugh. “They had a soul bond… they were drawn to each other.”

“True… but in any case, it is the Royal Selection which binds the souls of the winner and the royal. Which is why I would suggest you put your feelings aside and concentrate more of your attention on Lord Cyr.”

I looked up at Tellren and frowned. “Him? Why?”

“Because, Amara… he isgoingto win the Royal Selection.”

I shook my head. “How is that possible? He botched the last trial—Valerian was the only one who could take the gem from the Souldirge.”

“Correct, but there are other factors that the judges take into account, such as entertainment, showmanship, likeability. Cyr did not successfully retrieve the gem, but the entire court loves him. Valerian took the gem, but that alone does not place him above Cyr in the Selection’s rankings.”

“Are you telling me I’m going to end up marrying that clown?”

“I am sure he would object to being called a clown, but… yes. With only a handful of trials left, none are in a position to beat him. Least of all Valerian.” Tellren paused. “When the Royal Selection is over, Fate will bind your souls, and you will marry Lord Cyr Mandrell.”

I paused, my heart pounding, my head spinning. “Well…fuck.”

CHAPTERNINE

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