I twirl, watching the skirt flare. The dress is heavy and restricts my breathing, but as my mother says, beauty is pain. The maids kneel before me and slip glittering silver heels made from crushed diamonds onto my feet. When they are finished, they stand and brush glitter across my chest to match the natural shine on my cheeks.
I look like a lady, a true noble, yet I have never felt less like myself.
I nod in thanks, and they leave me alone for a moment. Tears fill my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall, even as I grieve. I grieve for what my life may have been. I always knew this day would come, that I would be married off, but I was foolish and thought I could change my mother’s opinion.
“Alejandra!” my mother calls, and laughter follows.
He is here.
My future husband.
I roll back my shoulders and blink away the tears, the jewels on my lashes weighing them down. I have a duty to my people. I will marry him, I will be a good noble, and I will continue to help those in need who deserve it most. From my station of power, I can do more.
Even if it means I am never truly happy.
Forcing my lips into a smile, I pick up my dress in delicate hands and leave the room, determination and strength in each step. They will never see me falter, they will never see me cry.
I descend the stairs gracefully with my head held high and arm coasting along the bannister as I was taught. Waiting at the bottom are my mother and father. They stand side by side in a show of strength, but they barely look at each other. My father wears a dress coat and slacks, his grey hair pushed back, the colouring from time and age and not natural like mine. My mother looks every bit the lady in a golden, skin-tight gown and sparkling jewels.
The other man… His back is turned to me as he laughs with my parents, making small talk, but when they quiet and look over, he follows their gazes to me.
He’s handsome.
It’s my first thought. His high cheekbones and arched, pointed ears assure me he’s a full-blooded high fae. His hands are pale and slender without calluses or scars, announcing he has never done manual labour. He is slim and tall like all fae, and his face is feminine with thick pouty lips and a smooth straight nose. He has lush lashes I can see from here, but his bulky shoulders promise he is all male. His blond hair is long and straight, held back behind the ears to show them off with the rest of it falling across his shoulders.
He is as a noble man should be. Those blue eyes run down my body and heat with attraction, so I have hope—hope this might not be horrible. But my heart doesn’t flutter or pound, and my stomach does not twist in knots like I have heard the lower-class women admit happens when they are attracted to a man.
I can appreciate his beauty and strength, but it’s not enough. I just hope that as time passes, it can grow to be. My mother and father have a heartless marriage, and it works for them.
Even that lie feels bitter in my mind—it’s not a lie, but a version of the truth. Fae never lie, we cannot… Well, they cannot. I have the uncanny ability to, something I have never disclosed. If they knew I lied to them daily, they would die of shock.
As I reach the base of the stairs, I stop on the bottom step, towering above him. He bows and takes my hand, clasping it between his as he bends lower and, eyes on me, kisses the back of my hand. His soft lips trace delicately across my skin like a butterfly kiss. I ache for something to happen, a spark, anything, but all I feel is the softness of his lips.
I school my face into a pleasant expression as he rises, and one of his eyebrows arches slightly. He’s probably used to fae women falling at his feet at that movement. I see the interest in his eyes double when I don’t. He believes I’m a challenge, strong, not assuming that I do not desire him. He thinks that’s impossible, I can read it on his face.
“I am Theofanis Ryder.” I inhale slightly at that, and his lips quirk, knowing the impact his name has. Ryder, as in wind ryder. He is an element controller, which are rare and powerful. No wonder he’s on track to become an adviser to the queen.
My eyes dart to my mother, who urges me on with a small smile. This is a good match in her eyes. He’s powerful, very powerful. Marrying him would get me one step closer to the throne, and the closer you become, the more elite you are in the nobles’ eyes.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Alejandra Blossom.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” he murmurs, his tongue as silver as my hair. Most fae’s are, but his words are extra slick. It’s a necessary skill for an adviser, and I’m betting he knows how to play word games to avoid the truth, using fractions of reality to make it valid and have you believing anything.
We simply stare at each other until my mother gets closer. I see a spark of calculation in his gaze as he tries to figure me out—my weaknesses, my strengths. I show him nothing but a polite bland face. “Alej, Theofanis will be escorting us. Shall we leave now? We do not wish to be rude and insult the queen,” she remarks offhandedly, like it’s a polite reassurance, but we all know the truth.
To upset the queen would be dangerous. Very dangerous. She no longer trusts anyone, and she no longer cares to hide her real nature behind a mask.
“Of course, Mother, how rude of us.” I turn to Theo. “Shall we?” I inquire, and he offers me his arm. I step down and release my dress, placing my fingers on the crook of his elbow as he turns and leads us from the house to the waiting carriage outside.
The door is open, and Mother and Father climb in first before Theo helps me into the carriage, holding the voluminous skirt of my gown for me so I can slide in. He follows and sits next to me on the bench—close. His thigh presses against mine, the gesture too intimate to be considered socially acceptable. I notice my mother’s eye twitch at the break in protocol, but she says nothing, which is yet another indication of how much she wants this to work.
I turn my head and watch through the small window as we smoothly pass the large mansions and houses, and travel across the bridge to the castle. The incline has me holding onto the edge of the door, and I gasp quietly when Theo grips my thigh—high on my thigh—inappropriately.
My mother or father don’t notice, so I swing my head around and narrow my eyes on him. He winks and squeezes before releasing my leg when my mother looks back at us.
I blank my expression again and stare out of the window, ignoring the strange icky feeling on my thigh from his touch. It felt…wrong. I watch as we pass those walking to the castle, until we pull up at the front.
The door opens, and Mother and Father exit first as the oldest members of our house. Theo is next, his hand outstretched to assist me as I slip out. As soon as I am on solid ground, I gather my skirt in one hand and place my other in his as we follow the procession up the stairs and into the castle.
Theo leans down, and as we walk, he whispers, “You look ravishing.”
“Thank you, you look very nice as well,” I reply, my lips barely moving from the smile I wear for passersby. A compliment is to always be returned, and it can also be seen as an insult if I so choose. For him to notice I look ravishing tonight, he is implying I have made an effort, and any other time, I do not. It’s a tricky game, but I refuse to cause a scene with such a minor thing, so I let it go. Those sorts of social rules only tend to apply to the older fae who are stuck in their ways.
We proceed into the ballroom and sit, awaiting the queen. The room is impressive with high ceilings and floating diamond chandeliers cascading down. The marble floor is inlaid with magic and gold. The entire space screams elegance and power. Her throne sits upon a dais, and all the white cloth-covered tables face it. Behind the throne are two large stained glass windows depicting some of the battles we have faced over the years. My eyes catch on a large wolf in one corner of the window. Its mouth is open in a snarl as it eats the fae, but I drag my gaze away and meet the stares of the nosey nobles staring at Theo and me. They are amusing themselves until the queen arrives.