Just don’t drool down my shirt. At least not while he was sober.
Not to mention he still felt like he was drowning inside the heavy layers of fabric. He’d tried his best to talk his father into rearranging five hundred years of royal de Orczy dress code, but his father refused. Apparently it was a mark of honor to look like a ten-ton walking freak of nature.
Boggi kept passing a warning glare toward him.
Oh the urge to make an obscene gesture was so strong that he honestly didn’t know how he kept himself from doing it.
But he wouldn’t embarrass his father today. Today he was going to look and act royal if it killed him.
And it damn well might. Especially if their assassin decided to make a move whil his limbs were weighted down. Then again, all he had to do was throw his clothes at the man. The weight of them alone would crush him.
“Don’t worry, Cai. We’re with you.”
Since he was in public and around so many other dignitaries, he didn’t respond to Darling’s encouraging words in his ear. His father had taken up an official stance just inside a doorway so that he could greet territorial governors, ambassadors, senators and other representatives from the various planets that made up the highest rank of the Nine Systems—last time he’d seen this many aristos in one place, his head had been under a ten-foot blade that was about to come rattling down and kill him.
Yeah, it felt about the same way today. But at least no one had made a move on his dad. So far the assassin was lying low.
Cowardly bastard.
He stood to his father’s right while Boggi remained on the left to introduce the men and women wanting to speak to his father. The lights were turned up so bright that they washed everyone with a halo effect. Most of all, they made the shiny fabrics and jewels glitter. A jewel thief would be in nirvana to see this.
Whereas normal ship walls were most often drab gray, these had been overlaid with gold so that they shimmered. Servants mingled among the elite with gold trays filled with finger foods from numerous worlds and alcohol, which seemed to be a bad idea. Several of the people were imbibing a little too much and speaking way too freely.
Caillen swept the room doing what he always did in a crowd—looking for someone out to kill him or attack. But there was no visible threat. At least not yet. Well, none other than Darling and Maris off in a far corner, laughing at him as he stood with his feet together and his hands folded stiffly in front of him.
What a stupid gesture. He looked like he should be standing in a box on the shelf of a toy store.
Hello, people, I have no genitalia and I can only repeat three things programmed into my chip.
“It’s killing you, isn’t it?” Darling let out an evil snicker as he intruded on Caillen’s silent tirade.
Maris joined him in the taunt. “I have to say only you could make that garish outfit look sexy.” He purred like a contented cat eyeing a piece of meat it was craving.
Caillen made a low “heh” sound before he brushed his hand through his hair and made a subtle obscenity at them.
“Ah, now that’s just rude.” Darling tsked. “You keep that up and we’ll abandon you to this.”
Maris scoffed. “Speak for yourself. If that’s an invitation, I say sign me up in the backroom, baby. So not fair to tease me like this, Cai, when you know how big a crush I have on you.”
“Isn’t that right, Caillen?”
His father’s question startled him as four pairs of eyes looked at him expectantly. Shit. What had been said and who were the elderly couple in front of him?
Luckily Darling had been paying attention. “They’re Ferryns. Ambassador Torren and his wife. Say, yes. Absolutely. And smile like you want her in your bed.”
He had no idea why that last bit was thrown in, but he did exactly what Darling said.
The older lady blushed. “You’re very kind, Your Highness. It’s such a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard only wonderful things about you.”
Really? That had to be a first. It definitely hadn’t come out of Boggi’s mouth.
His uncle’s either. In fact, his uncle had done everything he could to make Caillen stay behind. But since he was convinced the assassin would make his attack against his father at the summit, Caillen had insisted he stay by his father’s side.
“Kiss her hand,” Darling whispered.
Caillen obeyed. She blushed even more before she and her husband left them.
His father frowned. “You seem a bit preoccupied. Are you all right?”
“Not preoccupied. Just not used to having this many aristos around me without them checking their wallets or calling for my arrest.”
Darling choked in his ear. “I notice you left out some of the other more choice times.”
Caillen gave him a scathing glare.
His father clapped him on the back. “You’re doing fine, my boy. Just as I knew you would.”
Yeah… He hadn’t pissed on the rug yet.