I picked up my butter knife and leaned closer to Meegana. “Do you think this is sharp enough to stab through my eye and put me out of this misery?”
She snorted, nearly blowing her champagne through her nose. “Not likely, Lara.” She dabbed at her mouth and said in a lower tone, “But it’s kind of cute how much your ma—” She coughed. “I mean, the crown prince, is protective of you.”
I gave her a strained smile as Michas leaned closer to me and trailed a finger up my arm. At the head of the table, Norivun flashed his teeth as a rumble of his magic shook the dinnerware.
I sighed. The entire dinner Michas had done everything in his power to provoke Norivun. It was male dominance on full display, and unfortunately, I was the female caught in the middle.
The only saving grace was that Georgyanna left me alone. She sat three places down from me, and I thought for certain she’d utter snide comments, say that I’d cheated to win the test, or stare daggers my way, but instead, she’d grown entirely quiet. Almost frighteningly so. A cunning look had entered her eyes that was as cold as ice. She still watched me. Still studied me, but her petty remarks remained at bay. Instead, I could have sworn that she was planning something, and that gave me pause more than any other interaction we’d had.
By the time the final course was cleared away, I stood warily. Norivun was already striding toward me as Michas crowded my space.
I held my breath as I waited for the fireworks to truly start between them, but just as the prince was about to round the table, Sir Featherton stopped him and murmured something into his ear.
The prince glared at Michas, then narrowed his eyes at the Trial archon. Norivun raised his hands, arguing, but Sir Featherton lifted his shoulders and gestured to the door.
Fuming, the prince finally gave a curt nod and followed him out of the dining hall.
I straightened. The prince was gone, and Michas was my date. Now could be my one and only time to truly learn what Michas knew of the king, the unrest, and the missing fae.
“Did you have any particular plans for us tonight?” I asked him and prodded him toward the balcony doors.
“I did actually, but I’m afraid they didn’t pan out.” He cast an aggrieved look toward where the prince had departed.
I gave him a sly smile. “Did they have anything to do with Prince Norivun?”
Michas grinned wickedly. “I was too apparent, wasn’t I?”
“I expected more from you,” I replied, forcing my tone to sound playful. “You seem like the type who manipulates others well, but what you were doing at dinner was anything but subtle.”
“Indeed, but I couldn’t help myself. It was too easy. If only I had Georgyanna’s manipulation affinity. Dinner would have been immensely more interesting then.”
“Those who are true masters at the art of manipulation don’t need magic to do their bidding.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “You sound as though you speak from experience.” He held the balcony door open for me as music from the dining hall carried outside into the night. I stepped onto the balcony’s smooth stone floor as a gust of wind grazed my skin.
Shivering, I pulled my shawl up. “Your father would know better than me.”
Michas joined me by the railing. “Are we really going to speak of my father on our date?”
“I can’t help it. He intrigues me.”
“Why?”
I propped an elbow on the railing and faced him. “He’s so bold. It’s obvious he wants to take the king’s throne. I’m surprised King Novakin hasn’t executed him.”
Michas sneered. “As if the king could do that. If he started executing territory archons, anarchy would ensue.”
“So your father acts the way he does because he feels his position keeps him safe?”
Michas frowned and scratched his chin. “Let’s not talk about him.”
“Then what would you have us talk about? The Trial? The test today? My wonderful performance?”
He laughed when I batted my eyelashes. “You blew the other three away. I had no idea you’d mastered such control of mistphasing.”
“I had to. Without wings . . .” I shrugged. “I needed to learn how to travel, and mistphasing was the only solution.”
He eyed my bare back. “It is peculiar that you lack wings. I’ve never met another Solis without them.”
“Be careful, Lord Crimsonale, or you may offend me.”
He chuckled. “Something tells me you’re not easily offended.”
I sighed. “You may be right. Many fae have singled me out because I’m different. I’ve grown used to it.”
“I wasn’t singling you out, and I certainly wouldn’t whisper about you like the commoners were at the test.” He took another sip of his champagne, a genuine frown knitting his features.
A moment of doubt hit me at his sympathetic response. It looked . . . sincere.
Months ago, my initial impression of Michas had been mostly positive at the Betrothal Ball, even though I hadn’t been sure if I could trust him. But Cailis’s truth affinity had warned me to be careful. Michas was too gray to fully trust . . .
I shook my head. Everything had always been convoluted with the young Crimsonale.
Stepping closer to him, I studied his expression. “You know, I’ve been wondering if you’re kinder than your father. He would no doubt gloat if he saw the Solisarium citizens ridiculing me.”
Michas studied me over the rim of his glass. “Back to my father, I see.”
“Can you blame me?”
“Why do you want to speak of him?”
I scrunched my eyebrows together. “Can I be as frank with you as we were the night of the Betrothal Ball?”
His lips quirked up. “I don’t see why not. There’s something about you that just begs me to be honest.”
Hopefully, that’s true. “In that case, what does your father have against the king?”
“Back to this . . .”
“In all fairness, you’re the one who started this conversation when we first met. You can’t be annoyed now just because I’m curious.”
His wings ruffled slightly. “But that was before.”
“Before what?”
“Before I knew you were the prince’s mate.”
I arched an eyebrow as a cold breeze drew goosebumps from my skin. “So you believe since he’s my mate that you can’t speak freely with me anymore?”
“I believe that the prince is loyal to his father, and since you’re the prince’s mate, I’m assuming by default that you will also be loyal to the king.”
I sucked in a breath. Michas Crimsonale, for all of his tactile maneuvers, didn’t seem truly evil like his father, even if he did have a competitive history with the crown prince, so I decided to throw caution to the wind.
“What if neither of us was loyal to the king?” I said quietly.
Michas’s drink paused halfway to his lips. “What game are you playing now?”
“No game. I simply gave you a statement, and I’m curious what your response will be.”
He brought his glass to his lips and sipped slowly, his gaze locked in scrutiny. “If neither of you were loyal to the king, I would ask why not.”
“What about you? Are you loyal to your father?”
“Of course.”
I cocked my head. “That was a quick response.”
“Because it’s true.”