I Doubt It

"And you, Kastien?" I ask, including him in the conversation.

I had completely forgotten he was there, he had been so quiet. This usually never happens with me.

"I am completely unattached, so you needn't worry." He gives me a devilish grin.

"Alas, I am now spoken for," I say. "The king requested permission to court me just last night!"

Tristan and Damien offer their congratulations, but Kastien looks appropriately put out. As the conversation continues, I let my eyes catch on the new noblemen entering the great hall. I offer them bright smiles, which is all it takes to get them to come join in on the conversation.

Our group of four quickly grows to ten. All the young men are eager to ask me questions: Which functions will I be attending? Is my dance card all full for the next ball? Why haven't I graced the court with my presence before now?

I haven't mentioned that the king is courting me since I told Kastien and his friends. The new men don't need to know, especially since I need them for this little show I'm putting on for the king.

A herald calls something, but it can't be heard over our chatter in the corner. But out of the corner of my eye, I watch as the Shadow King enters the great hall. In fact, I've been waiting for it. Those seated at the table who spot him rise to show respect.

Kassian doesn't sit right away. He makes those at the table remain standing as his eyes do a sweep around the room. Though I'm not watching him outright, I can feel the moment they land on me. It's as if a current of heat zaps through the air.

At the next thing Damien says, I laugh a little louder than needed.

See? I want to shout. Most men find me beautiful. Most men find me irresistible.

"Lady Kensington." The words aren't shouted, but they resonate through the room as much as if they had been. The men around me quiet instantly and turn to bow to their sovereign.

"Yes, my king?" I ask.

"Have you already told everyone our news?"

"No, sire."

He holds out an arm in my direction while addressing the room. "I'm courting Lady Kensington." His gaze flits meaningfully to the next table over, where his councilors are seated.

The men around me suddenly step backward as though caught doing something naughty. All save Kastien, Damien, and Tristan, who don't seem to care at all that the king has just publicly claimed me as his.

They were his friends. He cast them aside. Why should they care if they irritate him?

Lord Ivan Vasco, the head of the council, rises and holds up his glass of wine. "To a happy courtship!"

Those around the room raise their glasses in turn and repeat the words. Vasco keeps his eyes on mine while he sips from his cup.

I'm watching you, that look says.

I offer a sincere smile in response before inclining my head to the room of congratulators.

Then I let my eyes rest back on the king. I cannot tell by his features if he's reacting at all to seeing me surrounded by men, but perhaps his declaration is reaction enough. He verbally claimed me. Or was that for the benefit of the council alone? It is them, after all, whom he needs to convince of our betrothal.

The king is wearing a violet waistcoat, I realize then.

Somehow, we've managed to match our clothing yet again. It's as if we are trying to look like a united front.

As if I were always meant to be his queen, Kassian lifts a finger and gestures to the seat at his right. A servant leaps from his place at the wall and rushes to pull out the chair. Carefully. Oh so carefully with his proximity to the king.

That's when I notice that two empty chairs rest to the left and right of the king. No one is permitted to sit within two seats of him.

Except me.

The spot to his immediate right is presented to me, and the hall goes quiet as one after the other, the nobles notice that chair—the one right next to the king—being held open.

I tug at my gloves, making sure they're secure, before I excuse myself from my circle of admirers and cross the distance to Kassian.

Once I'm seated, I keep my hands in my lap, careful not to bump anything or touch a certain someone. We're much closer than the law's five feet, but if Kassian is permitting it, I'm not about to complain. Besides, the most delicious scent of lavender and mint and musk fills my senses at the close proximity. The Shadow King smells delicious.

Kassian brings a mouthful of what looks like some sort of vegetable soup to his lips. "I see you're making friends. Is acknowledgment everything you hoped it would be?"

"Too soon to tell."

A servant places a napkin in my lap before resuming his position along the exterior of the room.

"You look exquisite today," the king says, pitching his voice low. We're separated enough that I don't think anyone else at the table can hear.

"You're trying to make up for what you said yesterday," I say in an equally reserved tone.

"I'm merely speaking the truth."

Well, it's a start.

Down the table, I watch pair after pair of eyes pretending not to be watching me. The men wonder what I've done to have the king claim me. The women watch my every move, wondering how they could get the king to claim them.

My eyes land on Lowell, briefly, who looks away as soon as he realizes he's been caught staring.

Good boy.

I can't believe how well the king has already delivered on his promise. Those letters in my room are a result of dancing with me, of speaking to me where we could be seen in the orchards. And after his announcement today? I can't even imagine what doors he's opened for me now.

"Do you suppose all the women will be wearing purple tomorrow?" I ask, before turning my attention to my food.

"I suspect they'll try to pay off your maids to tell them what color you put on in the mornings."

At that, my eyes narrow. "Is that what you did?" I look meaningfully at his attire that matches my own. "Or did you simply peer through the wall into my bedroom to take a look for yourself?"

Those teeth flash in the widest grin yet. "I promise it's been years since I peeked in on ladies dressing. I'm not twelve anymore."

I sample my own dish. It's just as delicious as last night's supper. "Were you caught?"

"Oh, yes. When Lady Kalfas spotted me, she ratted me out to my mother, who gave me such a scolding that I was never even tempted to try again."

"What words could have possibly persuaded you not to try again?"

"She told me that if I persisted in looking, it was as far as I would ever get with the ladies. And she said no one would ever respect me if I didn't respect them."

I smile into my bowl. "And was it the idea of never getting respect or never getting to do more than look that did it for you?"

"Both," he admits. "As well as the idea of ever having to discuss such things with my mother again."

I laugh gently at that. Though part of me can't help but wonder if he ever did get to do more than look. Intimate relations would be impossible when the law forbids anyone from touching him, wouldn't they?

After a break in the conversation, I say, "Your council is watching us closely."

It's true, though they're being more subtle about it than those seated at our own table.

"They're put out because I forbade them from sitting with me during mealtimes. I have to talk politics all day, but I refuse to have it grace the luncheon table."

"There are ladies on your council?" I say it like a question. I'd assumed they were part of the council, but I realize now that they could simply be the wives of the men. These are modern times, and ladies have more rights and liberties than ever before. Still, the monarchy tends to be slower to adapt than everyone else.

"Yes, Lady Desma Terzi is the royal treasurer. I've never met anyone better with numbers. And then Lady Tasoula Mangas is my liaison with the common folk here in the city. She keeps tabs on the merchants and the economy, apprising me of anything noteworthy."

"And the other two gentlemen? I've already had the pleasure of meeting Vasco." If I'm to run the kingdom one day, I will need to know the names of all those on the council.

"Lord Vasco can be protective. He was an old friend of my father's. He's the most well-connected man in the kingdom. If there's a problem I need solving, he's the first to have a solution. Then there's Justin, the general over the men stationed here in the city. And lastly, Ampelios. He … gets things done."

"Assassin?" I guess immediately.

Kassian takes a sip of his drink, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Among other things."

We both watch as Ampelios takes a sharp knife to the meat in front of him, slicing the steak into even pieces and stabbing them with the point to place a morsel on his tongue.

"Those are the five individuals you are putting on a show for," Kassian adds.

"I've been told I would have made an excellent actress were it not for my noble birth."

"I don't doubt it." Kassian sweeps his eyes over the guests seated at our table. "I've placed at my own table those closer to my age. Not that it matters much with the distance I must maintain from them."

I want to ask him why he must maintain such a distance.

Why does the law prevent people from touching him? Does it have something to do with his shadows? But I do not know the king well enough to ask such questions yet.