Ivetta was back to normal the next day. At least she seemed to be back to normal. She was smiling, talking, and laughing as if nothing ever happened. I went along with the illusion, although I wasn’t about to sit around and hope it wouldn’t happen again. She had always been stable, feeling and expressing vibrant emotions, yes, but not allowing them to control her, with few exceptions. The only triggers I could pinpoint were her scars and her mother’s birthday. I was already working on desensitizing her to the scars. I couldn’t change a calendar day. And I couldn’t shake the feeling that the anniversary of her mother’s death, which fell in the middle of the goodwill gala, would hit her even harder.
She was, however, very excited about the upcoming gala. Her experience with it would be radically different this year, and it occurred to me that distraction may be all she needed to keep her mind off of the past. The preparations would do nicely in that regard until the gala arrived. She threw herself into them wholeheartedly, allowing me the opportunity to put together a few surprise announcements for the week of the gala. The excitement of the first night may be enough on its own, but the addition of extra fanfare for Gilbert, who was now officially the king of Obsidian, should ensure there would be no problems. Sariel had settled on a day for Luke and Arianna’s engagement ceremony, and I convinced them to hold the announcement until the second day. The dreaded anniversary fell on the third night. I wasn’t sure if it would affect Ivetta then, the fourth day, or both days, so Belle agreed to come up to the palace for a visit on the fourth day. For the third day…
“Come in,” Jin called in response to my knock on his door.
He was sprawled across one of the two red sofas situated in front of the fireplace, a bottle of liquor open on the coffee table, a glass in his hand. The brick hearth was cold and empty this time of year. Candles on the stone mantle and in the brass wall sconces cast flickering lights across the bare stone walls, unadorned except for a single red and gold drapery centered between the paired tall, thin windows on either side of the fireplace. A large floral rug covered most of the hardwood floor, muting my steps as I crossed to the well-worn sofa opposite Jin. Unless he was with a woman, Jin had an open door policy for his younger brothers, and I knew several of them took him up on it regularly.
“What brings you here tonight?” he asked, reaching across to the bottle on the coffee table and pouring me a glass.
“Theresa,” I replied, taking the glass and glancing disdainfully at the pile of books on the floor next to the coffee table.
“Well, as you can see, she’s not here,” he said, gesturing around the room. “She’s in town visiting her family. Didn’t Ivetta tell you that?”
“When are you proposing?” I asked, studying the chessboard on the coffee table. A game was in progress, and the white side was losing.
Jin’s burgundy eyes widened for a moment, and then he started laughing. “Propose? What, is this something Ivetta put you up to?”
“No.” I took a sip and leaned forward to move a white piece.
Jin moved a black piece. “I have thought about it,” he said. “But we haven’t been dating for that long.”
“You’ve known her for a few years,” I replied, moving another piece.
“Yeah, there is that,” he said thoughtfully as he made his next move.
“She’s not your mother.”
He drained his glass. “You don’t beat around the bush,” he muttered, pouring himself another drink. “Assuming I can get past that issue, there’s still the cranky nobility to consider. Quite a few of them are still upset about Leon. Maybe after things settle down a bit, after the goodwill gala-”
“During.”
His hand froze on a chess piece as he looked up at me. “Now you’re telling me when to do it?”
“The third day.”
He swung his legs around to the floor, resting his elbows on his thighs as he stared at me. “You’ve gotta be kidding.”
“The nobility will be harder on her if you wait until she’s pregnant,” I said with a knowing smirk.
He chuckled. “Good point, but I don’t believe for a second you’re here to defend her good name. What’s the real reason?”
“If I win,” I replied, moving another piece, “you propose to Theresa on the third day of the gala.”
He snorted. “Like I’m taking that bet. You always win. Give me a straight answer.”
I was mildly surprised it took this long for him to ask. “The anniversary of Ivetta’s mother’s death falls on the third night,” I said coolly.
“Ah, now it makes sense,” he said, leaning back against the sofa and taking another long swallow of his drink. “And you’re trying to distract her so she doesn’t fall apart like on her mother’s birthday, right?”
“Yes.”
“So, you want me to make a life-changing decision, all to keep your wife happy?”
“Yes.”
He grinned and shrugged. “Alright.”
I chuckled. “You were already planning on proposing.”
“Yeah, but it was fun seeing how close I could get to making you beg, and you did me a favor. I hadn’t decided when to do it, and Theresa will be all for anything that keeps Ivetta from becoming an emotional wreck again. Here, what do you think?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, handing it across the chessboard to me.
I popped it open and studied the ring. It was fairly simple, with a large oval emerald mounted on a gold band.
“She’ll like it,” I said, handing it back to him.
“Kinda plain, I know, but she’s not big on jewelry. The wedding ring is gonna be fancier. Are you gonna stay and finish this game?”
I drained my glass and set it down as I made my final move. “Checkmate.”
He stared in shock at the chessboard. “No way you did that without cheating.”
“Perhaps you weren’t paying attention,” I said, smirking as I stood up. “Theresa may be gone, but Ivetta isn’t.”
He laughed. “Yeah, rub it in. Are you planning any other major surprises for the goodwill gala? An announcement about a new heir, perhaps?”
“That is not so easy to plan,” I threw back over my shoulder as I left.
Although that would definitely distract her, and it was a possibility.
The gala promised to be significantly different for me this year, too. There was no pressing business that had to be dealt with, no spies hiding in the wings, no war looming on the horizon. I could keep work to a minimum and enjoy the festivities this time. That also meant I could keep a closer eye on Ivetta.
Everything went to plan until late morning of the fourth day, when a maid burst through my office door without even knocking.
“Please excuse me, King Chevalier,” she gasped, out of breath from running. She was young, possibly just a teenager, and her eyes were wild in her ashen face.
“Whoa, slow down. Why don’t you take a seat and catch your breath?” Luke asked, gently taking her by the arm and leading her to a chair.
She shook her head. “But - the queen-”
“What is it?” I demanded.
“Lord Harrison - he-”
I glanced at Clavis, who rose from his seat and left. Lord Harrison was an entitled, unreasonable man, allowed to continue his poor behavior due to the wealth and influence of his father, who had been a personal friend of my father. Sariel usually handled him. Ivetta knew him and avoided him. He was one of the few people that she unequivocally despised.
“I’m so sorry,” the maid finally said, dropping her gaze to her lap.
“What happened?” Luke asked kindly.
“He was angry with me, and when Queen Ivetta intervened, he started yelling at her,” she said miserably.
“Where?” I ground out.
“The west wing.” She put her face in her hands. “This is all my fault…”
I left Luke to calm her down and headed toward the west wing. This wasn’t her fault. Not if Harrison was involved. Unfortunately, Ivetta and Harrison were easy to find in spite of the vague directions, and not just because of the raised voices. Word of the altercation was spreading quickly, and servants, guards, and other nobility were swarming to the area.
Clavis was frozen in his tracks at the edge of the crowd, his golden eyes wide. I pushed past him, irritated that he wasn’t intervening, but then I saw why.
Ivetta didn’t need any help.
Harrison was livid. His face was bright red, his eyes bugging out of his face. Ivetta, by contrast, was the picture of composure, with only her flashing green eyes giving any indication of her anger. Her guards stood behind her, their hands on the hilts of their swords. She was physically smaller than Harrison, but it was obvious that she was in complete control of the situation. Harrison took a menacing step toward her, and she didn’t even move. Nor did she have to. Julius’ sword was at his throat in an instant, stopping him in his tracks.
“How interesting,” Ivetta said in a pleasant, calm tone. “You have chosen a third option, which is to spend some time in our dungeons.” She suddenly narrowed her eyes, and her next words were hard and frigid. “Take him away, Julius.”
“With pleasure,” he growled, grabbing Harrison by the arm and dragging him down the hallway.
Ivetta turned her back on Harrison as Julius dragged him away, still spewing insults directed not only toward her, but toward the entire royal family. She scanned the crowd coolly, her eyes landing on me as I forced my way through her captivated audience.
“Mark, please assist Julius,” she said to her remaining guard.
“Gladly,” he muttered.
I came to her side, watching as her guards hauled Harrison away. The man met my eyes and fell silent, his face paling.
“Edith, please prepare Mr. Harrison’s room for another guest,” Ivetta ordered the nearest maid.
I looked back at Ivetta. She knew all the servants by their first names, but there was nothing familiar about her tone or bearing right now.
“Yes, your highness,” the maid, Edith, said with a deep curtsey. “What of his belongings?”
“Take them to Sariel’s office. Wendy, please go check on Melanie,” she continued, effortlessly moving on to her next order. “It’s fine if she needs the rest of the day off. I’ll check in with her tomorrow.”
“Yes, your highness,” Wendy said, dropping into a curtsey before she left.
Harrison’s attempt to undermine Ivetta had backfired badly. She was impressive, completely calm and decisive, and not a single person in the gathered crowd dared to speak, let alone question her. They were looking at her with the same awe and fear that I normally received.
“The rest of you will have to excuse us,” she said, taking my arm. “Could we get some fresh air?” she asked, looking up at me.
Nobody but me would have noticed the flicker of relief in her green eyes. I led her through the silent crowd, wondering how long it would take for her mask to fall off.
“What a mess,” she finally said, exhaling deeply and slumping against my arm when we stepped out onto the cobblestone path.
“You handled it well,” I replied. Much better than I anticipated, given the day.
“I did, didn’t I?” she said smugly, smiling up at me. “There’s something very satisfying about being in a position of power over somebody like that. I’m used to being in the poor maid’s shoes, just having to stand there and take it, hoping he doesn’t get physically violent.” She sighed again, leaning heavily against me. “But I’m glad it’s over.”
She was acting normally, even mentioning the past without any break in her mood. This was what I wanted, but I felt uncertainty tugging at the edges of my mind. Was my plan of distraction working this well, or had I completely misjudged her? If the latter was the case, then I had no way of telling when she was going to have another breakdown.
“Chevalier? Is something wrong?” she asked, drawing me back to the present.
I looked down at her, green eyes concerned and focused on me, head tilted slightly to the side as she studied my face. She was fine. Perfectly normal. Today was the day I expected her to fall apart, and she was as strong as ever.
“I don’t understand you,” I finally said.
Her brow furrowed slightly. “What don’t you understand?” she asked tentatively.
“You know what day it is.”
“Oh.” She looked down at the cobblestone for a moment, biting her lip as her eyes danced across the pavement with the racing of her thoughts. I shouldn’t have said anything. The point was to distract her, not to make her focus harder on the day.
“You planned it,” she said, looking up at me with wide eyes. “This whole week, you’ve been keeping me busy so I wouldn’t think about it.”
“Was I successful, or were my efforts unnecessary?” I asked quietly.
“I…I don’t know,” she said slowly. “I guess…I thought this day would be hard, but I haven’t had time to think about it. Maybe? But then I didn’t think her birthday would bother me that badly…” She shrugged helplessly. “I just don’t know.”
That wasn’t much of an answer. We were passing the gazebo, and I led her inside, rounding on her in frustration as soon as we were hidden in its shade.
“How do I stop it, Ivetta?” I asked, my tone harsher than I meant it to be.
She stared up at me in surprise. “Is that what’s been bothering you?” she asked softly.
“You fell apart,” I said, loosening my tight grip on her arms. “How do I keep that from happening?”
She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her cheek on my chest. “I don’t know, Chevalier. I didn’t know it would happen before. Maybe it won’t happen again. I don’t know.”
That wasn’t reassuring, either. I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her tight, unsure what else to do, and then she spoke again.
“Chevalier? Are you worried about the next few days?”
“Why would I be?” I murmured, nuzzling into her hair.
“I just thought…maybe you were thinking about what happened last year. The abduction.”
I hadn’t even stopped to consider it, but the way my stomach churned made it clear that she had hit on something.
“I’m not going anywhere, Chevalier,” she said softly.
“No, you’re not,” I said, scooping her up and heading to the bench at the back of the gazebo. I sat down, keeping her firmly on my lap. “You’re staying right here.”
She smiled at me, her green eyes sparkling. “Not quite.” She pulled up her skirt and shifted around to straddle my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I like this spot better.”
“So do I,” I replied, running my hands up her sides.
“So,” she said, running her hands across my shoulders, “are we going to talk about this, or would you rather do something else?” She peeked up at me coyly and dropped her eyes back to her fingers, roaming across my chest.
“What do you think?” I asked, catching her chin and bringing her lips to mine.
“I think we should probably talk about it, but it’s a beautiful spring day, and it would be a shame to waste it,” she murmured, sliding her hands up into my hair as she kissed me again.
“I’m taking the rest of the gala off,” I breathed against her lips, pressing against her back to bring her closer for another kiss. Her knees tightened against my thighs, and that combined with the soft moan in the back of her throat made it clear we wouldn’t be staying in the gardens for long.
“Really?” she asked breathlessly, a shiver running through her as I ran my hands down to her hips.
“Really,” I replied, running a hand down to her knee and up under her skirt to trail across her thigh. “You’re in a compromising position, little dove.”
“Mm, you’re right,” she moaned, pushing back on my shoulders reluctantly. “Maybe we should tone this down a bit.”
“Or take it inside,” I said, smirking as I hooked my hands around her thighs and leaned back against the bench.
The way her green eyes roved across me, the deep flush in her cheeks - she couldn’t hold out for long.
“What about Lord Harrison?” she asked, making an attempt and brushing my hair back from my face.
“He can sit in the dungeons until I get around to him,” I said dismissively, digging my fingers into her thighs.
She smirked and pushed herself up on her knees to lean over me, cupping my face in her hands. “That may be a while,” she said, pressing into me as she kissed me hard.
“Somebody’s going to see us, Ivetta,” I warned her, moving my hands up to her waist and kissing her throat as she tilted her head back.
“So what? We’re married,” she gasped, her back arching under my fingers.
I chuckled. “You say that now…”
“I don’t want to go inside yet, Chevalier,” she breathed, clutching at my shirt as my kisses reached her collarbone. “Just a little more…”
“You are demanding today,” I murmured, untying the top lace of her dress.
“Chevalier-”
I pulled her collar aside to bare her shoulder. “You wanted more.”
“Oh, Chevalier,” she moaned as I kissed and nibbled at her bare skin.
Voices drifted to us on the breeze, indistinct and far away, but close enough to annoy me. I sighed and fixed her collar, tying the laces again.
“We’re going inside,” I said firmly, sitting up straight. She didn’t pull back, and I came face to face with her tongue, licking her lower lip teasingly. “After this,” I amended myself, kissing her hard.
She giggled into my mouth. “Now who’s demanding?”
“I don’t want you out of my sight, Ivetta. Not until the gala is over.”
She pulled back and stood up, smoothing her skirt and dress. “Then you’d better come with me,” she said coyly, turning away quickly enough to make her skirts twirl around her.
I easily caught her, sliding my hand around her waist to rest on her hip opposite me as we walked back to the palace. Its undulating movement under my hand was intoxicating.
“Where are you off to, Chevalier?” Jin called from somewhere in the vicinity.
“Working on a surprise,” I called back, not taking my eyes off of Ivetta.
“What surprise?” she asked, looking up at me curiously.
I leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I’ll tell you in our room."21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHECtc8GfKw
