CHAPTER 4
Dorian
WE ARRIVED EARLY IN the morning. And when I say we, I mean two guards and me. The Seelie Queen wouldn’t allow me to bring any more people. More than likely she didn’t want any more dirty UnSeelie crowding her palace.
I snorted, causing one of the Lower Fae unpacking my things to look up. The short, meek male could have been High Fae had they been taller and more attractive. I honestly was surprised the Seelie Queen would lower herself to let anyone not like her even be in the palace, let alone handle anyone’s things. But for all, I knew the Lower Fae could have been assigned to me because I wasn’t worthy of one of her own serving me.
“Your highness?” the servant asked, his eyes down.
“Nothing.” I shook my head and then paused. “Wait, what can you tell me about the princess?”
At the mention of the princess, the servant's eyes darted up from the floor and then quickly back to the ground. “The princess is wonderful. A warm embrace in a cold winter storm.” The love and adoration in the servant’s voice surprised me even more so since he kept going. “There are no words to describe her beauty and grace. The very definition of—”
“I get it,” I cut him off, “she’s a goddess.”
“No! Not a goddess,” the servant cried out but then quickly lowered his voice. “A goddess would not seek to acknowledge those lower than her. Her Highness is beyond any of those such things. You are a lucky Fae indeed to be engaged to such as she.”
“I see,” I drew out raising a brow at him. I wasn’t sure how I felt about marrying someone who was thought so highly of by her people. It was great for being a leader, not so much when trying to woo them.
“Is there anything else I can help you with, your highness?”
“No, no. That is all. Thank you.” I waved him off and turned back to the room they had put me in. Thankfully, the servant hurried out of the room and I was alone once more. The room was furnished well enough, but it was nothing compared to the room I had back home and it wasn’t going to help me with the princess.
Scrubbing a hand over my face, I sighed. I had only just gotten here, and I was already ready to go home. Fortunately, I’d only had a few encounters with Seelie Fae throughout my last hundred years or so. The few times I had gotten together with them hadn’t been pleasant. Everything took effort. Every word, every facial expression was being judged all the time. One wrong look at the wrong person and you could find yourself in the Seelie Queen’s dungeon. I’d heard it was even worse than being exiled to the Shadow Realm, and I could believe it. Speaking of good impressions, I doubted the queen would like it if I wandered her halls in mud covered clothing.
I dragged my shirt off letting it fall to the floor. I thought for a moment to just leave it there, let them think the man they were giving their precious princess to was a slob but remembering the servant who had coward, not daring to meet my gaze made guilt eat at me. Sighing, I leaned down to pick up the shirt from the ground. Throwing it onto the bed on my way to the wardrobe, I dug through my clothes and frowned. I really shouldn’t have let my mother pack for me. There was nothing but frills and furs. Sometimes I wondered if she had wished for a daughter.
Rolling my eyes, I grabbed the shirt with the least bit of frills and paired it with a pair of black pants. There was one thing my mother, and I had in common and that was our love of black. There wasn’t a speck of color in my wardrobe, which was just the way I liked it. Compared to the Seelie I would stick out like a sore thumb.
The thought made me smile. It would piss the queen off to no end for sure. A knock on the door drew my attention away from the wardrobe. Before I could answer the door, it was pushed open and a long legged blonde walked in.
“So you’re him, huh?” the unimpressed sneer on her face did nothing to mar her beauty. Long pale hair swung behind her as she strutted into my room. The high slit in the dress she wore gave me a glimpse of her shapely legs when she took a step. The sparkle in her eye when I finally met her gaze told me she knew I was looking, and she knew how good she looked. No way this was the princess.
“And you are?” I gestured to her as she stopped in front of me. Her eyes roamed over me, pausing at my bare chest that I couldn’t help but puff out at the attention.
“Don’t worry about me. It’s you who you should be worried.” She pointed a perfectly shaped nail at me.
“Is that so?” I smirked and crossed my arms over my chest, which drew her attention to my biceps. She gave them a long appreciative look before sniffing.
“You listen here, princey.”
Princey? I laughed to myself but didn’t respond.
“The woman you are going to be marrying isn’t just some slop that you can use once and toss aside.” I opened my mouth to defend myself but she cut me off, “Don’t think we don’t know about your reputation. Women talk, even across realms.” the positively lethal tone of her voice made me flinch.
“She’s worth way more than her mother is trying to sell her off for.” The bitterness that had come into her voice caught my interest. So far everyone loved the princess but hated the mother. It was good information to tuck away for later.
“I am beginning to see that,” I responded, catching her off guard. Slipping one arm and then the other into my shirt I let it hang off of me without buttoning it up. “Your princess seems to have quite the fan base.”
My visitor opened her mouth, but I kept going, “But since you have heard of me. I am sure you are aware of my tendency to win, and while your princess might be fantastic and all, that does not make her immune to my charms.”
This made the woman laugh, but I ignored her and continued, “My mother wishes me to marry the Seelie Princess, so that is what I will do and no one, not even the princess herself will keep me from getting what I want. Do you understand?” I tipped her chin up with a smug grin.
The blonde seemed dumbfounded for a moment before she busted out laughing. Pushing my hand away, she shook her head. “You keep thinking that, princey.” She laughed once more and headed toward the door. Stopping at the doorway, she glanced back at me one more time before chuckling again. “This is going to be fun.” She snickered before closing the door behind her.
Well, that wasn’t encouraging.