A Court of Truths and Revival

Invoking

SEREN

Despite hardly saying a word at the meal staged to be an opulent family breakfast, Seren was granted the most prestigious honor of a stroll through the nearby forest paths with the High Lord of Autumn and his precariously smiling wife. There was nothing she wanted to do less than drag the navy hem of the heavy dress she'd been put into through the leaf-scattered forest floor while being the sole object of attention for the lord she wanted to stab with her fork.

The stiffness of Beron's sons as they rigidly sat and watched her through the meal left her to guess Eris wasn't the one who'd had a long, painful night. When the youngest son aside from Lucien hastily stood to help his mother from her chair, Seren started to think the unpleasantries had been a full family affair. It almost made her feel guilty for enjoying her own late-night affair so much. Almost.

It was all she wanted to think about as she carefully sliced the assortment of poached eggs that kept appearing on her plate, courtesy of an unseen servant. It was a pleasant daydream repeatedly ruined by Lennox's overly sensual movements while his eyes never left her. If he thought himself alluring, he was sorely mistaken, but it was enough to chase away all thoughts of Azriel as her stomach churned.

As Adrik played the part of a well-behaved lord and helped her rise from her high-backed chair, Seren hissed under her breath at her own shadow. Adrik very well might have thought her insane, but he covered her request by coughing and dramatically scraping the chair legs against the stained floorboards. Only with magic did the servants have a chance of removing the marks.

While Adrik's arm pressed into her own as he led her to Beron, she felt a light touch on her waist before it disappeared entirely as Azriel heeded her plea for him to lurk somewhere else until her return. She couldn't help but think that if Eris had guessed the shadowsinger's location and lured him out in the open so easily, Beron could do the same. It was not a risk she was willing to take and though it probably pissed Azriel off, she was glad to know he'd be well out of the High Lord's range. A small part of her also worried for Nesta being left with so many Vanserras, so Azriel watching over the Valkyrie would be time well spent as Eris took her and the rest of their group on a tour of one of the more ancient wings of the Forest House.

As Seren was handed off to Beron, she became nothing more than the second pretty accessory hanging off the High Lord's arm. Between the three of them, they donned more jewels than most High Fae would ever come to own, none more dazzling than the massive ruby adorning the Lady of Autumn's ring finger. With color so rich and a gold setting crafted to look like the stone was about to be engulfed in flames, it made the infamous Summer Court blood rubies seem dull. When the Lady of Autumn caught Seren staring, the tendons in her hands tensed before she relaxed in what must have been a practiced series of small exhales.

"Smile, Solana," the High Lord crooned as they passed through the wooden gates to follow the winding path. "The sun shines upon us today and I know there's nothing you love more than feeling its kiss. And people are staring."

It was an effort to continue walking as if she hadn't understood Beron's taunt over her alleged affair with the male the sun rose and set upon. And to be fair, residents of the Forest House were staring. From what Seren had gathered, males lusted after the Lady of Autumn, and females envied her, going as far as to copy her style and mannerisms. She was a symbolic mother to all of Autumn, second only to the mythical Mother.

"A beautiful day, indeed," the Lady agreed with pink-tinted cheeks. "We should have taken breakfast outside."

"Your mistake, my wife."

"I thought the meal was lovely," Seren interjected, unable to stand listening to them. It was a wonder Eris was able to hold a conversation at all after spending centuries in the poor company of his parents.