All's Fair in Revenge

Chapter 32: Broken Glass

Castle Moer's servants transformed the Great Hall into a Ideostara garden. If the flowers at the luncheon had been overkill, the carpet of rose petals and seven-foot arrangements were a massacre. The king sat in the middle of the table facing his court. His son sat next to him and I next to his son. On the other side Sephanie scowled and Nathara preened.

King Enric began with a toast, officially welcoming me to the family. The queen smiled, clinked her chalice with mine, and for a second, it felt genuine. Perhaps the luncheon had mended something between us.

Savory roast duck and herb-stuffed chicken, fire-roasted vegetables, and potatoes with some sort of cream crowded the table. My mouth watered, but I couldn't bring myself to eat much with the laces along my spine pulled so tight there was barely room for air, let alone my stomach or breasts; both of which had never been so close to my throat in the midnight blue gown Liv, Brix, and a team of others sewed me into. The full skirt plumed over the edges of my seat. The neckline sat below my shoulders, and diamonds freckled the fabric, mostly concentrated at the bust and spreading out across the skirt. Twin lace, fingerless gloves traveled the lengths of my arms and perpetually in the way of my untoward advances upon the food.

Around me, conversation picked up, lords and ladies bowed before us and offered their blessings. I said nothing, nodded a lot, and allowed Enric the pleasure of my obedience. Realistically, there was little I had to say and not enough breath to say it with.

At the end of the meal, after meeting the Lord and Lady of Dun when Nathara snapped her fingers at a servant. The boy appeared behind her. "Wine all around. I'd like to make a toast to the couple," her slurred request reverberated off the arched ceilings and laid a hush over the hall like a fresh blanket of heavy snow. Even the instrumentalists paused.

"I think not." Queen Sephanie's voice rang above the din, her pointed, piercing gaze locking onto her daughter. Hundreds of eyes watched with intense interest like sharks scenting blood.

"Sephanie," said the king between clamped teeth. "Do not make a scene and ruin your son's celebration."

She patted his hand. "Do not worry, I wish only to give the first toast." The Queen Mother lifted her glass, her voice dipping into a saccharine sweet timbre. Gazes drifted from Sephanie to Nathara and back again. They lifted their cups, anticipation gripping their wrists. The queen tipped her glass and smiled, her eyes never leaving her daughter's, a glint consuming her stare.

"Lords and ladies, members of the court, and all who share our hall tonight," Sephanie gestured for a servant to fill her glass, speaking as the wine poured, "every mother knows that a time will come when her son must move on to the next chapter of his life, one he'll want to share with someone new. When you are queen of a country, you hope that he will not only find someone worthy of his love, but who can fill your shoes. I never expected my son to find that in an enemy." The crowd sucked in a breath. I steeled myself for battle. "The tension between Kelvia and Dorsette is one wrought with violence and misunderstanding; however, I have been given the opportunity to get to know my son's betrothed, and I find her strong, intelligent, and formidable."

Queen Sephanie turned to me. "One day my time as queen will come to an end, but as that day approaches, I feel calmer knowing who will wear my crown." At the admission, Nathara scowled, slipped her hand into her bosom, and pulled a black leather flask from her breasts, popping its top and pouring it into her very full cup. Clearly the wine was insufficient. "Dorsette will be fortunate to have Hana as its next queen." She held her chalice high in the air, its jewels twinkling in the torchlight. "To Prince Enric and my future daughter-in-law Hana. May you be blessed with many sons."