Queen of Nothing

16. Queen of Emotions

Having finally tired of my company, Amelia suggested Tristan take me on a tour of the house. Tristan's response was to nod wordlessly, his eyes still vacant. I thanked Amelia for the dinner and she thanked me for the company. Her expression had a curious warmth to it that was so unlike the coldness she first greeted me with.

Tristan was in no mood to be a tour guide. He walked me halfheartedly through the halls, pointing out parlors and ballrooms without elaboration. I gave each place a cursory glance, admiring the decor and comparing it to that of my parents' home and Rosethorne Hall. Tristan seemed impatient, so I took care not to linger too long even though I wanted to.

He led me upstairs, to the terrace that wrapped around the back of the house. Wordlessly, he leaned over the white balustrade and looked down. Sighing, I came to stand next to him, waiting for a response. Twinkling gold string lights hung from the ceiling, giving the place a magical air that was at odds with Tristan's sour mood. He probably planned to take me here for a romantic moment, but the revelation about my involvement in the competition must have hindered his plans. I had to get my story straight with him before our relationship went off the rails.

"Look," I began, "I know what you're probably thinking, but I'm not any of those things. I wasn't after King Nathaniel's money, and I'm not after yours. I have plenty of my own."

Tristan nodded without glancing my way. He stared out into the darkness, brows knitted together. "So what were you after?"

I leaned back against a pillar, unsure of how to answer. Telling him that I was after immortality would make me look vain, which was arguably worse than looking like a gold digger. I could picture his thoughts now — I'd failed to secure a future with a king, so I was setting my sights on someone just as wealthy, but more attainable. Someone who couldn't see through my treachery because of his inexperience. Shit, I'd blown him off after we slept together and didn't call him back until after I found out who he was.

"I know how this looks, but I'm not just using you so I could fulfill some dream of marrying into vampire royalty," I said. That much was true, at least. "As for the competition, I don't know if you'd understand since you are royalty, but I'm not. I've always had this pressure to marry well and uphold the Ambrose family name. Well, what better way to do that than to marry a king?"

I was impressed by how smoothly my story came out. It wasn't entirely false either. My parents would have been thrilled had I won, but they never had much faith in me to succeed. Nobody had, not even James, whom I confided in and trusted more than my family.

Tristan's expression softened. He angled his head towards me, and our eyes met briefly before he turned away again. He hung his head and sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry for overreacting."

"It's ok," I said, shrugging halfheartedly. My shoulders sagged with relief. I hadn't realized how tense his disapproval made me.

Tristan let out a dry laugh. "Well, I'm glad our relationship wasn't built on a lie, I guess."

I laughed along nervously. God, if he only knew...

Tristan turned around, propping himself against the bannister by his elbow. His lips quirked up into a smirk. "There's no way you're a gold digger. I haven't gotten you anything expensive and you haven't complained."

This time my laugh was genuine. "Better fix that soon or I'll leave."

Still smiling wryly, Tristan came closer and rested his hand on the pillar next to my shoulder. "What do you want?"

I shrugged coyly. "World peace?"

Tristan blinked, his forehead crinkling in confusion. "Seriously?"