Heart Over Sword-Chapter 260: Lyvarian Court Drama (1)

Each member of the group was provided with their own room. Fiza was the only one who remained in the hall to speak with the king and queen. Evanna realised that their journey together was now ending, and the night fae would continue with her own path.

For the remainder of the day, Evanna rested and ate, regaining her strength. The room she was given was absolutely stunning, with one wall at the end entirely clear; if it were not for the glass, she imagined how dangerous it would be to stand by the wall. Though she was fascinated by the décor and grandeur of the room, which was something fitting for a princess, Evanna felt on edge.

Without seeing Arawn or her friends, she worried for their safety and wanted to keep checking on them. But the guards by her door kept her from leaving, stating the queen hoped for her to recover by the evening so she could thoroughly enjoy the entertainment. It was only her unyielding fatigue and her body’s need to sleep that she fall into a deep sleep.

Hours later, Evanna found herself walking down the halls, halls that looked so familiar to her, yet it was the first time she had walked down them. Or was it? She’d shared dreams with her mother, who had been the Lyvarian princess this entire time.

Shaking her head, she focused on the present. Standing before the grand doors, Evanna wore one of the dresses gifted to her by the king and queen. She’d grown used to the gowns in the Florian palace, but even this was a little too skimpy for her. But after walking past nobles, unable to look away from her, she knew this was normal.

The almost sheer green dress wrapped around her neck and dove down to cover her breasts, leaving a small circular gap revealing her skin before a skin-coloured corset wrapped around her stomach, and the green skirt flowed gracefully. Her bare shoulders and arms were graced with golden bands on the top of her arms, and the same material of the dress flowed down loosely. With her hands folded at her front, the sheer fabric draped behind her elbows. Evanna’s hair was pulled up in ringlets, revealing an open back until the corset.

The doors were opened by the guards, and the princess found herself in the icy hall again, this time with a small gathering of nobles at tables. Evanna’s gaze remained ahead of the king and queen; though she wanted to search for her friends, she could not. Too many eyes were on her, too many people were whispering.

She would feel better with Arawn by her side, especially whilst wearing such a dress, a dress that was the most modest out of the lot. But from the feel of a heated gaze on her body, she knew Arawn was already there. She would seek him out after.

Evanna entered and curtsied to the king and queen, whose presence was ever so intimidating. She did not let it show, though.

"*Our special guest has arrived. Princess Evanna Goodrich of Dunhurst, our granddaughter,*" King Nuvian announced, causing others to gasp.

Evanna glanced up, noting Queen Iolena’s upper lip, almost snarling from her husband’s announcement. She couldn’t understand if they liked each other or not. It didn’t matter with royal marriages, though; most were for alliances and political advantages. She wondered what was so great for the king to accept being second to the queen.

Raising her head, Evanna accepted the king’s outstretched hand and was guided to a table with bountiful food. It was then, sitting down elegantly, how she’d been taught, that she noticed Arawn sitting in front of her and her friends to the side. She bowed her head slightly in greeting, refraining from showing too much relief at seeing them unharmed. freewёbnoνel.com

Arawn’s features were masked, eyes hard to read, but from the way his gaze roamed over her, she could tell he was checking to see if she was harmed and noticeably appreciating her attire. Though his icy blue gaze looked sharply to Evanna’s right, glaring daggers. She looked to her side, her breath halting at the demon prince sitting beside her.

Evanna had been so absorbed in making sure her friends were okay and keeping up appearances that she didn’t notice Conrad’s powerful presence beside her. The prince smirked at her startled expression, the mask slipping for a single second before it fell back into place.

"Conrad," she greeted informally, dropping his title intentionally.

"Evanna," Conrad reached for her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles, golden eyes unmoving from hers. The princess’ body was stiff, back straight as she tried to move her hand from his without causing a scene.

The prince’s grip tightened as he pulled back from her hand. "You look exquisite."

"And you do not," Evanna quipped, slipping her hand away whilst controlling her racing heart.

She didn’t like feeling trapped, and that was exactly what this dinner had turned into. On one side of her was the king and queen observing their exchange with amusement, and on the other was Conrad, who tried to take her back to Dunhurst and then to his homeland.

Conrad chuckled at her insult. "We both know that is a lie."

Evanna turned her head away and looked at Arawn. He also wore new clothes, a light blue shirt, making his eyes more mesmerising than normal, and his hair wore a few braids with gems in it. "Prince Arawn, you outshine everyone-"

"*Does that include me?*"

Evanna’s comment paused on her tongue as she glanced at King Nuvian. "*Nobody matches your beauty, your majesty.*"

"*A sweet talker, I see,*" the queen muttered. "*Though not quite so much to Prince-*"

"*Nuvian,*" the king interrupted, correcting Evanna’s earlier comment and ignoring the queen’s glare. "*Call me Nuvian. We are family*"

Evanna didn’t respond. She did not want to be on first-name terms, even if she was related to him. "*Princess, I would like your first dance,*" King Nuvian added, his gaze sweeping between Evanna, Prince Arawn and Demon Prince Conrad with calculating amusement.

"*I do not know the dances-*"

"*It is not a request.*" The king stood and gestured with his hand to the band playing to change the tune.

Evanna swallowed, feeling the pressure of the room’s eyes landing on her and from the slight chill stirring in her stomach. She lowered her knife and fork to the plate of her barely-touched food and followed after the king.

Initially, Evanna felt uneasy about being deliberately placed beside Conrad, assuming that the king and queen were aware of their shared history. Now, she was to dance with the king, a situation that would likely be awkward, stiff, and possibly even dangerous, although she couldn’t pinpoint exactly why. Despite her uncertainty, she did not question it further.

Those occupying the hall quietened, the sounds of cutlery and chatter among the elves silenced as the fairy king and the princess of Dunhurst took to the floor. Why did she feel as though this was not a good idea?

The most uptodate nove𝙡s are published on fr(e)𝒆webnov(e)l.com