Yep. I was definitely right to feel that dread pooling in my stomach. As much as my father liked to pretend that he was misunderstood by his younger son, I’d dealt with him long enough to recognize vengeance when it worked underneath the stony cut of his jaw.

I didn’t even know what to say. I could ask more questions, but he clearly planned on answering only in vaguely ominous non-answers.

I let out a scoff, one I injected with as much disappointment as I could. It wasn’t difficult. I’d hoarded up plenty of it over the past two centuries.

His eyebrow quirked. “You’re fond of the girl.”

That was it. I exploded.

“Me? I’m fond of Ellie? Unbelievable.” My fingers ran through my hair of their own accord. “You’re fond of her, Father. In your sick, twisted kind of way. Or have you forgotten why you denied her request to rid herself of the marriage bond? You spent an hour with Ellie, and you saw in her what you never saw in me.”

His face hardened. His pointed ears twitched as he drawled, “And what, exactly, do you think I saw?”

I huffed. “A leader, that’s what you saw. You saw vision, and the ability to execute it. You saw a queen. And who could blame you? Anybody would. And yes, she might have offended you today. She might have embarrassed you, though why you allow such an emotion into your heart when you’re literally the most powerful being in the kingdom is beyond me. But that fire, that ember of rebellion you witnessed in Ellie today, it’s the same spark that feeds her drive, the same spark you admired in her. So no, I won’t sit around and let you forget the vision you saw for this kingdom when you laid eyes on her. Because you don’t get to have it both ways. You can’t admire her strength and cleverness, then punish her for being bold and shrewd. So, no. I’m not in here defending Ellie. I’m simply calling to your memory who she’s been all along.”

My father hardly moved, but his ears twitched.

I held my breath.

“Well, son. It seems you’ve finally sprouted a backbone after all,” he said, his eyes blazing. “I’ll spare the girl from punishment.”

I let out an exhale just a moment too early, because as soon as I made it to the door, he added, “She and Jerad would have made a good match.”

CHAPTER 27

ELLIE

I knew the knock was coming before I even felt footsteps approaching. I knew because I’d been imagining it all afternoon. Though I’d distracted myself with a pile of books I’d requested Imogen fetch me from the library, I hadn’t been able to focus on any of them. I’d catch my eyes slipping over the words, realizing after a dozen paragraphs I hadn’t retained a word.

I’d been thinking of Evander.

Mostly his smile, those glances we’d stolen during the most recent trial. I’d asked the scribe afterward if I could keep the letter Evander had written me. Judging by how quickly he shoved the letter into my hands, the poor male was glad to be rid of it, as if even holding the letter had soiled his perfectly trimmed fingernails.

I’d pulled out the letter multiple times and read it repeatedly, in between searching for a book that would actually grab my attention. The nuance of the letter brought a renewed thrill to my chest every time, and my cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling. I traced every line with my gaze, well aware the perfect script belonged to the scribe, not to Evander.

It was ridiculous; I knew that. I mean, what woman in her right mind fawned over a letter about a celibate marriage?

Fates, it was practically half-insult.

There was always the interpretation that Evander was glad that our marriage would be celibate, the subtle jab that he abhorred me physically. But that was half the fun of it, for I knew now that he’d never say something so unkind if it were actually true. Not now that we’d become friends.

And I liked being his friend.

That was what I told myself, at least.

After all, friendship was all the note promised. The insinuation being that, should we be forced into marriage, we would likely become the best of friends, one another’s confidants. The ones that made the other laugh, that knew the other’s most precious secrets.

I had known of more amorous marriages that had gone poorly for a lack of companionship.

Making the best of our situation. That was what we were doing. That was all we were doing.

I meandered over to my desk.

Several times today, I’d pulled out my quill with the intention to write my parents, but I’d only succeeded in ruining half a dozen sheets of parchment.

There was so much to tell them, but each time I started, I found my pen had a tendency to make all the sentences start with “Evander.” And that would not do.

They hadn’t been allowed to attend the second trial, as it had been an exclusive event for fae nobility. As much as I would have loved to see them, I couldn’t help but be a little relieved that they weren’t there to hear the contents of my and Evander’s letters.

They’d read about them in the papers tomorrow, of course. But I wouldn’t have to witness that, would I?

I was just about to begin a letter focused entirely on explaining my developing friendship with Blaise when the knock sounded on my door.

I jolted from the desk and stuffed both Evander’s letter and the letters I’d drafted to my parents under my pillow.

“Yes?” I called.

“My dearly betrothed, would you please let me in?”

“Oh, gladly, my beloved,” I called, giggling with the ridiculousness of it all. Again ignoring the rush that shimmied down my spine when he had called me his betrothed.

Evander strode in, dressed in an outfit similar to the one in which he’d competed during our first trial. Imogen stood behind him in the shadow of the doorway, peering in nervously. She watched as Evander plopped himself onto my bed, sprawling his legs out like a cat that might fall asleep in the sun.

“You know, if you want a mattress like mine, I’m sure no one will deny you,” I teased. “There’s no need for you to continue to bother me and pretend you enjoy my company.”

He rolled over on his side and propped his head on his hands. “Actually, I have every reason to visit. In fact, I believe it’s the other way around. I pretend to enjoy your mattress as an excuse to come see you.”

My teasing grin faltered as something quite unwelcome whooshed in my stomach. My face went hot, and I struggled to hide my reaction underneath the ruse of flirting. “Not every young woman is interested in such persistence, you know. It might do you good to learn to take a hint. Maybe if you had, you wouldn’t be trapped with me to begin with.”

I measured my words, the look on his face—fearful that I had gone too far, teased him about too sensitive a topic. But he searched my expression, my nose, my mouth, with those blazing sea-green eyes of his for a moment before a knowing look spread across his face.

“If, by that, you mean to accuse me of not being able to take a hint when my mystery woman fled from me at the ball, I choose to interpret that as a sign of your jealousy regarding my affections for another woman, and consider it the utmost flattery.”

I rolled my eyes and chanced a playful shove at his shoulder, noting where my fingers met solid rock as I did. “You’re insufferable.”

“And yet, you choose to suffer me. I wonder why that could be.”

That gave me the footing I needed. “Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that my body will strangle me to death if I don’t.”

Evander shrugged. “Say what you will, but I know the truth.”

I opened my mouth to respond. And what might that be? But I thought better of it.

“So, why did you come here?”

“I wanted to ask you to go on a walk. And to prove I’m not entirely lacking in the gentleman department.”

“It’s a little too late for that.”