Page 31 of The Ruthless Fae King
Lucien looked uncomfortable with this display of emotion, unsure what to do, so he just stood there rigidly. I wanted to laugh at the sight. It was sweet and comical. But I didn’t think Lucien would appreciate that much.
“Let’s get you inside and warm,” I told the old man, pulling him away from Lucien, who looked relieved.
Piper and I got the old man settled inside, and Lucien sent one of his guards to Spring Court with word to send help for the old man and his wife.
Once we all settled back into the carriage, I felt good about what we’d done.
* * *
Only a few hours later,a chill rushed through the carriage. I realized then that we were in Winter Court. Lucien appeared suddenly with two fur cloaks, handing one to Piper and then another to me. Mine was white rabbit fur and Piper’s was a reddish brown, probably fox.
“Gifts from me to you,” he said casually, like it wasn’t a sweet and thoughtful thing that had my heart racing.
Piper looked at me in shock. The king did not usually get expensive gifts for ladies in waiting. But because Piper was important to me, he’d made her important to him.
“This is very sweet,” I told him, slipping it over my shoulders. The warmth immediately enveloped me and I relaxed. Truth be told, I loved winter. Snow was magical, as was sledding and all of the other fun things you could do. Did I like it year-round? I supposed we would see.
When the clapping started, I realized we’d already entered the gates.
Pulling back the curtain, I opened the window and reached out to the people. They were smiling joyously, grasping my hand and running alongside the carriage.
“Our future queen!” the children shouted as they ran, and a light snow began to fall. I looked across the carriage at Lucien, who was watching me with a smile.
Something fluttered in my chest, and I realized that I had so wrongly judged this man. He was kind, intelligent, protective and… flawed. But weren’t we all? He had a temper, but never with me. There was a line in my favorite romance novel that said,He only had eyes for me. Oh how I’d longed to be that girl when I’d first read that line.
And now, as I looked across at Lucien peering at me, I thought that maybe I was.
I returned his smile and reached out to grasp his hand. He took mine and we interlaced our fingers under the carriage window so that no one saw. With our free hands, we waved to his people who packed the street so thickly that we could barely get through.
It was by far the greatest reception we’d had. He was a beloved king in his own realm.
The fake rumors to make him feared didn’t hold up here, I thought.
When we finally reached the Winter palace, I looked up at the stone structure—my new home. It was bigger than I remembered. As a little girl I’d come here with my parents and some other royals a few times, but I never really remembered Lucien. He always stayed out of sight or with the other realms’ princes, who were now kings.
The massive white stone looked as if it were carved from ice, and I shivered a little at the chill in the air.
When we stepped out of the carriage, Lucien looked at the palace with a haunted expression. I frowned, wondering why returning home would cause him to look that way. Didn’t he love it here? Was it memories of his mother?
My teeth started to chatter and Lucien shook himself. “Let’s get you inside by the fire,” he said, placing a hand on my lower back and waving to his people as we passed. The snow was falling in clumps now and I wondered if it was because Lucien was anxious. Winter didn’t always need to be frigid and snowy, but this realm was greatly tied to his emotions, and I wondered now what had him on edge.
Piper pulled her fur coat around her as Lucien’s lead servant bowed deeply to us both. “Your Highness, welcome home,” he said and then looked to me. “Princess Madelynn, we are all overjoyed at the announcement of your betrothal.”
I smiled warmly at him and thanked him as he ushered us inside. The warmth of a fire rushed at me and I sighed in relief as I slipped out of my now snow-covered shoes and walked over to the gigantic drawing room hearth. The stone chimney rose up over three stories high and made for a beautiful conversation piece. While Piper and I warmed our hands, Lucien gave orders to his staff to have my things brought to my wing of the house and for dinner to be heated. It had been a long, cold day, and when I heard him say the words “meat stew,” my mouth watered.
After giving the instructions, Lucien came to join us at the fire. He was watching me nervously. “Do you like the palace? You can redecorate if you want. These are all things my mother picked out and—”
“It’s beautiful,” I told him with a smile.
It was. Silver, gold, gray and white. It was like Winter Solstice Festival year-round. I wouldn’t mind eventually bringing in some color, but it was nicely done. The highbacked chairs looked to be carved from oak and stained a rich black.
“Is this her?” a deep, gravelly voice slurred from behind me, and I startled a little.
Spinning, I gazed upon a tall man with an overgrown beard. He wore a simple white tunic with stains along the front, and he clutched a bottle of wine. For a second I thought he was a vagrant, until Lucien stiffened beside me.
“Father, I told you I would get you when we were ready for dinner.” Lucien’s voice held a high-pitched tone full of anxiety.
Father?This was the old King Thorne? My heart hammered in my chest as he shuffled forward, bumping into the chair as he tried to make his way to me.
