Page 47 of The Crown of the Dark Prince
“I thought it best to bring options for you,” Nessira said with an unapologetic shrug. “A woman should look impressive when she meets her future husband.”
My stomach churned at her words.
While I longed to leave the kingdom and explore new parts of the world, especially now when I was eager to put some distance between my friends and me, this trip wasn’t about adventure. Its sole purpose was to meet my betrothed, Veric, and bring him back to Athenia for us to be wed.
I had spent the past few days since the Dragon’s announcement wondering what Veric would be like. Would he be as cruel as his uncle? Would he resemble Clay in any way? Would he find me pleasant—or utterly unremarkable? And what would I think of him?
Would he findmeattractive?
Did that even matter?
No. Of course it didn’t.
We had a duty to fulfill, and my feelings—and his—were irrelevant.
“It’s time to board, ladies!” the captain called. “We’re just waiting for one more passenger.”
I frowned, confused. “Who else is joining us?”
“I am.”
I never imagined two words could fill me with such immediate frustration.
I spun on my heels, my boots crunching against the frozen dock. Clay stood a few feet away, dressed down in simple trousers and a thick coat suitable for the voyage. Behind him, a palace servant struggled to balance the trunk he was carrying.
“Absolutely not!” I snapped, my voice sharper than I intended.
“You don’t have a say in the matter,” Clay replied, his eyebrow arching in challenge. “I have business to attend to in Tenebris, and this happens to be the most convenient option for me to get there.”
His smile was infuriatingly cocky, and I had to resist the overwhelming urge to slap it off his face.
“And yourwife?” I asked coldly. “Will she be joining us?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nessira shift uncomfortably. She inclined her head toward Samsa, silently instructing the girl to board the ship.
Clay’s eyes flashed golden, his smile faltering for a brief moment before he replied, his voice low. “Elaina, mybetrothed,will not be joining us. It’s just you and me, princess.”
“And me!” Nessira cut in brightly, linking her arm tightly with mine. “There is much to do to prepare you for meetingyourbetrothed, my Lady. You and I will spend most of our time together while we sail.”
Her words were a clear warning. If Clay wanted to get to me, he’d have to go through her first. I don’t know how I got so lucky as to be assigned Nessira as my lady-in-waiting, but I was going to thank the Gods for her every night for the rest of my life.
As we turned and made our way to the ramp of the ship I leaned my head gratefully against her shoulder. “Thank you.”
She sighed, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze.
Behind us, Clay said nothing. He trailed after us in silence, his presence a heavy weight I couldn’t ignore.
Turns out I wasn’t just bad at drawing; I wasn’t a particularly good sailor either.
The boat lurched to the left over a wave, and I heaved dryly once more. My stomach had emptied itself hours ago, leaving me to cough miserably over the side of the wooden railing.
“Oh dear,” Samsa murmured, patting a damp cloth on my forehead. “Is there nothing I can do for you, my Lady?”
“Do you think I’m powerful enough to lift the boat out of the water and float it steadily all the way to Tenebris?”
I wasn’t. I’d already tried that a few days ago when the first wave of seasickness convinced me I might die before arriving. It had only been three days on this cursed vessel, and there was no way I was going to survive the rest of the journey.
“You’ll get yer sea legs soon enough, milady,” a sailer said to me. “Takes some time, but ye’ll settle, eventually.”
