Chapter 118

[ 1,230 words ]

Arabella Toussaint:

I settled into the chair beside Queen Theodora and carefully placed my napkin across my lap. I could feel her looking at me. I turned my head and gave her a pleasant smile. “Hello.”

Theodora’s eyes traveled slowly over my dress, my hair, and finally my face. “You’ve changed,” she said quietly. “Fancy clothes. Jewelry. A little confidence.” She reached for her water, and her fingers lingered around the glass. “But I suppose none of that changes what you really are. Dress a slave however you like, and she is still a slave.”

Ouch.

I didn’t miss the subtle smirk on her face. Three years ago, that would have been enough to make me stare at my plate for the rest of dinner.

“You’ve changed too, Your Majesty,” I said with a small smile.

Her eyes immediately came back to me. She set her glass down with a faint click. “Have I?”

“Oh, yes.” I tilted my head, letting my gaze drift over her face as if I’d only just noticed it.

“What?” Her brows drew together, and she looked a little uncomfortable under my scrutiny.

“Nothing, Your Majesty.” I shook my head and reached for my glass.

Her fingers tightened around her fork until her knuckles seemed to pale. When her fork clinked against her plate, a few people glanced in our direction, but I paid them no attention. “Why are you not telling me? What were you looking at, slave?” She asked me in a whisper.

“Well…” I lowered my voice and leaned a little closer as my smile turned a little cheeky. “I don’t remember those little lines around your eyes… and jaw being there before.”

Her hand immediately rose toward her face, and I almost laughed. “Hey. They’re very small,” I assured her, hiding my smile behind my glass. “Hardly noticeable. But you do look old.”

Her hand dropped, and her eyes flashed with anger. “You insolent little…”

“Your Majesty.” I widened my eyes and placed a hand lightly against my chest. “It was just an innocent remark. Three years can change a person. I’m sorry if I offended you.” Theodora stared at me, her fork hovering above her plate. “You still look young, though. I’m sure people mistake you for seventy all the time.”

I smiled and took a sip of water. I knew she was way younger than that. Hardly fifty!

She started cutting into her food with precise, unnecessary force. After a few moments, she seemed to have recovered from the insult. “I hear you’ve been managing some little café in the human city.”

“Yes.” I dabbed the corner of my mouth with my napkin.

“How quaint.” She lifted a morsel with the tip of her knife. “I suppose serving food suits you. At least your years as a palace servant prepared you for something.”

Whoa. That one was actually quite good. I nodded thoughtfully. “They did teach me a lot.”

“I’m sure.” She tasted her food and watched me with a smirk.

“It taught me what kind of employer I never wanted to become, Your Majesty.” I curved down my lips. Her knife stopped against her plate. I turned toward her with practiced politeness. “My employees are very happy.”

“How wonderful for them.” Her smile was thin enough to cut paper, but I wasn’t done with the old hag.

“It is.” I folded my napkin, carefully. “We pay them properly too. We don’t make them beg for wages they’ve already earned, and we don’t threaten them with punishment when they say no to sleeping with a random warrior. And yes…” I took a bite of my bran bread. “We definitely don’t expect them to kneel all the time.”

Theodora’s jaw worked once, but she said nothing. I picked up my fork before she could respond.

“Humans have the best cosmetic plastic surgeons, My Queen. You should visit one because the loose skin around your neck is becoming rather difficult to hide.”

She leaned slightly closer, lowering her voice until it sounded almost affectionate. “Enjoy sitting here while you can, Arabella. Whatever game you’re playing with my son, or me, won’t last.”

I blinked at her and let my fork hover above my plate. “Game?”

“You know exactly what I mean.” Her thumb pressed into the stem of her wineglass.

“Oh.” I nodded slowly and said boldly. “You mean… Lucien?”

Her eyes narrowed at the sound of his name without his title, and I had to fight the urge to smile. I knew I was provoking her, but after everything she had said to me, behaving myself was becoming less and less appealing.

“You may have managed to get his attention again, but don’t confuse attention with importance, slave.” She tried again.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” I set my fork down and met her gaze. “Although for someone so unimportant, I do seem to be taking up an awful lot of your attention.”

Her expression seemed to falter. “Good.” She recovered quickly, lifting her chin.

“In fact, I wasn’t even supposed to sit here.” I glanced down at my chair. “Lucien insisted. But if my presence means so much to Lucien, I wonder why it bothers you so much.”

Theodora placed her fork on the plate and closed her eyes. Congratulations. I had successfully annoyed her. I pretended not to notice and reached for my water with that same silky grin pasted on my face.

“You seem very pleased with yourself.” Her voice had gone exceptionally soft, which was far more dangerous than shouting. Though I could still see her nostrils flaring.

“Not at all.” I gave her another innocent smile. “I’m simply trying to understand the rules. It’s difficult when the King gives me one order, and the Queen gives me another. By the end of the day, I’ll choose a king over a queen. Anytime, any day!”

I calmly returned to my dinner, leaving her to choke on the insult she couldn’t openly answer.

I had just taken a spoonful of rice when I happened to look toward the other end of the table. Lucien was already watching me. My spoon slowed halfway to my mouth.

The odd thing was, it felt as though he had been waiting for me to notice him. The moment our eyes met, he turned toward Jasmine and kissed her cheek.

Jasmine smiled and leaned a little closer to him, while Lucien said something to her. For some reason, the affection on his face looked fake to me.

Or maybe I just wanted it to be fake. Either way, I suddenly wasn’t interested in my rice anymore.

I put my spoon down and reached for my phone. Maya’s chat was still near the top. I opened it and typed quickly beneath our last conversation.

Get here as soon as you can. And bring a ridiculously gorgeous man with you. Preferably single. He needs to sit with me, look interested, and show me some affection in public. I’ll pay him handsomely.

My thumb hovered over the screen and then sent. I locked my phone and placed it facedown beside my plate before picking up my spoon again.

If Lucien wanted to sit there kissing his precious fiancée in front of me, he was more than welcome to.

If he wanted to prove how happy he was with Jasmine, fine. Two could play that game.

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