The Bargain

The garden party was held three days later, and it was every bit as ridiculous as Elara expected.

The palace gardens had been transformed into a fairyscape of light-crystal lanterns, floating flower arrangements, and enough champagne to drown a small village. Two dozen eligible noblewomen circulated through the grounds like brilliantly colored fish, each performing their carefully practiced versions of charm and grace.

Elara watched from beneath a willow tree, wearing a gown of midnight blue that matched her cover identity's house colors. She held a glass of wine she didn't drink and smiled at compliments she didn't care about.

"You look miserable," Kaelen murmured, appearing at her elbow.

"I look exactly as a minor noblewoman should at a party designed to evaluate her like livestock."

"Harsh but fair." He was performing today—the perfect prince in cream and gold, smiling at everyone, touching hands and exchanging pleasantries with mechanical precision. Only she saw the fatigue in his eyes, the slight tremor in the hand that wasn't holding his champagne flute. "Shall we give them something to talk about?"

"What did you have in mind?"

He offered his arm. "A stroll. Visible but not scandalous. The beginning of a courtship that may or may not develop."