Chapter 63

The rounds wore on, and Kit pretended to care who advanced, though she was more interested in looking at the forms beneath the tunics and trousers. Landon’s bulging biceps and the way the cords in Jate’s neck strained when he concentrated had her shifting in her seat and even licking her lips from time to time. In the end, it came down to the two of them, and no one was surprised when Jate hit the bullseye right in the center in his final shot, edging Landon out for the win.

“Ah, that’s too bad,” Avinia sighed. “I was hoping Landon would win.”

“And I was hoping Jate would win!” Isla said, clapping loudly.

Kit wasn’t really cheering for either of them, but she was relieved it wasn’t one of the unattractive Representatives or those who annoyed her who had won. Her mother congratulated Jate on his victory, and Kit hopped up off of the bench to bring him his prize.

“Jaterius of Rockdale,” she said in her most formal voice, never minding her mother who looked embarrassed, “I congratulate you on your well-fought victory. And for your unmatched skills in archery, I give you this kiss.”

Kit reached up on her tiptoes, and Jate brought his mouth down to meet hers, but he made no move to part his lips, which she thought was odd, and the kiss ended up being more like a peck than what she had in mind. He pulled away quickly, his cheeks bright red, not just from exertion, she was certain, and muttered a quick thank you before stepping back. The other men seemed happy the kiss hadn’t been a drawn out affair, and they began to cheer.

Jate was swept up by the others coming in to shake his hand, and since he didn’t seem too focused on the princess, she turned her attention to Landon. “Well done, Landon,” she said, placing her hand on his forearm. Even there, his musculature was impressive. She could feel the vein that ran the length of his arm through his tunic and imagined running her finger up and down its length.

“Thank you, Princess,” he said with a humble smile. “I did my best, but Jate’s arrows flew with the goddesses today.”

“I’m sure this will not be the last of our archery contests. Perhaps you can best him next time,” she reassured him, sliding her hand further up his arm to his rich bicep.

“I hope so.” He glanced down at her hand and his smile grew. Leaning in close to her ear, so that his breath tickled, he added, “Believe me, I would’ve kissed you much better than that.”

Kit turned to look at him, a surprised grin spreading across her face, and he raised his eyebrows and lowered them rapidly twice before stepping away. Her heart began to thunder, and she thought perhaps she should rethink her plans for that evening.

But then she saw Reeve standing at the edge of the crowd, not quite part of them, and not completely on his own. He had done well, making it to the third round, but when the field had been cut to five, he’d been out. She thought her mother had looked relieved, though she couldn’t be sure. Kit made her way over to him, ignoring the others who seemed to want to speak to her.

“You did well today, Reeve,” she said, tugging him away a step or two. She knew nothing she did went without notice, and Cassius’s gaze was heavy on the back of her head, but she’d spoken to him earlier that morning about her duty, about the fact that it would be a few days at the least before she could choose him again, and he’d said he understood, though she imagined it would be difficult to watch, nevertheless. She didn’t make eye contact with him now, only concentrated on Reeve.

“Thank you. There was no stopping Jaterius today.”

“No, certainly not.” She smiled at him and then turned her attention away for a moment, back to the crowd of men. Many of them were watching her, though they pretended to be focused on each other. She didn’t dare look at her mother, but something told her she should hurry before Rona came over and interrupted.

Even though she was the princess, and she had plenty of practice by now at speaking her needs, in this particular instance, she found herself nervous. What if he was still uncomfortable? Or worse still, what if she’d misinterpreted their interactions, and he truly wasn’t attracted to her at all? But then, she remembered their kiss in the barn and thought he wasn’t quite as reserved as he let on.

“Reeve, would you come to my chambers tonight at nine? Not my regular chambers, but the other room?” Nothing about the request came out gracefully, and his eyes enlarged as he measured what she’d asked of him. “Would you feel comfortable with that?”

“Uh...” Reeve stammered, and Kit began to formulate a way for him to get out of answering. But before she could speak again, he replied, “Yes. Of course.”

Kit let out a sigh, and her smile loosened. “Oh, good. All right then. You know where it is?”

“Yes, Princess,” he replied with a nod. She could tell by his expression she’d caught him off guard. Feeling her cheeks redden, she decided to step away from him now, give him some time to process. There were other gentlemen she wanted to speak to. It would be lovely if she could have a few moments alone with Pierce since he was so well informed, but her mother lingered, and she thought he wouldn’t say anything potentially damaging in her presence. She thought the queen might go inside and leave her men, but when she glanced in Rona’s direction, her eyes were narrowed. She knew what Kit had done.

The princess squared her shoulders and headed into the crowd. It was her Choosing. They were her Representatives, and she’d select whomever she wished. Her mother couldn’t possibly think to control the outcome, could she? Kit didn’t even need a moment to ponder that question—yes, of course she did.