Chapter 79
Jaterius had been aware of Princess Katrinetta all night, but it wasn’t until he actually heard her speak his name that he turned to acknowledge her for the first time. While he would’ve loved to have had the opportunity to dance with her, it just wasn’t in him to throw his hand in her face every time a dance ended as it seemed so many others were doing. He wished he could be as confident as Cassius, strolling up to her and demanding the others move aside through the power of his presence, but that wasn’t who Jate was either, so when he heard her soft voice calling his name, he was startled to see she was demanding his attention.
The men moved aside for her, though some of them seemed reluctant, and she came to stand before him, looking up into his hazel eyes. “Jate, how are you this evening? I haven’t had a chance to speak to you at all.”
Jate glanced at Cassius (whom had been in the middle of a story about dodging a stampede of frightened wild horses once when he was younger) and saw an amused look on his friend’s face. Cassius had danced with Kit a number of times, which seemed fitting on the night the Representative from Warchester Keep had been Roomed. The fact that Cassius was so nonchalant about the woman he was clearly in love with dancing with the other men—and taking them back to her room—left Jate in awe. While Jate was more than willing to share the princess, sometimes he found it slightly difficult to do so. Cassius made it seem so easy.
“Jate was just listening to me rattle of a story about a herd of angry horses. But I think it’s about time the pair of you took a turn on the dance floor.” Cassius literally nudged Jate in the shoulder, causing him to move forward slightly, toward Kit.
A nervous laugh escaped his lips, and he lifted his hand to his light brown hair. “Uh... yes, of course. Princess Katrinetta, would you like to dance?”
“I truly thought you would never ask,” she replied, a twinkle in her blue eyes.
Jate looked back at Cassius briefly, but long enough to see a look of amusement on his friend’s face. He offered his hand to the princess, and they moved onto the dance floor. The song was a mid-tempo waltz, and Jate was hopeful they’d have the opportunity to converse a bit while they danced. The first time he’d spoken to the princess, his words had flowed freely enough. At the time, he had absolutely no expectations, thinking she’d likely send him away within a week or two. But then, she’d seemed to take a liking to him. She’d sought him out a few times. After he’d won the archery contest, she’d kissed him in front of all of the others. He’d been so nervous, he’d pulled away from her, and he was certain that would be enough for her to think him strange and not want to have anything more to do with him. Yet, here she was, approaching him for a dance. However, if she found out the truth, the secret he was hiding, there was a good chance she wouldn’t want to have anything more to do with him.
A dark thought crossed his mind; perhaps Katrinetta wanted to dance with him so she could break the bad news. She’d announced her first Rooming earlier that night. Maybe she was also looking to begin sending Representatives home. A lump formed in his throat, and he did his best to choke it down. She was stunningly gorgeous tonight, as always, her long, dark hair wound around her head and pinned so perfectly. Her blue eyes sparkled even more than the gems in her tiara. While he was still getting to know her, she’d proven herself to be both kind and sweet, though she also had a fire burning inside of her. When she’d spoken to the crowd at Jecob’s trial and begged for mercy, Jate had stared at her in awe. If there was a more perfect woman in the realm, he couldn’t imagine who she might be.
“How are you enjoying your evening?” she asked, smiling at him. “Have you danced at all?”
“I’ve enjoyed myself, but I haven’t danced. I’m not much for dancing most of the time.” Her eyebrows knitted together, and he rephrased. “That is, I love dancing with you, of course, but selecting a different partner just for the sake of dancing isn’t something I’d be too interested in.” She nodded, an amused look about her pretty face, and he drew in a deep breath. “Have you been enjoying yourself?”
“I have,” she replied quickly before he turned her in step with the dance. When she came back to face him, she added, “Although, I must admit, I wasn’t expecting the surprise I got this evening.”
“No, none of us were,” Jate admitted. When Eli had walked in with the party from Eastbury, all of the Representatives had looked around in confusion. Realizing that the Commander of the Princess’s Guard would now be one of them was a little difficult to swallow. It seemed quite obvious he would certainly be Roomed and had the best chance to be her final Chosen. However, speaking to Cassius about it shortly after the announcement, Jate began to see things differently. Cassius reminded Jate and some of the others who were standing nearby—Landon, Danyen, and Reeve amongst others—that this was far from over. All they needed to do was let the princess know their own merits. There was no need to fear anyone else, at least not in this stage. Jate had let those words ruminate in his mind for some time and finally concluded that Eli could actually help him, if he let him. Although, none of that would matter if Kit had asked him to dance because she intended to send him home.
“I have a question for you,” the princess said, narrowing her eyes slightly. Once again, Jate found it hard to swallow, hard to breathe. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“No, of course not. Ask me anything.” His answer wasn’t completely sincere. There was certainly one thing he wouldn’t be willing to tell her—but then, she may find out for herself soon enough if he wasn’t able to find a way to continue to hide it from her. Again, that wouldn’t matter if the question was would he like to leave tonight or in the morning.
