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“Welcome to Highcrest Castle,” a shorter, stout man with cherry red cheeks said, dressed in luxurious fabric that draped the ground behind him. “Each lady will receive five minutes with the prince, then be escorted to the refreshments. Once the prince has given each eligible bachelorette their designated time, he will mingle the luncheon as he pleases. So keep your wits about you! You wouldn’t want the prince to come up to you with a mouthful of puff pastry.” He quirked a smile, adding some lightheartedness to the mood.

Gods, the tension felt thick. Or maybe it just seemed that way because of the death grip Kenzie had on Melody’s gloved hand in front of me.

“Oh, I so hope he comes to our table! Surely he’ll only follow up with those he’s most interested in. Either way, it’ll let us know where we stand. If he doesn’t, we’ll need to up the ante for the next event, make sure we make ourselves stand out!” Kenzie’s scheming had already begun.

If things were different, I would have rolled my eyes. Would have scoffed at her and the attempts she’d concoct to snare a prince. Would have laughed at the notion she thought she even stood a chance among multiple villages with that snide attitude of hers.

But things weren’t different, they were actually quite serious. Maybe using whatever advantage she could gain was actually needed.

The line filtered through, and while the ladies dressed in their finest dresses, shawls, gloves, and fans, they maintained poise and grace as they swept through the halls. I didn’t consider my presentation for a moment, instead letting my eyes rove over the architectural features.

This building had its history on full display, aging and worn stones untouched by decades, maybe even centuries of time. It’d seen wars, famine, divide, persecution, yet it still stood. It stood, while everyone outside these walls had fallen from lack of intervention from those who dwelled within them.

I hadn’t realized how clenched my jaw had become until the force made my teeth scrape against each other. Trying once again to place on a mask of indifference, I released the tension in my features and regulated my breathing. Fake it until I made it out of here.

We were led into a grand room. Streams of fabric and boughs of garland carried high toward the ceiling, softening the harshness of the polished stone room. Many round tables were spaced across the floor, covered in pink and yellow fabrics, adding to the delicate nature of the lunch.

A blue runner fed from the entry to the dais platform. Judging by the line formed ahead of us, I assumed the prince stood at the end. Only half a dozen people stood between us and him, a mix of those being chaperones. Jenta stood out like a pink beacon at the head of it, and I was mildly impressed with the swift agility. Like a fly to a piece of shit.

I noted the efficiency of the wait staff, quickly clearing a finished plate before a maiden had even been escorted out of the room. I didn’t know how long this had been going on already, but it was a well-oiled operation.

Freshly filled, tiered stands of handheld sandwiches and tarts replaced the half-full ones, making it look as though the event had just begun for every attendee. So much elegance and lavishness. So many resources spent on the prince’s dating roster as opposed to the starving people in our town. I wouldn’t be surprised if the scraps went to the royal pigs. Livestock lived better than we did.

My fist balled, but Kenzie caught sight of it. “Don’t you dare,” she threatened through clenched teeth.

I relaxed my hand. A flash of heat rushed to my cheeks that I’d had to be scolded in order to rein in my temper.

Get it together, Nora. There’s too much riding on this to lose your cool. Remember, we’ll be on the street if you mess this up.

Those in front of us stepped forward, starting their time with the prince. I could tell that if my sisters weren’t putting on their proper lady faces, they’d be squealing and shrieking at how close we were. Masking my smile of amusement at the way I could see them squirming under their fancy skirts, I surveyed the room.

Eleven… Twelve. Twelve guards, plus several outside the open doors. They kept a respectable distance from the attendees. Good, I wasn’t above berating a guardsman if they became brutes toward my sisters. Experience with the soldiers around my town had taught me they could be classless, but it seemed they were being kept in check here.

“I’m nervous. My heart is beating like a wild horse,” Melody whispered over her shoulder to Kenzie and me.

“If I took off these gloves, my palms would be swimming in sweat.” Kenzie rubbed her hands together.

An unladylike snort escaped me, and they tried keeping it together, too. All too quickly, the others stepped aside, opening an unimpeded path from my sisters to the prince. They moved with clipped grace, and once they closed the distance, they curtsied low.

As they did, he emerged into my view. I’d never seen him this close before, only ever on that stupid platform in the market square. From that far away, I’d never seen the warm glow of his sun-kissed flawless skin, or the golden shimmer from his blond hair. A sculptor from across the oceans would never have been able to capture the sheer strength of his features. The cut of his cheekbones had to have been a perfect calculation from his DNA. The way carved lines dropped parallel from the apples of his cheeks, framing a bigger set of lips than I’d have anticipated muddied my thoughts. All encased by a perfectly tapered jaw, as if he’d been molded from the essence of pure masculine beauty.

His oceanic blue eyes sparkled in the daylight like light reflecting off glass while he watched my sisters with gentle admiration. The sharp grunt from someone clearing their throat slapped me back to reality and broke my trance. I’d remained frozen, the only movement a bob in my throat until I clued in that I should be bowing too.

The prince’s gaze lifted to mine momentarily. His attention speared me in place, his handsomeness like a strike of golden lightning. I realized my mouth hung open and bowed at the waist to break our connection. My sisters rose, and I could have kissed their feet for the very welcomed blockade. Had a fire been lit nearby? A light sweat broke over my body, and my heart beat faster.

What the hell was that? Heat and embarrassment coursed through me as sure as my blood. To my knowledge, the prince held no magic lines in his family, so that took away the possibility of me being put under a spell.

I think I would have preferred he had magic.

My sisters began idle chatter, leaving me to reel from whatever had struck me. It’s the fanfare, I told myself. Anyone can look that good when they have the money and status to back it. Money that he spent to primp and preen himself instead of saving families in his kingdom.

The shock started to subside, replaced by familiar irritation. I gripped onto it, strangled it in a metaphorical grasp, forcing it to anchor me before I dared to glimpse in his direction again. When I rose, my face showed nothing but an emotionless portrait.

“I very much appreciate you lovely ladies taking the time to suffer through my overly lavish luncheon.”

Kenzie’s girlish giggle stuck in her throat, making the weirdest of noises. Her eyes bulged at the betrayal. She glanced at Melody, perhaps as a lifeline to help her recover, but she hastily cleared her throat and forced a reply. “It is absolutely stunning, Your Highness. You should be very proud of what you have to offer.”

“Suffer is such a poisoned word, Your Highness.” Teasing flirtation wasn’t something I’d heard from Melody before while chaperoning her dates. “Am I to understand being in a room with plenty of beautiful women pining after you is such a burden?”