Heir of Deception

Chapter 18

So far Della had danced with Enda, Almor and her father all of which had been the epitome of courtly grace and poise. After the moment she had shared with her father when he presented her with the crown she had expected him to be a bit more emotional towards her while they danced but he had been polite and distant, as if lost in thought. She tried not to dwell on it but it was difficult; was he upset with her? Had she made some error and embarrassed him? Did he regret giving her the crown?

Attempting to shake off her worries Della set out to find Oren. He was the last person she had committed to dancing with and afterwards she was thinking she might slip out and head to bed. She'd had more than enough socializing for the night and was ready to read a book or sleep or something. This ball had not been as enjoyable as she had hoped.

Scanning the room for silver hair and a grin Della tried to spot Oren, instead she spotted Jarret with his warm brown eyes and easy smile.

He gave her a tentative wave and she enthusiastically waved back. Glancing around she saw that Oren was still deeply engrossed in the conversation with those around him, deciding that she could spare a couple of minutes to chat with Jarret she headed over to him.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" she asked as she neared.

He glanced at her, giving her an appraising look. "More than you I suspect." he said it with a light tone but she could tell he was semi-serious. "You look a little tired, your Highness."

He wasn't wrong. She was tired.

She bit her bottom lip and gave him a slight nod. Unsure of how to respond, it probably wasn't very princess-like to admit that she was tired at a celebration in her honor.

Casting her eyes about the room Della looked for something to use as a suitable subject change.

"Do you enjoy dancing?" She asked instead as her eyes settled on the dance floor in the center of the gathering hall.

"With the right partner I do. That and the right dance, I do not enjoy the slow songs that the Doranelle visitors seem to favor...no offense." He shot her a sideways glance to ensure that his comment hadn't bruised her ego.

Truthfully, Della didn't really consider herself as a native to Doranelle. She of course was Fae and loved her people and her heritage but she did not feel connected with the capital that was so often used to represent her whole country. She was out of tune with the nuanced culture of the Fae's rich and powerful.

"They are a touch slow aren't they." she said hoping to ease Jarret's mind. "But I am afraid I cannot keep up with the dances of Terrasen. They are so fast and I just started learning them last week."

She had learned them hoping to irritate Remelle. It had worked.

"I can show you." Jarret offered.

Della bit her lip again. "Now?"

He nodded.

"I am not sure that now is the time." Della's eyes flicked to the full dancing floor before her. "I think falling on my face in front of all these people would make a bad impression."

"Oh come on Princess. There is no time like the present!"

As if the to spite her the song changed to a lively tune that had many of the native people of Terrasen rushing to the dance floor. Jarret grinned at her, in that moment his grin seemed a bit less warm and a bit more menacing.

"Really Jarret. All of these people is going to make it so humiliating."

Jarret's gaze softened, he extended his hand. "Then follow me. Well go somewhere with out the people."

Della was shaking her head before he even finished. "I shouldn't leave." Never mind she was planning to do just that as soon as finished dancing with Oren.

"It'll be one dance. Surely they won't notice."

Della choked on a snort; they likely would. However, another scan of the room showed that her father and Aelin were on the dance floor deeply engrossed with each other. Lysandra and Aedion were also dancing. Fenrys she couldn't spot, Vaughn she also couldn't see although whether or not that he would care she was still uncertain.

So she decided that tolerating 3 minutes of embarrassment with Jarret was far easier than arguing with him for the rest of the night.

They slipped out the massive archway and into the hallway where after checking over his shoulder Jarret pushed on a hidden doorway and into a surprisingly spacious passage.

"Where are we?" She asked taking in the wide space.

"It is an emergency exit for the royal family but Aelin had it expanded so that more people would be able to fit. I figured since you are royalty you'd be allowed inside."

Della nodded, of course Aelin would insist that a top secret passageway made just for her should be able to be accessed by others.

"Servants aren't allowed to use it and only some guards know about it." Jarret continued, "But what's nice about it is that you can still hear the music from in here."

She looked up at him. He was grinning ear to ear at having solved her problem of too many people and the music did in fact carry well especially with her Face hearing.

Jarret bowed deeply still smiling and extended his hand. "Princess, may I have this dance?"

She flushed slightly. Her and Jarret were on friendly terms but the tone he used seemed a touch too friendly.

Grateful he was unable to scent her emotions Della took his hand and began moving rigidly through the simultaneously very complex and very simple dance. It was the same 12 series of steps and moves repeated over and over, it's just that those 12 steps seemed unnecessarily ornate. Jarret was gracious enough to take the steps slower than what the music demanded. But, miraculously, after a few rounds Della felt herself speeding up, Jarret matching her perfectly through out as she gained confidence.

"That's a girl." Jarret said to her still smiling.

He was always smiling and Della felt herself smiling too. She allowed herself to get swept up in the music; sinking further into the lively melody, her feet moving faster and faster. Jarret twirled her around and around and when she fell back into his arms her hands gripping his strong shoulders she couldn't help but throw her head back and laugh. This is what she had hoped the ball would feel like and she was grateful to Jarret for pushing her out of her comfort zone.

"Princess Della." rang out a familiar voice with an unfamiliar sterness.

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Hi all! I am so sorry it has been a while since the last update. I took thanksgiving off but the week after I was super sick again. (I started a new job at a preschool and so I am just constantly exposed to all kinds of germs and these kiddos are still learning to cover their mouth's when they cough and sneeze lol.) Anyways, I so appreciate your patience with me, and thank you for all your kind messages/comments as well as your votes! Happy Wednesday!

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