Five Poisoned Apples: A Collection of Snow White Stories by Skye Hoffert & Jenelle Hovde & Cortney Manning & Maddie Morrow & Rachael Wallen

Author:Skye Hoffert & Jenelle Hovde & Cortney Manning & Maddie Morrow & Rachael Wallen [Hoffert, Skye]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rooglewood Press
Published: 2018-12-01T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Livna stared, completely thunderstruck. The emperor! How had he made his way through the throng so quickly? He was shorter than she expected, scarcely taller than Livna, but she stood several inches taller than most women. His skin was a peachy-white, though no lighter than her own skin, which rarely saw sunlight. The torchlight shone off his red-gold hair, and his blue eyes seemed to twinkle.

And he was most certainly smiling at her.

“May I?” Vandrus gestured to the comb. Livna held her breath, carefully pulled the tines from her hair, and set the ornament in his outstretched hand. His fingertips brushed across the brilliant rubies. “Lovely,” he said, but his gaze was on her face, not on the comb.

Livna blushed, and the emperor’s eyes shone even brighter. “Will you walk with me?” he asked as he placed the precious comb back in her palm.

Livna felt all the eyes of the court fixed upon her—sensing the surprise of the other ladies and the resentment from some. She shouldn’t be here. She hadn’t intended to gain this kind of attention. But . . .

This was what Father wanted.

Livna nodded. With a smile, Emperor Vandrus led her past the crowd and the table toward an exit. She still felt all those eyes upon her, but now three gazes broke through her daze, making themselves more pointedly felt. Father proudly watched with an air of determination, and Oren wore a shocked expression which surely mirrored Livna’s own astonishment.

But Nava’s glare cut through all the others. Livna dared not glance her stepmother’s way, but she did not have to. She felt the spear-like hatred dart at her from across the room.

Her heart thudded uncomfortably all the way to the door, and it was a relief to leave the banquet hall behind and step into extensive palace gardens under a twilit sky. Livna breathed deeply of the evening air, glad to be away from the banquet and the crowd.

The emperor walked confidently, his tunic brushing his knees and revealing his sandaled calves. Livna glanced down, then quickly looked away at the surrounding garden instead. Men from the United Tribes did not wear their robes so short.

Vandrus led them confidently through the garden as though he knew its layout already, and now moved briskly to the nearest bench beneath a pear tree. He motioned for Livna to sit. “Here we are . . . may I ask your name?”

“I am Livna.”

He nodded once and, flinging his cape behind him, sat beside her. “And I am sure you know I am Emperor Vandrus. There. We have been introduced. Now tell me why you were smiling.” He turned to fully face Livna. “I find I have too little to smile about in my life, and most of the smiles I encounter at these presentations are either false or they disguise scheming intents or unbridled pride. But your smile was sincere. And not meant for me, which draws me to it all the more. So, tell me, Livna, why

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.