Pretty Deadly: A fast-paced fairy tale with a deadly twist by Kelsey Josund

Author:Kelsey Josund [Josund, Kelsey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: darkstroke books
Published: 2021-10-25T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

The prince reluctantly dropped Cinna’s hand when they reentered the ball. He knew that such obvious affection might have caused gossip they didn’t need, but he kept his attention on her as they moved through the crowd. The music and dancing went on, but Hans no longer had any interest in it.

“I haven’t yet seen the jewels,” she said casually, looking toward the alcove in which they were displayed.

He smiled at her, radiant and joyful, and then began walking toward the alcove with just a nod of his head directing her to follow. They cut through the partygoers, gentlemen stepping off to the side with a bow and ladies with a curtsy, the crowd parting for him without his having to expend any effort.

I could get used to this, Cinna thought. She was unaccustomed to being noticed, let alone deferred to, and though these people were of course not getting out of her way, the effect was the same.

She held her head high as she followed, pretending that the vacant floor before her belonged to her as surely as she hoped it one day would. Hans checked over his shoulder that she was close behind and flashed a beaming smile, which she returned with a touch of affected nervousness that she thought appropriate.

“Does everyone make way for you?” she asked in a low voice, stepping slightly nearer.

“Only those who wish to keep their landholdings,” he replied, but then laughed immediately so she would know he was joking.

“I can’t imagine you angry,” she said.

He laughed again and reached for her slightly, letting his hand drop as he remembered himself. “I’m sure I could be angry,” he said. “But I find I can’t remember what it feels like, when you’re around.”

She giggled and summoned a blush to her cheeks. “You say such sweet things,” she cooed.

And then they reached the alcove and he brought his hand around to the small of her back, directing her chivalrously through the arched doorway and into the steady, buttery light of the electric bulbs.

“Oh,” she breathed when the Crown Jewels came into view. “They’re glorious.”

A pair of men in expensive but ill-fitting suits dashed out of their way and Hans steered Cinna into the space they had vacated, close against the glass that protected the treasures. She peered down at them and the world melted away. The murmurs of other onlookers and shifting background of colorful dresses on the other side of the display faded to nothing. She saw nothing but the jewels and felt nothing but Hans’ warm breath on the back of her neck. Without thought, her hand drifted to where she could just feel the stiff paper of the land deed inside her bodice. She sighed with contentment; her prizes were all so close.

“That was my grandmother’s crown,” Hans murmured, pointing at a delicate craft of silver with gems of many colors tied in with wire, “with which the country was formed.”

Cinna nodded, but she didn’t much care about the history, for all that it might give the crown itself more value.

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