Princess of Mermaids by A. G. Marshall

Author:A. G. Marshall [Marshall, A. G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Avanell Publishing
Published: 2019-11-04T16:00:00+00:00

36

Gustave hurried through the hallway, late for lunch and hoping that his grandmother had expressed appropriate apologies to his guests when he wasn’t there to greet them. It had taken longer than expected to tailor the suit, and then he had to get dressed and make himself presentable for the day.

He entered the dining room and found Marquis Corbeau rhapsodizing about the refreshments he had planned for the gala.

“Of course, it was difficult to secure the right kind of apples for the tarts. Normally we import them from Gaveron, but the kraken attacks made that difficult. Luckily I-”

The marquis stopped his story when Gustave sat down. The other diners looked grateful for the interruption. Gustave could only guess how long Marquis Corbeau had been rambling about the gala preparations.

He looked around the table and blinked with surprise when he saw Lady Mer.

“Doctor Batiste said you were resting.”

“I’m fine.”

She didn’t look fine. A thin layer of sweat shone on her forehead, and her eyes were strained. Gustave agreed with Doctor Batiste’s evaluation that Lady Mer needed rest, but he suspected she was too stubborn to appreciate his saying so.

She looked different somehow. Her hair was pulled back, and she wore a more elaborate style of gown. As if she was trying to prove she was in good health by looking more polished than normal.

Gustave realized he was staring and looked down at his soup. First he kissed her, then he gawked at her. No wonder she was uncomfortable. It probably had more to do with his behavior than being buried in an avalanche of royal gifts.

He was tempted to comment on the soup to try to make Lady Mer smile, but the predatory gleam in Lady Annabelle’s eyes kept him quiet.

“Has Your Majesty cleaned up after the earthquake? I’m sure you’ll be sorting through the presents to make sure everything is accounted for.”

Lady Annabelle gave Lady Mer a pointed look, and Lady Mer rolled her eyes. Gustave looked between them, trying to make sense of the tension.

“The servants and scribes are working to reorganize the library.”

“I do hope that nothing is missing.”

She seemed to be accusing Lady Mer of something, but Gustave had no idea what.

“Is everything ready for the guests arriving by sea, Captain?” Gustave asked.

Captain Whist nodded.

“There have been no signs of tidal waves, and I’ve posted extra guards and sent out some patrol boats just to be on the safe side.”

Just in case another kraken attacked. He didn’t say it, but Gustave knew that was what he meant.

“Will the patrol boats be on the watch for mermaids?” Dale asked. “If Your Majesty is planning another expedition, I would like to be on the ship.”

“Out of the question,” Marquis Corbeau said. “His Majesty will be too busy entertaining guests and preparing for the gala to search for mermaids.”

Gustave sighed. As much as he wanted to continue the search for his father, he did have duties to attend to. Guests had already arrived, and he needed to be a good host.

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.