He’s human, I remind the butterflies in my stomach, commanding them to stop their fluttering.
“A token to celebrate your birthday,” he says, offering me a small box. The paper wrapping is white, and it’s tied with a pale pink ribbon.
I glance at Mother, knowing she’d object if she were awake—but she’s not. Surrounded by watchful guards, my most recent stepfather lifts his wife into his arms, preparing to carry her to the castle.
I look at Brahm next. Though he frowns at the performer, he doesn’t stop me from accepting the gift. With a nod, he silently tells me to go ahead.
“Thank you,” I murmur to the young man after I take the box, running my finger over the satin ribbon. It falls into my lap after I untie the bow, and the paper soon follows.
A small figurine of a girl rests inside the box, whittled from wood and carefully painted. Her hair is golden, and she wears a crown. Tiny, winged pixies surround her, carved into her skirt. She stands in a fairy ring, smiling serenely.
“Is it me?” I ask, looking up at the young man.
He nods.
“Are you the artist?”
“I am.”
I brush my finger over the fine details. “It’s beautiful.”
A smile passes over his face. “I’m glad it pleases you. Happy birthday, Your Highness.”
With a bow of his head, he returns to his troupe. I watch him go, wanting to call him back and ask his name.
“It’s growing late,” Brahm says. “We should go inside. There might be a cake waiting for you.”
I turn to my brother, temporarily distracted. “Did you bring it back from the bakery in Kellington? The one you keep going on about?”
We have a patisserie in Auvenridge, and a trio of pastry chefs who bake exclusively for the royal family, but Brahm swears this bakery is the best.
He conceals a smile. “I might have.”
I shake my head as I carefully fold the paper and wind the ribbon, returning both into the box with the figurine. Brahm’s made such a fuss out of it, but how good could it be? “Is it chocolate?”
“You’d disown me if I brought anything else.”
And he’s right. Chocolate is rarely brought into West Faerie. I’ve only had it a few times, both occasions when we had visiting nobles from South Faerie. The Sionna Court is fortunate enough to have the cocoa trees on their archipelago.
“If you’re going to go to all the trouble, you might as well do it right,” I agree. Then I frown. “Will you leave after?”
“We will,” Brahm says, glancing at Regina.
Our cousin wears black, mourning the recent loss of her husband. He was executed for treason, but his only crime was publicly disagreeing with Mother.
After the horrific ordeal, Brahm moved out of the castle and into our late father’s estate, taking Regina with him—protecting her from our mother.
I don’t see him as often as I would like, but I’m glad he helped Regina escape. I only wish I could have gone with them.
“I’m sorry,” Regina says quietly, speaking for the first time all evening.
I shake my head. “I’m so grateful you came.”
She smiles, but her eyes are haunted.
As Brahm escorts us inside, I look back one last time to see if I can spot the young man, but he’s already disappeared into the crowd.
* * *