Page 31 of The Last Dragon King
A few hours later, I peered into the mirror with a smile.
I wore tight black suede hunting trousers, a royal blue silk tunic that was short and tight—nothing like I’d ever seen before—and a small black leather waist cincher that ended just under my bust. I made sure Narine didn’t tie it tightly, and even did a squat to make sure I could move about easily.
She’d curled my hair and braided it over one shoulder. I even let her fuss over me with makeup.
“I think you may have just invented a new style.” Narine stared at me, rubbing her chin. “I like it.”
I put my hands on my small waist. “I love it.” Reaching out, I slipped my hunting blade into a thigh holster on my waist and Narine shook her head.
“For lunch with the king! Are you mad?” She yanked the blade out and stashed it in a drawer nearby.
I spit out my tongue at her. She already had a buyer for the dress. Ten jade coins, sight unseen.
There was a knock at the door.
Narine answered it, and then looked at me, stricken. “It’s Annabeth, here to take you to your lunch date.”
I nodded, knowing she was worried how me not wearing the dress might look.
I walked into view of Annabeth and watched as her gaze ran over my outfit. “Don’t you love my stylish trouser suit? I insisted on wearing it. I think it will be all the rage at court once I am queen,” I said with a Jade City accent.
Annabeth shared a worried look with Narine.
“I tried to persuade her to wear the dress,” Narine said nervously.
Annabeth stared at Narine with pity, and then at me. “It looks… like something Regina might wear.”
I grinned. That was truly a compliment. “Thanks.”
After wishing Narine a good day, Annabeth led me down a network of hallways to a smaller set of double doors. “The king’s private dining hall,” Annabeth said, and opened the door. She took one last look at my outfit and shook her head. “Good luck.”
I tried not to let my nerves get the better of me. Had the king requested this lunch with me to probe about my magic? Or was he meeting all of the women privately to assess their wifeliness?
I stepped into the hall as she closed the doors behind me. Spinning around, I surveyed the room. It was covered in black plush carpet; the walls were black as well, with a gold dragon emblem print. It would have been too dark if not for the magnificent chandelier and giant open window facing the garden. It was masculine, and fitting for the dragon king.
In the center of the room was a small four-person dining table. I suddenly felt weird being here. Had he eaten here with Queen Amelia?
Athwackdrew my attention to the window and I wandered over to peer outside. The king was shooting a bow and arrow in the garden.
Nowthatwas what I called a date. I looked for the door that led outside to join him, but he stowed the bow and began walking towards me. The back doors to the room opened and a man stepped in rolling a food cart.
“Oh, hey.” I walked over to the table but didn’t yet sit down. I didn’t want to sit in the king’s favorite chair or anything.
A second later, the man of the hour stepped inside. He wore a nice black silk dress tunic that fell past his knees, and suede trousers much like mine. His gaze landed on me and did a slow inventory of my body, before a halfcocked smile dragged across his lips.
“Did Annabeth see you dressed like that?” he asked.
I nodded. “She loved it,” I lied, knowing he could smell it.
“Liar.”
I grinned. Okay, he was in a joking mood. This was good.
“Thank you, Ferlin,” the king told the man who had set two plates full of warm food at the table.
“Ladies first,” the king said, gesturing to the table-sitting closest to me. I nodded, taking my seat, and pulled my napkin onto my lap.
Ferlin wheeled his cart out and I looked at the delicious plate before me. Crab, potatoes, and some kind of green salad.
