Page 16 of A Yulean Sister’s Guide to Getting Kidnapped
I whipped around to see Octavio there, his smile wide and his stance relaxed against the door frame.
I turned back, overlooking the garden again. “Even the beautiful need their alone time.” There was no point in denying it. Being pretty was my thing.
Sage Yulean, the pretty one.
I heard his shoes click on the stone getting closer to me. “I guess I can understand that.”
He came to lean on the balcony next to me, facing out over the grounds which I had to admit were beautiful, although the garden was a bit uniform for my taste. All the flowers were beginning to wilt without the sun, but I could still see each neat row of merinias, all perfectly trimmed around their paths. Some of the plants could have more optimal growing placements but they looked well maintained.
“I’m surprised Paige let you go after just one dance.”
“She didn’t,” he said. “Though during the fourth, I passed her along and made my escape.” He turned to look at me. “She’s very… insistent.”
“Paige is quite determined when she wants something.”
“That I could tell.”
I let out an actual laugh this time. “She’s actually the only reason I’m here,” I admitted.
“What do you mean?”
I sighed. “I mean, I’m invited to these things all the time. And, no offense, but it becomes quite… dull. But Paige was set on coming, and thought we’d have fun, and I was the one with the invite so…” I shrugged. Was that probably an insulting thing to say? Yes. But with all the alcohol going to my head, I wouldn’t say I was at my prime for etiquette. The etiquette teacher from my youth would probably be having a heart attack right about now.
Instead of being offended, which would be expected, he nodded. “That makes sense. You can’t travel across the country for every nobles’ exit around the world. But I guess I can thank Paige for one thing.”
“Yeah, what’s that?”
“Being a pester long enough to bring you here.”
My head whipped around, and our eyes met. He truly was handsome. It was in a very traditional way, but there wasn’t anything wrong with that.
I pursed my lips. “You’re a terrible flirt. And Paige isn’t a pester, just… insistent.” I didn’t like speaking ill of my friend, even when I wasn’t sure she would extend the same courtesy in the same situation.
“Only when the person is worth it.”
I couldn’t deny he was clever. He was surely more intriguing to talk to than many of the other men I’d had dalliances with. “I’m assuming you know all the gossip.” It wasn’t something I was ashamed of, even if most of it wasn’t even true.
“I’m not really one to believe gossip,” he said. “Or listen to it.”
“I see.” I looked back towards the dining hall. “Should we go have dinner?”
He gestured. “Lead the way.”
Chapter 6
Adrian
Iwatched her ginormous dress sway behind her as she stormed off. She was exactly what I expected. Beautiful and focused on herself. That would probably make this task much easier.
There was a bit about her that was… unexpected. She had a lot of bite to her. Everyone I’d met had the fakest, kind smiles and nice words. But somehow, this princess I was sure received countless hours of instruction was the most impolite I’d met. It wasn’t the worst thing that could be happening.
She could’ve been a total bore instead.
No matter. My eye was drawn to the sparkly necklace dangling around her neck. It was quite pretty. Diamond cut with a blue gem in the middle, aquamarine if I had to take a guess, and gems running around the edges of it, all held by a chain. She played with it a bunch while we talked, and I wasn’t even sure she knew she was doing it. But if I’d been wearing a necklace for almost my entire life, I’d probably be used to its existence too.
After she ran off I turned back to my drink. Though after this one I’d be back to water. I needed to blend in but stay sharp.
The entire evening was uneventful, but that was how I wanted it to be. A few dragonfolk brushed past me earlier, drawing my eye. While most people here were human, a few nonhumans floated around as well, making my ability to blend in more seamless.
