royals seemed to make a bigger effort to attend the tea. The two middle princes did not attend every week, but Tari had seen glances of them and th eir elf bond mates. The Calnor queen, Queen Luciee, however, had yet to attend.
As Tari studied the tea guests she caught sight of Eric, who was approaching a party of ladies directly next to Tari and her companions.
“Talon, how do you like Eric?” Tari asked, glancing at her older cousin before returning her gaze to Eric.
“He seems nice, for a human. Honestly I don’t know why he is still in Haven. He runs the family manor since Captain Arion is unavailable to oversee it. I had hoped he would have gone home by now,” Talon shrugged before reaching up to scratch a tapered ear.
Eric smiled engagingly at the young ladies, who seconds ago were chattering animatedly with each other. They stared at the young man with blank faces. Tari discreetly edged closer to them, hoping to hear whatever Eric said to the girls.
“I suspect it has something to do with Princess Claire,” Kiva hesitatingly said. “Only one of her sisters has returned home—the married one. I think they’re staying for emotional support.”
“Good evening ladies,” Eric warmly said.
“Good evening, Sir Herycian,” the girls said with stiff civility.
Talon and Kiva continued to talk, but Tari concentrated on the conversation taking place next to her.
“You all look beautiful tonight,” Eric said.
The girls exchanged looks before one of them, a blond e with pretty hair and a sneering nose, said in a derogatory tone, “Thank you.”
Tari noticed that Crown Prince Benjimir was also watching Eric and the ladies.
“Are the…. To your liking?” he asked. Tari guessed he was referring to the food and drinks based on the fact that he gestured to the treat table.
“I suppose so,” the blonde, who was apparently the leader, said with a haughty sniff.
Eric’s smile did not falter, and he cheerfully forged ahead in spite of the ladies’ off-putting manners. “I am glad to hear it. Would any of you care to dance?” he asked, turning to give them a view of the few human couples that were dancing at the far end of the room by a string quartet.
The ladies laughed, but it wasn’t a kind, amused sort of laughter. It was mocking, high pitched, and shrewish.
“No thank you,” the blonde said. “We only dance with men from families of caliber.”
Somehow, in the depths of her anger, Tari knew it should be odd that she understood the words of the shrewish girl. However, it was something that would have to be addressed later, because right now she needed to be corrected.
Tari looked to Crown Prince Benjimir. He drank his wine and watched Eric bravely smile, making no move to help him.
That solved it.
Tari wordlessly handed her tea cup and saucer to Kiva, who took them with a puzzled expression. “Tari?” she asked.
Tari ignored the call and sauntered in Eric’ s direction, placing a taunting smirk on her lips.
She did not intend to reveal she could speak Calnoric for many weeks—not until she was fluent. But she would no longer tolerate this blatant mocking of Arion’s family. If the human royalty wanted to pretend the Herycians were lower class, two could play that game. Tari would fight back by flaunting her friendship with them, by being the best and brightest of the elves.
The humans had never encountered an Evening Star before; they had never encountered an elf like Tari. It was high time they learn this.
As Tari swept across the hall floor it occurred to her that she did not know any cutting words in the human language. The patrol leaders mostly taught her basic conversation, they hadn’t bothered to teach her any slights or rebukes. What could she say to the ladies that would make it obvious how slimy she thought them to be?
At the back of her mind, Tari’s bond with Arion burned steadily. Tari felt it, reached for it, and savagely yanked on it when she stopped next to Eric.
As Tari studied the tea guests she caught sight of Eric, who was approaching a party of ladies directly next to Tari and her companions.
“Talon, how do you like Eric?” Tari asked, glancing at her older cousin before returning her gaze to Eric.
“He seems nice, for a human. Honestly I don’t know why he is still in Haven. He runs the family manor since Captain Arion is unavailable to oversee it. I had hoped he would have gone home by now,” Talon shrugged before reaching up to scratch a tapered ear.
Eric smiled engagingly at the young ladies, who seconds ago were chattering animatedly with each other. They stared at the young man with blank faces. Tari discreetly edged closer to them, hoping to hear whatever Eric said to the girls.
“I suspect it has something to do with Princess Claire,” Kiva hesitatingly said. “Only one of her sisters has returned home—the married one. I think they’re staying for emotional support.”
“Good evening ladies,” Eric warmly said.
“Good evening, Sir Herycian,” the girls said with stiff civility.
Talon and Kiva continued to talk, but Tari concentrated on the conversation taking place next to her.
“You all look beautiful tonight,” Eric said.
The girls exchanged looks before one of them, a blond e with pretty hair and a sneering nose, said in a derogatory tone, “Thank you.”
Tari noticed that Crown Prince Benjimir was also watching Eric and the ladies.
“Are the…. To your liking?” he asked. Tari guessed he was referring to the food and drinks based on the fact that he gestured to the treat table.
“I suppose so,” the blonde, who was apparently the leader, said with a haughty sniff.
Eric’s smile did not falter, and he cheerfully forged ahead in spite of the ladies’ off-putting manners. “I am glad to hear it. Would any of you care to dance?” he asked, turning to give them a view of the few human couples that were dancing at the far end of the room by a string quartet.
The ladies laughed, but it wasn’t a kind, amused sort of laughter. It was mocking, high pitched, and shrewish.
“No thank you,” the blonde said. “We only dance with men from families of caliber.”
Somehow, in the depths of her anger, Tari knew it should be odd that she understood the words of the shrewish girl. However, it was something that would have to be addressed later, because right now she needed to be corrected.
Tari looked to Crown Prince Benjimir. He drank his wine and watched Eric bravely smile, making no move to help him.
That solved it.
Tari wordlessly handed her tea cup and saucer to Kiva, who took them with a puzzled expression. “Tari?” she asked.
Tari ignored the call and sauntered in Eric’ s direction, placing a taunting smirk on her lips.
She did not intend to reveal she could speak Calnoric for many weeks—not until she was fluent. But she would no longer tolerate this blatant mocking of Arion’s family. If the human royalty wanted to pretend the Herycians were lower class, two could play that game. Tari would fight back by flaunting her friendship with them, by being the best and brightest of the elves.
The humans had never encountered an Evening Star before; they had never encountered an elf like Tari. It was high time they learn this.
As Tari swept across the hall floor it occurred to her that she did not know any cutting words in the human language. The patrol leaders mostly taught her basic conversation, they hadn’t bothered to teach her any slights or rebukes. What could she say to the ladies that would make it obvious how slimy she thought them to be?
At the back of her mind, Tari’s bond with Arion burned steadily. Tari felt it, reached for it, and savagely yanked on it when she stopped next to Eric.
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