Page 9 of Dueling the Suitors
“Save it,” she spat. “I don’t wish to speak with you again.”
“Ast—”
“Get lost, Silas!”
Silas’ face turned grim, and there it was again—that accusatory stare. “I pity Wizard Orion if it’s true you are going to marry him.”
“And I pity the girl you will marry in the future! Really, Illara should count herself fortunate our father called off your engagement when Emperor Cyrus invaded their kingdom; she is saved from you! Tell me, Silas, would you call your child a murderer if her mother died in childbirth?” she asked and answered herself with a snort, “Oh, you will. You are truly a monster behind all your charms.”
Emmett shot to his feet. “That is enough, both of you!”
“Oh, so what do you thinkyouare?” Silas’ eyes darkened and he took a menacing step forward that did little to intimidate her. “I know what you hide behindyourcharms. You are nothing but a scared, naïve child trapped in the body of a seventeen-year-old—”
“I said,enough!” Emmett’s deep voice rang with the authority of the Crown Prince. “Astoria, sit. Silas, leave.”
They refused to relent and held their ground, glaring at each other.
“Now!” Emmett thundered. That was the second time he had lost his cool today.
Silas broke the glare first and turned for the door in a swish of his travelling cloak. He slammed the door behind him with a loud bang that nearly shook the parlor.
Astoria collapsed into her seat and stole a glance at Emmett. His frown was enough to tell her how disappointed he was.
She hated disappointing him.
“Emmett, I—”
He took a deep breath to compose himself. “Forget it,” he said with a wave of his hand and sat back. “Now, where were we?”
Astoria swallowed the hardness from her throat and tried to pretend the last few minutes hadn’t happened. “Uh… you were saying I needed to sharpen my dueling skills.”
“Precisely.” Emmett nodded, with a serious look. “And I just happen to know the perfect man to train you.”
* * *
Astoria squinted at the tall figure silhouetted against the rising sun in the middle of the training ground. She would recognize that platinum blond hair anywhere.
“Jasper?” She turned to Emmett, who grinned and waved at his best friend as they crossed the lawn towards him. “You asked Jasper to train me?”
Emmett met her astonished gaze. “There is no one else I would rather trust with the taskandyou. Not only because he is a Mage and an excellent fighter, but also someone I know you will be comfortable around. It will make your training much easier.”
Astoria averted her gaze and bit her tongue from blurting out that Jasper was the last person she was comfortable around. Alright, not thelast, but still, he made her feel uneasy.
Ever since Skylar told her that Jasper had romantic feelings for her, she had been uncomfortable around him. Being amystical creature, Skylar had a handful of abilities, and smelling the emotions of Mages who weren’t powerful was one of them.
Factually, Astoria was the only Mage Skylar couldn’t smell the emotions of, until Wizard Orion.
Jasper was a good person, her brother’s best friend from childhood and the man he trusted the most. He was the only man in her father’s court Astoria was friends with and the one spared from her insults.
Astoria had a reputation for making men nervous. She openly insulted anyone who attempted to woo her, whether foreign dignitaries or citizens. It was also why she was still not spoken for. Most princesses and noblewomen her age were either married or betrothed, while Astoria took pleasure in driving every eligible man away.
Marriage was the last thing she wanted.
She was aware that, despite her reputation, men were still hopelessly in love with her. She had laughed, thinking how pathetic they were. But it hadn’t been the same upon discovering Jasper’s feelings. It bothered her a great deal. Jasper was herfriend,and she only ever saw him as a friend. Since then, she had avoided him as much as possible.
However, it seemed she stood no chance now.
“I see… Emmett dragged you out of bed?” Jasper called out to her with a dimpled grin as they reached him.