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Chapter 4
“Better go,” I said, giving Taura and Aunt Ariel a quick hug.
“Good luck,” said my aunt. “You’ll need it.”
I didn’t want to dwell on what she meant. My stomach was already curling with dread.
A few strokes carried me to my papa’s side, where he reclined in his clam-shaped coral throne.
“Hello, Papa.” I kissed him on the cheek.
Father didn’t return the gesture like he normally did. Usually, he would greet me with a warm embrace and a kiss. Tell me about his day. Ask about mine. Share a laugh with me. Something about him was off. His stiff posture and tight jaw. Normally, his eyes were filled with love, but they were distant and dark.
“Ah, Nyssa,” he said, his voice brittle. “There’ll be no more flitting off to bars whenever you like.”
Shellfish. Faraall had told my father what I’d been up to.
His violet eyes flashed green for an instant. They sometimes did that, depending on the light emitted by the crystal lamps.
“From now on, you will have plenty of new duties,” said Father.
Duties? What was he talking about?
“But, Father,” I said.
He waved away my protest with a flick of his hand. “Soon, you shall have little ones to care for. Then you cannot just go running off whenever you like.”
Merbabies? I wasn’t planning on having those for at least another five cycles when I’d settled down. Why was my father being so cold and stony? This wasn’t like him at all.
“Father, what are you talking about?” I glanced at my mother.
She shrugged, as if she had no idea, either.
“I don’t even have a mate,” I said. “Haven’t even been looking. Merbabies are a long way off.”
This was one of the reasons everyone said I wasn’t princess material. Because I spoke back to my father. Why should I be like everyone else? I respected everyone’s right to conduct themselves as they saw fit.
The king gave a hand command, and another horn sounded, cutting off any further protest I wished to make.
Shellfish.
That was the signal for everyone to take their places because the announcement was about to commence. Bubbles swarmed as everyone scattered to the row of pews. Tension rippled through the water, stirring my nerves over what my father was about to declare.
Royal procedure dictated the heir to stand beside him. Then me, as the next youngest, followed by Nimian and Lativa. For some reason, Faraall joined us, smiling at me like a whale about to catch a school of fish.
Sea god, he makes me sick.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming on such short notice.”
My father’s message cast out across the room, and as it reached all the nobles, they nodded their acknowledgement to the king.
When my father’s gaze flicked to me, I knew I was in trouble. He’d looked at me the same way when I’d accidentally broken a rare shell from his collection. But what was he mad about? Because I’d ventured out to the coral reef? Gosh, what a crime.
“Today is a very special day for me,” he said, a glimmer of green registering in his eyes. “It is not often I get to announce an engagement.”
The crowd erupted into applause that echoed in my head.
I spluttered and almost choked.What?But my father hadn’t said a word about it. Usually, rumors of these types of announcements spread like wildfire. Nothing was sacred in this kingdom. Especially when Nimian was such a nosey, little eavesdropper.
