Chapter 49.

I shrunk under the apprehensive eyes of everyone standing on the ballroom floor. They were dressed in beautiful gowns, wearing expensive jewelry that truly fit for a visit to the palace and I could tell with a steadfast certainty that they all looked down on me with a passion. Nobody could understand why the king had taken a chosen mate from the Hunt. He who could have his pick of female, had chosen a common girl with no extraordinary talents. Little did they know that the girl had no choice in the matter and that she was as unhappy with the result as they were. On my way up to meet Darian I saw Elise strutting proudly around the large pedestal with a silver trolley on which she had at least six different kinds of wine. She gave each man around the table a wine glass and looked around the room for someone. That's when it dawned on me that Iliana wasn't with her. Someone grabbed my arm, the smell of cologne burned my nose and he spun me around. “Where is she?” Emanuel asked frantically.