I won’t let it.

And yet even as that thought finished, an inner part of himself laughed at his arrogance.

Fate is a bitch, but she always has a wicked sense of humor.

Please, don’t let me be her punch line tonight.

19

Darling paused outside the Grand Assembly room of the main CDS building. He could hear the roar of the gerents and their spouses through the strains of the orchestra music. There were four Sentella soldiers dressed as Caronese guards in front of him, waiting for his signal to open the door for his admittance.

C’mon, Dar. You’ve done this a thousand times in the past. So what if they mock and laugh? You’re now their governor.

He had the power of life and death over all of them…

Zarya released his arm and moved to stand at his back, next to Maris. Since she wasn’t Darling’s wife yet, protocol demanded that she and Maris trail him. Anything else would be seen as a slap to the aristos.

He glanced over his shoulder to offer her a smile he didn’t feel.

But the sight of her cheered him exponentially. Dressed in the royal Caronese colors, she was breathtaking. Her strapless gown trailed behind her on the floor, giving her a regal look as she tucked her gloved hand into the crook of Maris’s elbow. The royal jewels sparkled around her neck, but they were no match for her warm amber eyes.

Against his will, his body hardened. Great, just what I need. Walk in there to face those bastards with a hard-on.

“You two ready?” he asked them.

Maris covered her hand with his. “Lead on, my lord. We will follow you anywhere.”

“Hell it is, then,” Darling mumbled under his breath.

With a deep breath to brace himself for the coming slaughter, Darling signaled the guards to open the doors. Without a word, they obeyed.

Hating this with every fiber of his being, Darling forced himself to step forward.

The moment they entered the hall, all sound immediately ceased and every eye in the room focused on him as he made his first public appearance.

Zarya feared she might pass out as she saw the number of aristos in attendance who stared at them with contempt and disdain. Somewhere in the crowd, Drake and Ryn were here, but she couldn’t see them anywhere.

“Breathe easy,” Maris whispered to her. “Remember, they’re not looking at us. They’re picking apart Darling.”

Trying her best to suppress her laughter at that, she wrinkled her nose at him. “You’re so evil.”

“Yes, but it’s true. We’d have to light ourselves on fire to catch their notice right now. Even then, I’m not sure if it’d work.”

Laughing as they followed Darling through the crowd, she saw heads leaning together as people began to gossip.

Darling paused next to the majordomo and spoke in a tone so low, they couldn’t hear him.