He whispered over her shoulder like the devil he was,

“I bet you hate him. After everything he’s done, why wouldn’t you?”

“Shut up.” She replied, her voice as tense as her eyes as she scanned over the swarm of elites as the feasted and reveled and fawned over their new king and his guests, including a princess and potential bride.

“I don’t hate him...”

Elise breathed, not daring to move her lips as thought that would mean she never spoke aloud. Alec sidled closer to hear her over the drunken singing coming from the knights table at the far end of the great hall. Muscular knights slurred ballads of great deeds while the larger but shorter warriors of the Scotts tried to sing louder of their own great deeds.

“I understand why he... why he has invited them...”

“It doesn’t take a scholar to figure it out! Look at her.”

The princess was indeed beautiful. Her skin was unblemished, her fiery hair twisted in an elegant up-do with tendrils falling down, like leaves in autumn, that showed of her dove-boned collar. Alec continued his quiet rant,

“But it would take a fool to choose her over you.”

“He can’t be with me... We both knew that.”

“He is king. The way I see, if he loves you than he can do anything he wants. If you don’t kill him for breaking your heart, I will.”

They both giggled a moment until Alec went to refill goblets at the high table. He made sure to reach around the king and put his elbows in his face, to interrupt their conversation and abruptly drop the goblet on the table. He left in a huff, muttering apologies and fetched napkins. When he returned to his post, next to Elise, he had a smug smile on his face.

Elise sniffed,

“That was the worst assassination attempt I’ve ever seen.”

Alec snorted with laughter, earning an odd look from some of the closer nobles. Elise straightened her servants smock as an excuse to hide her blushed face.

“I am bitter. I would be lying to say otherwise... it hurts, Alec. It hurts to see him here... happy... smiling.”

“Smiling, yes but I wouldn’t go so far to say he’s happy.”