So I Married a Sorcerer (The Embraced #2)(92)

There, at the entrance, she stopped, stunned for a few seconds by the opulence before her. The large, rectangular room gleamed with an abundance of gold. Three massive gold-and-crystal chandeliers hung from a ceiling that was plastered and painted to look like a sky filled with golden suns and stars. Long windows stretched from the floor to the ceiling. In between the windows, long mirrors had been installed, each one bordered with multiple golden sconces so that the flames of a dozen candles would be reflected. Every inch of wall space was decorated with curlicues of plaster painted in gold leaf. With all the gold, mirrors, and candles, the room sparkled.

Two long tables extended down the length of the room. In between the tables, there was enough room for the well-dressed courtiers to mingle. Brigitta scanned the crowd, but couldn’t see Rupert. Gunther was easy to spot with his gleaming gold tunic and cape. More gold and jewels adorned his crown, necklace, and multiple rings. No one else was dressed in gold. Perhaps her brother had reserved the color strictly for the royal family. He had made sure that each of her gowns had a little gold.

At the far end of the room, a large dais was topped by a golden canopy. Two golden chairs sat in front of a table, covered with cloth of gold. It was too much, she thought. No doubt her brother would eat gold if he could.

“Her Royal Highness, Princess Brigitta,” a footman announced at the door.

Her brother strode toward her, and she sank into a deep curtsy.

“Not bad,” he murmured as he took her hand. “I’ll introduce you to the men who will be competing for you.”

As he led her down the room, the courtiers parted to allow them a wide path through. They bowed and curtsied as Gunther and Brigitta passed by.

“Shouldn’t I meet these people?” she whispered.

“Don’t bother.” He gave them a disdainful look. “They’ll just betray you someday, and then you would feel a little miffed about having to execute them when you thought they were friends. So you see, when I keep you isolated, it’s for your own good.”

“Thank you, brother dearest—Your Majesty.”

He chuckled, then stopped in front of three men, who doffed their hats as they bowed. “Here they are.”

Brigitta curtsied.

Gunther motioned to the one on the right. “You’ve met Captain Mador before. He’ll be competing as number One.”

The captain gave her his usual sneer. “A pleasure to see you again.”

Brigitta forced a smile. “Thank you.”

“This is General Tarvis.” Gunther gestured toward the man in the middle. “He’s the commander of the royal army and will be competing as number Two.”

“But I’ll finish as number One,” the general added with a smile.

Mador snorted. “Over my dead body.”

“Exactly.” General Tarvis gave him a wry look.

“And number Three,” Gunther continued. “Lord Admiral Aevar, commander of the royal navy.”

“Delighted to meet you, Your Highness.” The admiral bowed his head. “I regret that my men were unable to stop that bastard Rupert from kidnapping you. I assure you, the men were duly punished.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Brigitta replied. “And thank the Light that horrid pirate was captured when he attempted to take the ransom money in Eberon.”

“Ah, that reminds me,” Gunther said. “You’ll be happy to hear the latest news. Rupert is dead.”

Her heart lurched, but she quickly recovered and pasted on a big smile. “Oh, that’s wonderful. Did they execute him?”

Gunther shook his head. “According to the report, he was killed while attempting an escape. But since he comes from Tourin, I think I should have my ambassador demand that the body be returned to me. I won’t believe the bastard is dead until I see it.”

“A wise decision, Your Majesty,” Mador said.

Gunther nodded. “I’ll tell Argus to send an envoy. You three should get better acquainted with my sister.”

As Gunther walked away, Brigitta scanned the crowd again. No Rupert in sight.

“Are you looking forward to the competition, Your Highness?” the lord admiral asked.

“Oh, yes,” she replied. “Are the other contestants attending the feast tonight?”

Captain Mador waved a dismissive hand. “They’ll be here soon. There’s no point in you getting to know them.”

“True,” the general agreed. “They’re just going to die.”

“I think we should lay bets on which one goes first,” Mador said.

General Tarvis scoffed. “Too easy. It’ll be whoever has the least experience at riding a horse.” He glanced at Brigitta. “Tomorrow’s contest will be a horse race.”

Mador sneered at the lord admiral. “You might be the one to lose. I doubt you’ve ridden any horses all those years you were at sea.”

A spurt of alarm shot through Brigitta. Rupert had been at sea almost half of his life. Would he be able to survive the first round of the competition?

Admiral Aevar shrugged. “Not a problem. I grew up on horseback. I could jump hedgerows better than anyone on my father’s estate.”

General Tarvis rolled his eyes. “Hedgerows? One time, when I was on horseback, I jumped across the Loure River.”