Up for Heir - Stella Starling Page 0,96

it that she simply couldn’t be bothered to remain.

Leo whipped around, grinning. “I’d wondered where the little menace had gotten off to,” he said fondly.

A footman scrambled to snatch her up as they watched, but the little minx was too fast for him, darting through a doorway roped off with a red velvet rope before the man could catch her. Good for her. And if she hadn’t been intimidated by all the pomp and circumstance to be found through those double doors, then it was settled. Edvin wouldn’t allow himself to be, either.

“Are the palace cats normally a p-p-part of state events?” Edvin asked, mostly teasing but a little bit charmed at the idea that it could be yes. After all, Leo had already told him how Prince Renford had gifted all his brothers with kittens a few years ago—Treble being one of them—and the idea that the cats were all running around behind the scenes causing mischief on a regular basis reminded Edvin that despite their blue blood, the van Rosavias were simply another family, and the Royal Palace, for all its splendor, was also a home.

His shoulders relaxed, and Leo twined their fingers together. “Now you know all our secrets,” he said with a wink. “The true power behind the throne.” He tilted his head toward the ballroom. “Ready, love?”

“Ready,” Edvin said, his tongue remarkably untangled all of a sudden, because becoming a part of that family? Yes, he really was, no matter how fancy the trappings.

Leo took him at his word—believing in Edvin yet again—and once they stepped into the brightly lit ballroom, they paused for a moment as a sonorous voice announced their entry to the room at large.

“Crown Prince Leopold Octavius Ambrose van Rosavia and future Prince Consort Edvin Blom.”

Edvin smiled before he could help it, kind of loving the sound of their names together like that. It wasn’t the official announcement of Leo’s engagement that was planned for later, but the acknowledgement certainly removed all doubt from the masses. In fact, a ripple went through the crowd as they all turned to look, and… and oh shizzle.

That was a lot of eyes on them.

Like, seriously a lot.

Edvin swallowed hard. Had he said he was ready? Because someone had clearly forgotten to inform his knees. They’d turned to jelly.

“Leo,” he whispered, clutching his prince’s hand in another death grip as he forced the word out past a throat almost too tight for air… and that wouldn’t be a good first impression, would it? Fainting in the grand ballroom? A grand ballroom that was accented by priceless art and historical treasures Edvin recognized from the archives? A grand ballroom with at least a dozen more of those massive crystal chandeliers hanging overhead, each one more dazzling than the last?

That, though, he could have handled. That was still just… just things. It was the sea of Very Important People, each and every one of whom seemed to have stopped what they were doing to stare right at Edvin and Leo, that was giving him heart palpitations. But then Leo tucked him even more firmly against his side, leaned down to kiss his temple, and Edvin realized that they weren’t all staring at him… and more importantly, with Leo by his side, that he could absolutely survive the ones that were.

“I’ve got you, love,” Leo said as he led them into the crowd, still, thankfully, keeping hold of Edvin’s hand. “We’re just going to find your siblings and make sure they’re having a good time, restore our strength with some finger foods—” Edvin blushed at the wicked grin Leo added there, but wasn’t about to argue, “—and then we’re going to dance.”

“You… you want to dance with me?” Edvin asked, a little thrill fluttering through him. That’s right, this was a ball. It was supposed to be fun.

“I absolutely want to dance with you,” Leo said, dropping his voice into the low, rumbling range that always made Edvin’s toes start to curl and his mind go to dirty places. “But I might be disowned if I don’t introduce you to Mother and Father first,” Leo added… which immediately uncurled Edvin’s toes, made his balls shrivel up in fear, and eliminated any and all instances of the word “fun” from his mind.

“Now?” he asked, almost stumbling to a halt.

“No,” Leo said with a wink. “After we have a glass of Zasfer.”

He plucked two off a tray held by a passing server and handed one to Edvin.

There were blueberries floating