Crown of Shadows (Court of Midnight and Deception #1) - K. M. Shea Page 0,46

bit like a kid in school, even though I was sitting in a stupidly lavish sitting room. “Lady Demetria’s granddaughter, and one of my haters.”

Skye nodded and flipped the tablet around to select her next target.

She’d been quizzing me on nobles ever since I’d hired her, but the day I had my run in with Lord Rigel the Wraith she’d increased the memorization sessions significantly because the Paragon had contacted me to organize my first fae social as a royal—which was going to be held in two days.

“Lord Argyos,” I said when she flipped her tablet back around.

Lord Linus—who was lounging on a couch and drinking a fae alcoholic beverage, snorted with laughter. “No chance of forgetting him.”

I shot him an impatient look. “Why are you here again?”

“I’m your advisor.” He aimlessly dragged a finger through the air. “I’m here to advise!”

I rolled my eyes but turned back to Skye.

Before my steward could select the next noble, there was a rap on the door, and Indigo poked her head in.

“Great news!” Her eyes shone as she scurried inside, an excited spring to her step. “The Day King is here!”

I frowned. “What? Why? Did one of my loitering nobles invite him?”

It seemed I was the only one who was concerned about his presence. Skye actually stood straighter, her delicate features flashing first with surprise and then her golden cheeks getting a pink hue. “The Day King is here? To meet with Queen Leila?”

Lord Linus actually hopped to his feet. “Excellent! Solis is a good sort. Leila, you need to go down and greet him!”

“He’s requested an audience with you, Queen Leila,” Indigo said.

“This is an excellent opportunity.” Skye clapped her hands together once. “King Solis is the best tempered monarch in our region, and the Day Court is a place of warmth and beauty. If you can make a favorable impression on him, it will do much for your reputation. That he’s visiting you before you’ve even been publicly crowned is a great honor.”

“Okay,” I agreed.

The word was barely out of my lips before Skye and Indigo whisked me out of the room and escorted me through the mansion, with Lord Linus following on our heels.

I’d read up some on the Day King, King Solis.

He was beloved by his people and had a good reputation among the other Courts. He was adored, however, by humans.

Not that I blamed them. He was the Day King. I’d caught glimpses of him when attending a party at the Drakes’, and he was handsome in a celebrity kind of way, and seemed pretty charismatic.

That’s why I was prepared when Skye and Indigo practically shoved me into the sitting room where the Day King was waiting.

He was as handsome as humans made him out to be with braided hair the same warm, golden color as the morning sun, and the timeless beauty of a fae. He looked like he was maybe in his early forties due to some fine lines around his eyes, but they seemed to give his face a sort of warmth and realness that most fae—with their flawless skin and stoic expressions—lacked. In reality, he was probably a lot older than his forties, given that my own biological father appeared to be in his mid-thirties.

The Day King stood when we entered the room, revealing that he was actually taller than me, and making his robes—made of gold and red silk—rustle with the movement.

“Queen Leila of the Night Court,” Skye bowed first to me, then swiveled and bowed again to my royal visitor. “King Solis of the Day Court.”

King Solis smiled, making him even more dazzling. “Queen Leila,” he said. “It is my honor.”

“The honor is all mine, King Solis.” I evaded an end table that held a stoneware tea set that was glazed jade green, and made my way to the star patterned chair directly across from the wooden chair he’d been sitting in.

Now that I stood closer to him, I could see he wore a gold circlet studded with red and orange gems threaded through his hair, and the crest of the Day Court—a rising sun—was embroidered into his robes.

“Thank you for seeing me today.” He sat down in the chair, somehow able to make it seem throne-like even though it was unadorned and simple in design. “I’m sorry for dropping in with no prior notice.”

“I’m a new…queen,” I said—I still wasn’t quite able to say the title without stumbling over it. It still felt foreign, and like a lie. “I’m highly