to the man, who I assumed was his assistant. “George, would you be a gentleman and entertain the rest of the guests for a few minutes? I’d like to speak with Landon a bit.”
George raised his bushy red-brown eyebrows at the king. “Your Majesty, you’ve kept your guests waiting quite a while already. Don’t you—”
“Then what’s a few more minutes?” Kenway interrupted. “Besides, none of them look half as interesting as Landon does.” The other guests couldn’t have been happy to hear that, but I couldn’t believe it any more than they could. How on Earth could the king find me interesting when he had a room full of worldly, rich omegas waiting for him?
When George failed to answer, Kenway clapped him on the back. “Thanks a million. I owe you one,” Kenway said and gestured down the hall away from the room. “Will you walk with me a while, Landon?”
I didn’t know what to say. King Kenway wanted to spend time alone with me. It didn’t seem possible, so I reached into my pants pocket and pinched my leg just to make sure I hadn’t died and gone to heaven. The sting brought tears to my eyes, so I was definitely still alive — and, miraculously, my chances at wooing him apparently were too.
“I-I’d be honored,” I said, still in disbelief.
“The honor is all mine,” Kenway said with a beaming smile as offered me his arm.
Despite the nerves writhing like a knot of snakes in my stomach, I took it without a second thought.
Kenway flashed a mischievous look at George. “See? I know how to be charming when it counts,” he said, and whisked me off down the hall.
4. Heath
When I promised George I’d give the evening my best shot, I hadn’t expected to act on it impulsively like this, but as soon as I saw Landon standing outside the door to the reception room looking like a deer in the headlights, I couldn’t help myself.
I knew too well how it felt, especially when I became king as a newly orphaned teen. Back then, the mansion felt more like a medieval fortress than a home. Allegedly, when the first king of Gilmouth built Kenway Manor hundreds of years ago, he intentionally designed its interior to be intimidating to guests, all part of the royal power plays of the day. Judging from Landon’s nervousness, even after all these years and the thousands of photos of the manor now widely circulating on the Internet, it hadn’t lost its ability to intimidate newcomers.
And I had to admit, there was something adorable about seeing him so out of his element. I hadn’t lied when I said I recognized him; he’d caught my eye on several of my incognito forays into Bryton to walk among my people but, ironically for a king, he intimidated me too much to talk to him. He’d seemed so confident and caught up in his work — the exact opposite of how he appeared now with his clammy, fidgety hand resting on my forearm.
“I take it this is your first visit to the manor?” I asked to break the ice.
Landon swallowed hard and nodded. “Yeah. I’ve always wanted to take a tour but just haven’t found the time.”
I shook my head. “Don’t bother; they’re a waste of time and money, honestly. Pure tourist traps made to pad the crown’s pockets.”
Landon glanced at me with disapproval. “Then those pockets must be pretty damn fat by now,” he sneered, then blushed and glanced at the floor. “I mean, not that I have anything against that. I know you have to pay for all this somehow.”
I chuckled and patted the top of his hand. “Don’t worry. Criticizing the crown is one of my favorite pastimes, so you have a friend in me there. The whole institution is so ridiculous to me.”
His eyes snapped to mine again and his brows furrowed. “It is?”
I gestured my free hand around at all the excessive opulence we passed in the hallway. “You don’t think all this extravagance is over the top?”
“Well, yeah, but you’re the king. You’re supposed to be extravagant.”
I shrugged. “Maybe, but most days I’d give anything to just be normal.”
Landon flashed me a smile. “Well, I’m willing to trade places with you anytime. Maybe after your hands crack and bleed from nights of washing dishes in chemicals so harsh even their fumes could kill an elephant, you’ll change your mind.”
“On second thought, I’d like to stay right where I’m at,” I said and