A blush rises to my cheeks, and I check around the table, but Judd and Lu are talking, and Digby is busy glowering into his cup. “You sure that’s a good idea?” I challenge? “I might steal your magic.”
Slade gives me a pointed look. “You need to ignore them.”
“That’s pretty hard to do when I wasn’t prepared.”
He drags a hand down his face. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I should’ve told you what some of the rumors were saying. I just wanted you to have a good day here.”
“I know,” I say, blowing out a breath. “I just hate that he’s somehow made it so that my magic still isn’t mine.”
Slade’s mouth tightens. “If people truly want to think that, then they’re fools.”
Just then, Barut comes back over, setting a tray of everything down in front of us. “There you are, Majesty. Enjoy.”
Slade gives Barut a nod of thanks and then pours me more wine. I hum at my first sip.
Bright side, wine can’t gossip.
I take a bite of the creamy cheese too, chewing on my thoughts as much as the food before I ask, “Doesn’t it bother you? That people think I’m seducing you for your magic?”
“I don’t give a fuck what other people think.”
“That’s such a man thing to say,” I reply with a slight roll of my eyes as I take another bite. “Women in this world have to be more careful. Perceived reputations can be life or death.”
“That’s true,” he concedes, watching as I take another drink. “Reputations can also mean power.”
“Says the king.”
He leans in close, lips almost brushing my ear. “Says the king to the fae female who’s conquered him completely.”
I lick my wine-stained lips. “I’ve conquered no one.”
“Goldfinch, you could conquer the entire world with a single look, if only you’d open your eyes.”
“That’s dangerous advice, considering what happened in Ranhold.”
“That’s all part of the fun, don’t you think?”
I level him with a look. “I think I’m starting to learn that you’re just as unhinged as some of the Orean rumors have claimed.”
His devilish smirk only grows. “Oh, love, I’m worse.”
The racing organ in my chest does a flip when he calls me love. “You’re better than you give yourself credit for. You’re good. To me, to your Wrath, to your people.”
“If you knew what I was thinking right now, the last thing you’d call me is good.”
I bury my blush in my cup as I take another long gulp. The heat of his words and the look in his eye have buoyed my mood significantly. He’s at least tied with the wine.
“So, Gildy, where do you want to go next?”
My head jerks forward at Lu’s question. “Oh, umm…” Everyone looks at me expectantly. “I’m not sure.”
“We could take her past the watermill,” Judd supplies. “Or maybe the perfume shop. Lots of ladies like to go there. Or the hattery.”
Lu rolls her eyes. “Does she look like she wants a frilly hat?”
“We could go to the market at the docks,” Judd offers instead. “But there will be lots of people down there.”
I cast a questioning glance at Slade as I finish off the last of my cheese and a bite of bread. “Too many people?”
“We’re all with you,” he tells me. “Besides, like you said, you’re not a thief, so you aren’t going to hide like one. Let them see that these rumors are wrong.”
With a nod, I look to Digby. “You up for it, Dig?”
“I go with you,” he says simply as he drains his cup.
“Alright then. Let’s do it.”
Slade stands up and offers his hand to me, which I take after one last sip of wine.
As we make our way out of the tavern through a back door, I thank him for lunch. “The food here is much better than in Ranhold.”
Lu makes a noise of disgust behind me. “They ought to be ashamed of themselves, drenching everything in syrup. Salt is far better than sugar.”
“Ah, so that’s why you’re not sweet. Even your tastebuds reject it,” Judd says as we all spill out onto the path. Lu tries to trip him, but he’s nimble enough to leap right over her foot.
I take a deep breath of the outside air. The lake is just feet away, separated by the wooden dock and railings. There’s an array of small boats tied up along the docking lines, each of them bobbing slightly in the water.