Aimee told me not to do anything. That's easier said than done. After mingling for a couple of minutes, everyone settled down at the long table. I noticed ministers and barons who did business with my father. Then there were the Northerners, one, in particular, I could not tear my gaze from. I recognised one other Northerner, the man I met on my way from the kitchen. He winked when he caught me watching him but did not say anything else. That was the most I had interacted with a Northerner since the start of the dinner.
The man with the green eyes, Midas, sat at the end of the table whilst my father took the other end. There was light chatter as the food was brought in, mine with a little bit less of everything, thanks to Cook. She was getting back at me for the cake.
"It's a late introduction but this is my youngest daughter, Amaya," my father suddenly said as I was prepared to open my mouth like a crocodile and devour my meal in the least number of bites. "She hasn't been feeling well lately so she has been recuperating."
"Oh my," one of the Northern women who sat too close to Midas said, leaning forward to look at me. "What happened?"
I almost answered that question, my wit returning to me, but my mother pinched my thigh as she replied instead. "She reacted to the water the servants use to clean. I always tell her to be careful."
Yeah, right. Water my foot.
Father quickly diverted the matter. "The towns and cities are all complaining about the water. We can only get a few water treatment supplies at a time. It's one of our main focuses."
The woman who had spoken seemed bored by what my father was talking about. "Amaya, right? I've heard quite a few things about you."
I thoroughly chewed the steak I was constantly being poked by my mother for eating and swallowed it. She thinks a lady should eat salad. Well, guess what, I'm not a cow!
"You have?" I asked, even though I was not interested at all.
She smiled. "I heard something about magic."
Tense silence spread across the table. Of course, only the Northerners were oblivious to what she was implying. I may or may not have gone on a campaign to promote magic. I'm not quite proud of myself for that one, though, but I was young and dumb. However, this woman wanted me to sound stupid. I might be foolish but not naive. I knew what she was going at.
"Okay," I dismissed, turning back to my food.
"Can you tell us more?" she pried.
I looked at her and shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "About what?"
"Magic, of course. They say you have a lot to tell us. Please do, I've been bored to death with all this talk about politics," she persists.
"This sounds interesting," another Northerner, a man this time, with a lot of body hair and a very deep voice, joined in.
I tried not to panic as I bit my tongue. This was not the first time I have been taunted like this. My belief in magic hadn't brought about the best childhood for me. I have been mocked and even bullied for that. I knew a bully when I saw one, and I hate her right now.
"It was just Amaya and her friends when they were younger. They used to go on a lot of adventures together. I used to envy that a lot," Aimee said from her seat across me. "I spent most of my time studying that I never got to see much of the world. Is it nice up North?"
There was something about Aimee's question that shifted the mood at the table. I looked up from my plate to see her gracing that killer smile of hers, but it was directed at the man at the end of the table. To Midas. I knew she was doing this for me, but why does it hurt me? What's going on with me?
"There are a lot of mountain ranges that we take pride in," Midas replied. "I will take you on a tour if you ever visit."
I could hear the implication behind his words and it choked me so much that my brain stopped functioning. "Is it... Magical?"
My mother's knife scraped against her plate noisily. Someone flinched at the sharp noise as I gulped. When I looked around the table, I noticed that woman again, grinning at me. And yes, I still hate her.
"You see, some things are just too beautiful not to be magic," I said with a smile, even though I was crumbling inside.
"Really?" the woman dragged the word out. "Tell us more."
Green eyes. He was looking at me. His entire attention was on me and I felt like I was floating on clouds. Why do I feel this way?
"It's silly but I have believed in magic since I was a little girl," I confessed. "It's no secret. My grandmother introduced it to me. I think... I think I've seen it. It might have been a simple belief or a hunch, but I saw it. I've felt it. It's real."
Green eyes met my dark brown orbs. He didn't look away or pretend I wasn't there. Something was different about the way he looked at me. It was almost as if he was surprised.
My mother's loud laugh broke the moment, making him look away. "Amaya loves to be dramatic. There is never a dull moment with her."
"Lady Isobel," the man I had met spoke up. "These desserts are absolutely lovely. Maybe we could steal their baker, what do you say, Midas?"
"Thank you, Mr Ronan. We are very proud of our staff. They work hand in hand to make sure we have such lovely meals," Mother gushed.
"Is there something wrong with the water supply?" Midas asked my father who had been talking to one of the ministers.
"Ah, yes. It's polluted..."
As the conversation drifted away, I found myself simply staring at Midas. He was a striking and handsome man. His dark green eyes were framed by short lashes, thick dark brows creased over them. He had wild and tangled brown locks. His jaw was square and sharp, his pale lips thin. His skin was smooth yet a dark shade of caramel. He had a thick neck, with veins popping out. The rest of him was sheer muscle and strength. He easily was the most muscular man at the table, except for one other Northerner who was also taller than him.
My gaze landed on the man I met on my way from the kitchen. After talking about the dessert, he fell silent. He must love his food. He raised his head and kept his eyes fixed on something at the end of the room. I looked there and to my surprise, Lin stood at the doorway, looking inside the room. She would probably end up getting punished if my mother found her. Was she that curious?
Then I realised what was going on. Lin and the Northerner from earlier shared a look, more like a moment. I felt my lips twitching as a grin grew on my face. Lin blushed and looked away from the smiling Northerner, only to find me watching them. Her lips parted as she probably gasped. Before it could probably get worse, Lin darted away from view.
"Amaya," said the Northerner who had been flirting with Lin.
"I didn't get your name," I say, disregarding the warning in his voice.
He watched me closely. "Lucas."
"Right. Did you find what you were looking for earlier?" I asked pointedly.
"I did. Did you?" he said.
I frowned. "I wasn't looking for anything."
It was his turn to smile. "Are you sure?"
There was some implication to his words but I couldn't find the meaning. I wasn't looking for anything. When I ran into him, I was innocently enjoying some cake. Does he think I have a crush on one of the Northerners? Do I have a crush on one of the Northerners? Wait, what I was feeling for Midas... No, that can't be. Whatever magic he cast on me I wouldn't be... This doesn't make any sense.
"We have decided to shorten our stay here. We are going to be here until the end of this week. Things have been going smoothly and we haven't encountered any problems," Midas said.
"So soon?" mother complained. "We were enjoying your company."
My heart flipped when he smiled at Mother. "When all of this is over, we'll be coming over more often and you can visit us as well."
"We are looking forward to that."
"Maybe Amaya can discover real magic up North," that Northern woman teased me.
I hate her.
"It's been a long night. I'm sure we all need some rest," Father said after standing up. "Have a good night."
I was one of the first people to leave the table, mostly because I wanted to avoid that woman. I could see it in her eyes that she wanted to confront me, and possibly embarrass me. Unfortunately, I bumped into someone and gasped when I felt a word sensation going up my bare arm. I was confused when I looked up to find Midas.
"Are you alright?" he asked, taking a step back.
"I-"
"Amaya!"
I turned to see Aimee walking toward us. She takes my hand and smiles at Midas.
"Mr Kennedy."
"Lady Aimee," he acknowledges her, his voice gentle and smooth as his gaze is on my sister.
I want him to look at me like that.
"I just came to steal my sister away. Did I disturb anything?" Aimee asks.
I'm about to say yes but Midas beats me to the punch. "Not at all. Just a minor accident."
Aimee turns to me. "Ready for bed? Doctor Helen is waiting for you."
"Yes, but I just have one question for Midas, if he doesn't mind?" I say, turning to the man who hadn't left yet.
He gives me a weird and intense look that I am unable to decipher. When he doesn't say anything, I go ahead and ask.
"Is it true that you're going to marry my sister?"
"Amaya!" Aimee gasps. "What are you doing?!"
I ignored Aimee and put on my best smile. I did, as I should do, everything in my power to stop this. It shouldn't be Aimee. It should be me. He should know that. But how do I do that without making a fool of myself? I also wanted to touch him, to feel that weird buzz tingling through my body again. Didn't he feel it too?
Midas gauged Aimee's reaction but decided to reply. "It's a possibility. Why?"
I bit my tongue to stop myself from screaming and shrugged. "I just don't trust you, that's all."
"You don't trust me?" he repeated with a ghost of a smile on my face as if I amused him.
It felt so good to make him smile.
"All of you."
He placed his hands on his back. "Well, then. We can't have that. What do I have to do to prove that I'm trustworthy?"
"I wonder. What do you have to do?" I shot the question back to him.
It was either that or ask him to kiss me. Why am I so horny? Especially with the enemy? He has magic, remember that. Why can't I remember that?
"How about lunch, tomorrow?" he offered. "I'm making an effort out of my busy schedule because my potential bride's sister doesn't trust me. I hope that's something."
"It's nothing," I deadpanned, even though the thought of going out for lunch with him made me giddy.
Was this a date? Ugh, I'm such a fool.
"Is lunch alright then?" he checked.
"No," I say, just to be difficult. "I'll be busy then. Dinner."
"We have to be here with everyone at dinner time," he pointed out. "I don't think I can do dinner."
I gave him a tight-lipped smile, moving forward slightly to whisper, "That sounds like a you problem."