Chapter 37: Chapter 37

Once dinner was done, an army of servants cleared the tables and an orchestra started up. An entire orchestra. With still plenty of room to dance in. Some couples already began to dance, and Indenuel marveled at the movement, watching the couples spinning around, holding hands when the dance needed it. He hadn’t seen many dances. Mountain Pass had a few, but none that he or Lucia were invited to. Hopefully there were enough nobility in attendance that there would be no time left for him to dance. Clearly there was some former knowledge to the dance routine that he was never taught.

Instead, he smiled, bowed, and tried to do everything expected of him as he was introduced to the nobility. There was no way he was going to remember all these people’s names.

“Indenuel!” It was Martin. He wasn’t sure how he felt about facing him, now that he knew of the concubine law, but he needed to see a familiar face. There was a line forming behind Martin, all members of his family. “How are you holding up, my boy?”

“I…” he again tried to smile, but it faltered. He had gone through Dalius, Navir, and Fadrique’s families, as well as other members of the nobility that he’d already forgotten. Except he did remember the fourteen-year-old twins Fadrique introduced as his concubines. That horrified him enough that he blocked out most of Fadrique’s other family members. Fourteen. Swooped up right at the age of consent.

There had been others, though. While meeting some of Dalius’ concubines, he didn’t want to ask, but he blurted out the question of how they felt about the concubine law. Dalius’ concubine had genuine tears of joy in her eyes as she talked about how the law literally saved her and her family’s lives. The woman behind her who had heard the question nodded in agreement. The concubine law, to them, was a life-saving law.

“I would love to be introduced to your family, Martin.” He braced himself for the inevitability of seeing Inessa up close.

“The nobility understand you won’t remember their names. The fact that you’ve been introduced is enough for them to remind you of their names the next time they see you.”

He didn’t know how Martin knew what he was thinking. Maybe his concern was plainly written on his face. “Thank you for easing my concerns.”

The orchestra finished a song, and the nobility applauded them. Martin smiled. “Isn’t the orchestra magnificent?”

“Absolutely. I’ve never heard such music, nor have I heard it played so beautifully.”

The orchestra started up again, and Martin introduced Ana, the widow of Carlos. Indenuel bowed. “May your husband be at peace in the next life.”

She smiled. “He is, Warrior Indenuel. Thank you for your kind words.”

“I hear you are also to be congratulated about a recent grandchild. Martin could not wait to meet Little Carlos,” Indenuel said.

Ana’s smile changed, one of a brighter kind. “Indeed. I thought my heart was full but being a grandmother must mean I have another heart somewhere for my growing family.”

Indenuel smiled, his thoughts instantly going to Inessa. Inessa, who was struggling to have children. Who slept with four men to try and get pregnant. Who needed a child to go to heaven, or would go home in disgrace. The smile became more forced as he pointed it toward Ana. “I am happy for you.”

Ana smiled as she moved away from Indenuel to reveal her children standing in line behind her. Martin introduced her three children. The oldest, Nicolas, excused himself to be home with his new baby and his wife. Indenuel was almost jealous he could leave early without judgement, but he smiled and bowed as he met Gustav and Felicity.

Indenuel bowed to Rosa. “Any news from Nathaniel?”

“He is busy training his men, but has faith they will exceed his expectations,” Rosa said.

“Nathaniel always had a lot of faith in people.”

Rosa couldn’t help but laugh. “That is what made me love him in the first place.”

He smiled, pretending he didn’t know she had another choice. He greeted Eduardo again, as well as Diego and Aaron. Tomas and Adrian must have stayed home. It was, after all, getting late and he stifled more than one yawn through these introductions.

“My two daughters, Maria and Rita, you will meet once you meet more of King Ramiro’s family,” Martin said. “Maria is married to King Ramiro’s brother’s eldest son, and Rita is married to Queen Lisabeth’s cousin. You will meet them shortly, I am sure.”

Indenuel hardly had time to realize the magnitude of such marriages when Adosina came up to him, smiling wide.

“Hello.” He was happy to not bow to her and instead reached forward, touching her elbows as she did the same. “So good to see you again.”

“And you, too.”

He saw her dress, a pale blue that made her green eyes shine ever brighter. It had silver designs of birds and flowers, the craftmanship was quite impressive. He never would have guessed that Adosina had been traveling for two months before this. “Your dress. It’s stunning, Adosina.”

“I will certainly pass your compliment along to my tailor in town. Tima is a genius.” She dropped his elbows and almost stepped aside when the woman behind her, her mother, leaned forward.

“Invite him over for dinner.” It was said in a whisper, but loud enough for him to hear.

Adosina closed her eyes, almost like she was holding back a wince before she opened them again and gave a small if apologetic smile in Indenuel’s direction. “We must invite you over for dinner.”

“Of course,” he said, glancing at the woman with a friendly enough smile before turning back to Adosina. “I look forward to any opportunity to get to know your family better.”

She smiled again, it almost looked pained, as she stepped aside to reveal her mother. She had graying hair, and her smile was bright and glorious. He was in the presence of a woman who had been a mother for a very long time as she took in how skinny Indenuel was.

“This is Sara, my wife,” Martin said.

“No, no this will never do,” she said. Indenuel froze as Sara touched his arms, cupping her hands around his forearms and shaking her head. “You are far too boney. You couldn’t possibly face the Kiam like this.”

“I-” He stopped as she felt his ribs and gave a disapproving click of her tongue. Adosina’s eyes widened.

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“Ami!” she hissed.

“No matter, I shall have my staff make you some pasta, a recipe straight from Dengria. It will fatten you up in no time.”

Indenuel smiled even as Adosina looked on in horror. He couldn’t explain it, simply that his heart began to ache for Lucia. “I shall look forward to it.”

“First day of the new week, after your training, you must come to my home. This, this is unacceptable. I can feel your ribs despite all these layers! We must rectify this at once!” Sara said. Adosina stepped in and grabbed her hands to keep her from touching him again. “Did my husband not feed you anything while you were travelling?”

He was still smiling. “High Elder Martin has taken very good care of me.” He didn’t want to think how Sara would have reacted if she saw him when he first came out of Mountain Pass after a month of little to no food.

“Oh, I am certain Martin has already asked you to drop the High Elder from his name,” Sara said.

“He has indeed. But I wouldn’t dare do so in his wife’s presence without her permission as well,” Indenuel said.

She laughed, a kind, warm laugh. “What an absolute gentleman.” Adosina was too late to stop her from cupping Indenuel’s face in her palms. “You have been raised well.”

Adosina grabbed Sara’s hands again. “You must be a lady yourself, Ami! You’ve got to stop touching him.”

“Oh, Addy, come now. Just look at the poor dear. We shall see you in two days’ time, yes?”

He gave a small bow. “I shall ask Tolomon to be ready to carry me to my carriage after my visit.”

Sara laughed again. “We shall be fast friends; I just know it.”

“Ami,” Adosina groaned.

“Nonsense. I will have to make this dinner for you too. Heaven knows you’ve lost too much weight in your travels. You must gain it back to stay healthy.”

Adosina gave Indenuel a pained smile as she practically dragged Sara away. “Wonderful to see you again.”

“Yes! An honor!” Sara said as she allowed herself to be dragged away. “My Addy is free for a dance should you ever-”

“Indenuel is not free for a dance, mother,” Adosina said. “Besides, he doesn’t know how.”

“You must teach him!”

With another pull, Adosina and Sara blended in with the crowd. Martin, who had a delightful smile the entire time the exchange had been going on, dropped it as Inessa walked forward.

Indenuel was glad he already seen her before. He tried to be cordial, tried not to show how shocked he was at seeing someone so young with someone so old. It was something he practiced with the other High Elders, but it somehow felt more wrong after getting to know Martin all month.

Inessa gave a curtsey, and her flowered scent caught him off guard. She looked at him with those emerald eyes and he lost his ability to speak.

“And the final member of my family, Inessa. My concubine.”

He closed his eyes and gave a bow, closer to her, closer to her flowered perfume, before he straightened and opened his eyes, looking at Martin. He did not look back, instead stared forward, his face impossible to read. Whatever reason Martin had for never mentioning this woman, Indenuel was not going to find out tonight.

“It is an honor to meet the Warrior,” Inessa said, her voice quiet. Shy. “I would have never dreamed it could have happened in my lifetime.”

“Neither did I,” Indenuel managed to get out. It was a strange answer, but he didn’t know what else to say. The smallest hint of a smile crossed her face, and he couldn’t help but stare. He thought her emerald eyes were rare, but it seemed like a smile on her face was rarer. And she showed him teases of both. What would her laugh sound like? He needed to know.

Indenuel tried to focus, to try and say something, but he was lost. Lost in thought, lost in confusion. It wasn’t just Martin who kept her a secret. Everyone in his family simply acted like she didn’t exist. Nathaniel, Adosina, Rosa, none of them so much as mentioned her name while they were travelling.

Inessa straightened from her curtsey, her hair falling perfectly around her shoulders. He didn’t say anything as he stared straight into her emerald eyes. He tried to think of something to say, something to show his wit and charm, but none of it came. He was disarmed by her and moreover, he was painfully aware Martin stood right next to him, his face still impossible to read.

Martin cleared his throat. “Well, I’m sure Indenuel has a lot of other people he needs to meet tonight. Come with me, Inessa.”

She nodded as she followed behind Martin. Indenuel remained staring forward, trying to get her out of his head.

There was someone standing a few yards away from him, someone facing him, not moving. Indenuel glanced up to see Tolomon giving him a look of warning.

“What?” Indenuel asked.

Tolomon simply shook his head. “Watch yourself.”

He said nothing as he looked away again, forcing himself to find more people to be introduced to. Trying his best to ignore Inessa. But she lingered, always there in the back of his mind, like her perfume which he smelled throughout the rest of the evening. Lingered there, as he met everyone in the banquet hall, lingered after he bowed to the orchestra, thanking them for their performance, lingered as he rode home in the carriage in the early dawn light that warmed the sky.

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