Chapter 21: Kissing the Emperor

Evanara

Surprisingly, the next morning, Gawain didn't bring breakfast to the room. Instead, he said we would be eating with his family. The maids had been released but he changed them. Now we were seated at the long mahogany table that had enough room for over twenty people, evenly spaced but there were only seven of us. Gawain took the head of the table, his father at the other end of it. Katherine had taken the seat to his right and his mother took the seat to his left. The old hag was surprisingly present again and she'd taken the seat next to Hera. Leaving me to seat beside Prince Dameon who was beside Katherine.

At the table there was a silence, but not one of happy eating. There was tension and the few unsaid words that filled the air fell like dirty pebbles onto the table. I looked about at the faces, how the tightness of their jaws and shoulders are reflected in one another.

My belly became tight and I felt the hunger i felt slip away from me slowly,well, t