If Violet had ever thought she had it bad with the Free Fae's unwelcoming nature, then Annequin had it far worse.
The party that had once been vibrant was gone, replaced instead by uneasy murmurs. Every head in the hall turned toward Annequin as she approached the dais.
Yet the foreign Fae Queen did not look bothered in the slightest. Her steps were confident as she walked through the parted sea of Fae, completely alone, without even a single guard at her side.
Violet couldn't decide whether it was blind trust or sheer stupidity. Or perhaps Annequin was simply confident that no harm would come to her.
Violet knew her mother would never strike an outsider lightly—at least not without cause—but even so, the display was unsettling.
Annequin stopped at the foot of the dais and, for the first time since entering the hall, inclined her head. It
"Queen Annequin of Astaria," she said clearly, her voice carrying through the vast hall, "greets Queen Seraphira of the Free Fae."
