Melisa wandered the palace corridors that night, too restless to sleep. She turned a corner and froze.
Aria stood twenty feet away, speaking with a kitsune advisor. The queen wore a silk nightrobe that clung to her small frame, her white hair loose around her shoulders.
Their eyes met.
Aria smiled, soft and private, before turning back to her conversation.
[Geez, what is with this weird vibe?]
Melisa's face burned. She nodded and hurried back toward the guest quarters before she did something stupid like wave back.
The common room was chaos. Isabella had clearly raided the palace wine stores, her cheeks flushed pink as she pressed Armia against a wall.
"You're so tall," Isabella giggled, standing on her tiptoes. "Like a sexy tree."
"Trees aren't sexy," Armia protested, though her hands found Isabella's waist.
"You've been looking at the wrong trees then!"
