(ALICE)
"The companions of the attendees have to stay at the very back of the room," Mary sighs. "I didn't even see the king and his son. I know they retired pretty quickly, but the only people I saw were my sister and my brother-in-law. I don't think I saw Darian at the after-party, either—at least, no one matching his description. But there were so many people."
"I see."
But Mary has her own questions. "What are you going to do if Darian chooses you as his mate? That would mean you're no longer going to leave, right?"
"I don't know." I look out the window again. "To be honest, Mary, I still don't believe this is happening. I mean, he came out of nowhere and is suddenly saying all these things. I want to believe him, but my experience has always been that life is not kind to me. What if it's just some big sham? What if he's just—"
