Mason lowered his gaze to me. “Hardly. Belle is way too small for someone my size. I would split her in two.”
Feeling humiliated, I pressed my lips together while my cheeks heated up and probably matched the bright red dress I had on.
“Then what was your argument about?” Victor asked insistently. When none of the Nmen would answer him, he turned to me. “Belle?”
“No one wanted to marry me. You heard them yourself last night. They’re royal and must marry purebred Northlanders.” My words were pointed as I was offended by Mason’s comment that I was too small. He’d made it sound like I was a child when I was in fact taller than the average woman back in Old Europe.
Rocking back on his heels, Victor smirked. “That’s not possible. There aren’t enough purebred Northlanders.”
“It’s a political thing,” Indiana explained. “Nmen of the older generation feel have ruined much of our culture. There have been demands that the Motlanders who moved here should adapt to our ways instead of changing us. Last week, a vegan shop that opened in Kingstown was burned down within its first week. And when a group of Motlander women campaigned online for a ban on the physical punishment of children, they were met by an angry pushback. We’ve gained much by welcoming more than two million women from the Motherlands over the last twenty-eight years. But it hasn’t been all rosy. That’s why it’s crucial to Khan and Magni that their children marry someone who understands our culture. Someone who was born here.”
Victor held a hand to my elbow. “I see what you mean. How about we take our unclean French blood to another part of the room?”
We’d taken a few steps when Jones spoke up. “Belle.”
I stiffened and Victor turned his head.
“My parents don’t care about where my wife comes from and I would be honored if…”
Victor cut him off. “Thank you but Mason was right when he said that we French don’t marry anyone.”
I didn’t look back or say anything when Victor moved me to a high table with snacks and drinks. Victor wasn’t my friend and we had nothing in common except our place of birth.
“Here.” He pushed a glass of something red into my hand. “Don’t mind those orcs. I’m sure they believe the rumors that we’re inbred and carry defect DNA.”
I stood with the glass in one hand and my other arm folded protectively across my stomach.
“Tell me, Belle…” Victor lowered his voice. “Did you ever sleep with one of them?”
I frowned. “Did you?”
“Ha! You know it’s impossible to get close to their women without one of their giant men spewing fire. It’s ridiculous how prudish they are when it comes to something as mundane as sex. But you didn’t answer my question. From Mason’s rude reaction, I reckon he hasn’t slept with you, but what about Thor or Indiana? They’re handsome in their mountain man way, I suppose.”
“I haven’t slept with any of them.”
“Hmm. I think Sophie did that second year when we hosted for the first time.”
“She did?” Sophie had been seventeen back then.
He shrugged. “It’s just a suspicion.”
“Do you know with whom?”
“I’m not sure, but I’m guessing it was Mason or Indiana since Thor was only fourteen at the time. She gave pretty clear hints of having been intimate with one of them.”
“Well, I haven’t.”
Victor’s eyes roamed the room. “Is that because you prefer women?”
I shook my head and looked away.
“Then what about Oliver or Lachlan?”
Victor and I each gave a sideways glance to the two Motlander men.
“No. They’re…” I trailed off.
“Too feminine?” Victor said it for me. “Yes, I agree. Honestly, I think I’d have more luck with them than you would.”
“Are you into men?”
Victor answered on a breathy exhalation. “I wish. Women are so complicated. But alas, when it comes to physical desire, I’m afraid no man has ever excited me.” He emptied his drink. “Now, all this talk about sex has me turned on. What do you say? Are you up for a quick release?” He moved closer and took my hand.
It was a question I got a lot back home, but sex didn’t hold much allurement for me and even though Victor was powerful and handsome, I didn’t feel the least bit tempted.
Pulling my hand back gently I gave him the soft rejection I had practiced to perfection. “It’s tempting, but I’m afraid I have my period and I get awful cramps with lots of bloody clumps coming out and it’s sort of disgusting really.”
As expected, Victor gave up right away. Arching a brow, his eyes darted around the room to find someone else to talk to. “I see. Well, maybe next year then.”
“Yeah, next year.” I gave a polite smile and quietly snuck out of the library hoping that I could find my way back to my room in this huge castle.
CHAPTER 6
Not a Child
Mason
I watched Belle across the room as she spoke to Victor.
“You shouldn’t have said that,” Jones scolded me. “You upset her.”
Groaning low, I emptied my beer.
“Now she thinks we look down on them,” he continued.
Alexander Boulder took up where his son had left off. “You need to apologize to Belle. That comment about splitting her in two was vulgar and unnecessary.”
I sighed. “It was a joke.”
“Then it wasn’t funny,” Indiana said dryly. “Jones is in love with her, and you just made her hate all Nmen. Good job, Mason.”
“I don’t think Belle has it in her to hate anyone.”
“Well, then, dislike.”
I didn’t answer Indiana, because Belle was leaving the library in a hurried way as if she was hoping no one would notice.
“Where is she going?” I muttered low.
Jones immediately took a step forward. “Let me go see.”
With a hand to his chest, I stopped him. “No. You can talk to her when I’ve apologized.”
“Okay, then hurry.” Jones craned his neck to see Belle’s back as she exited the doorway.
Setting down my bottle, I followed her with heavy steps. My relationship with Belle was complicated. For eleven years I’d felt extra protective of her. First, because she was the youngest female at the summits, and later because it pissed me off to see how disrespectful her own delegation was to her. Belle was an artist and in the strange society that the French had created art wasn’t valued.
“Belle, wait up,” I called up and jogged across the grand foyer to catch her halfway up the stairs.
From the way her steps sped up, it wasn’t hard to figure out that I was the last person she wanted to see right now.
“Belle, wait!” I stopped three steps lower than her and waited for her to turn. For the first time we were eye to eye.
“I’m sorry.” My pride hated to say those words, but I forced them out in a gruff voice.
“It’s fine,” she said fast and started to turn again.
“No, stop.” My hand reached out to touch her elbow and I took another step so that I was now taller than her despite being two steps lower on the stairs.