The Truth About Lies (An Inheritance Cycle Fanfiction)

The First Social Event of a Princess

"Might I escort you, my lady?" I heard a voice say from behind me. Slowly, I turned and a sense of dread filled my heart. Standing behind me—and looking as handsome as ever—was Miles. He didn't look as stern as he usually did, and there was a hint of a smile on his face. What in the world is going on with him? He was holding out his hand, waiting for me to take it. He seemed to look more like Murtagh to me every day.

Whatever his ulterior motives may have been, I didn't want to stand here idly in the hall any longer. "Of course you may, Lord Miles," I replied tensely, unsure if his intentions were genuine. I placed my hand into his and he planted a soft kiss on top of it, sending butterflies swarming through my stomach. I curtsied slightly and then allowed him to lead me towards the grand staircase. He then leaned over to the steward. Again, the man tapped his scepter against the marble floor. I stared straight ahead at the stairs and the people mingling in the entrance hall. Here we go...

"The Lord Miles and Lady Tabatha!" he said in that same booming voice. If we had been in my father's castle, I would have been announced as "Princess Tabatha", and the thought made me queasy. It was then that I realized how quiet the hall had become. Every person in the room was staring up at Miles and me as we descended the staircase, gaping and gawking.

"What are they looking at?" I whispered to Miles out of the corner of my mouth.

"How beautiful you are," he replied quietly. That caused the blood to rush into my cheeks. When we finally reached the bottom of the stairs, I found it hard to avoid the eyes all staring at me. Our hands were still clasped as Miles led me into the dining room and to my seat. He pulled out my chair and then pushed it in as I sat. Isabelle was across from me with the young duke, and she was staring at me pointedly. Apparently it wasn't going too well over there.

In accordance with tradition—as Isabelle explained to me later—I had two men on either side of me, both of whom were very handsome, and one of whom I couldn't stand to look at for fear of breaking down in tears. So, in an attempt to retain my composure, I focused all my attention on the man to my right.

"Good evening," he said amiably, smiling warmly and making his blue eyes crinkle at their edges. His hair was a reddish brown and a thin layer of hair covered his chin. "I am Lord Evander, though soon to be Count."

"Hello, Count Evander," I replied teasingly, giving my most radiant smile, "it is a pleasure to meet you. I'm Tabatha." He laughed back at me.

"Just Tabatha? No lengthy titles?" he shot back playfully. Silently, I cursed my stupidity at already forgetting the story we had concocted the night before. I scrambled for an excuse as quickly as possible.

"Well... yes, there is a title," I said slowly, trying to recover. "My father is a Lord... but I prefer to dispense with all of that. Titles don't really hold any consequence with me. I look more at a person's character, rather than their pedigree." I commended myself on my quick thinking and then turned to the assortment of greens on the plate in front of me. There was a bit of a light in his eyes, but I wasn't sure what had caused it.

"Well then," he said, giving me a half-smile that complemented his handsome features, "if that's to be the case, then tonight I am simply Evander." I nodded and smiled slightly, taking a bite of the salad. "So, what enterprise is your father in?" I wracked my brain to try and remember the elaborate lie.

"Uh... lumber," I finally said, remembering Isabelle's suggestion.

"Really? In Surda? That can't be very profitable," he remarked, turning to his own food.

"Oh no, I am from Alagaesia," I replied. That was what we had all agreed upon to keep suspicion away. People would be less likely to ask questions if I was the daughter of an Alagaesian lord none of them had ever heard of.