The Iron Princess Read Online Free PDF Page B

conversations taking place at the far end of the table. Her dinner partner ate in brooding silence.
    Overall, Katia concluded that Lothair exuded a well-formed, arrogant pride. His posture indicated that he was bored and he was clearly uninterested in the common practice of polite conversation.
    In her most eloquent display of false politeness, she asked, “Would you be so kind as to pass the boar, Baron Hanseatz?”
As you are familiar with boars, being a bore yourself
, she felt like adding.
    He passed the platter, she helped herself, and he put it back. Not one word. Not one glance in her direction.
    As she sliced her meat into small, genteel bites, she came to the conclusion that he was most likely trying to bore her to death. Was this a new battle tactic Katia had not yet studied?
    Katia watched with envy as Tosha laughed with two of Katia’s other close friends, who were a comfortable distance from the dais. Leaning in around her friends were five young warriors, all speaking over one another to have their opinion heard. Tosha tilted her head back in a loud laugh. Katia imagined that the conversation was very interesting—probably tales of battle, new ports, and wondrous sights.
    And here Katia was stuck next to a haughty lad who thought he was too important to engage in conversation with a lowly girl. Good looks and impressive swordsmanship only got you so far in securing Katia’s good opinion. Now that she thought on it, his handsome appearance was rather a disadvantage. You can have the prettiest head of hair in the world and the most majestic broad shoulders, but if you had an empty head, what good were you really?
    Her thoughts were interrupted when the object of her speculation finally deigned to mutter a few words. “Who taught you the sword?” he said from behind his raised cup. Katia glanced over, not certain if he had spoken to her or not. His eyes were cast downward.
    She took the gamble that he had in fact spoken to her and answered. “I was instructed as a shield maiden at first by my father, and then by my sword master, Rikard. May I enquire as to where you learned the sword?”
Stupid, stupid question!
The moment it left her lips, she wanted to swallow it back down.
    He glanced over at her and furrowed his dark brows. “In Lubeck,” he answered. “It is where I am from.”
    “Of course you are—how silly of me. It is only that Tronscar is my second home. I spent my early years in Finland, you see. Have you ever been to Turku?” She tried to speak softly and sweetly, as her mother insisted. However, she found it difficult to manage due to the fact that her heart had recently relocated from her chest to inside of her eardrum.
What was wrong with her?
He was just another fancy-faced dignitary from across the sea, so why was speaking to him so much more nerve-racking? Perhaps it was the knock to the side of her head earlier today. Yes, that must explain the cause of her sweaty palms and tight throat.
    “Last spring. Good trade port.” He answered her with as few words as possible. He glanced at her again before returning his attention to his wine. The two sat, silent and bored once more, only this time the dead air between them thickened and became more pungently awkward.
    “I was told that I owe you an apology for earlier,” Katia said, flicking her hair over her shoulder. The feast was already ruined for her, so why not give the arrogant lout a piece of her mind and salvage a small remnant of her pride? “So I suppose I will, but I would add to you this one point. How am I ever to improve if no one will truly test me? Today was the first time anyone has ever given me more than a swat. They are all petrified to hurt me and face my father’s wrath. So, though it may have been rude to conceal my identity from my opponent, really, was this that big a fuss? I mean, it was not as if anyone got hurt. My pride was all that took a beating out there.” She took a large drink and turned back to