Veiled Innocence (Book One, The Soul Cycle) Read Online Free PDF Page A

news with you this evening.” Ana-Elise fidgeted. His smile broadened as he glanced down at her, and she gave him a timid smile back as he reached for her hand and gently clasped it in his own. Her eyes warmed as she looked up at him.
    Alastor faced the dinner patrons, his joy palpable. “The beautiful Lady Ana-Elise has agreed to marry me.”
    There was a collective gasp of surprise as he lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss across the back, her cheeks coloring as she dropped her gaze to her lap. Alastor nodded to Feron.  “The magnanimous Arch Duke has given us his blessing.”
    Applause and shouts of joy rang throughout the hall. Lian sat there dazed for a few moments as she drank it all in. Not wanting to look like a simpleton, she applauded half-heartedly, trying to mask her growing confusion. 
    She wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Alastor was one of the few decent noblemen she knew, and Asilee would gain an invaluable ally through their marriage contract. Ruhge, Alastor’s homeland, was wealthy beyond imagination, perhaps enough to save their country from destruction. Then there was Ana. She wanted to love her sister, to be happy for her, but she couldn’t summon the will to be happy that such a good man was marrying a woman as frigid and cruel as Ana-Elise. Did that make her a terrible person? Part of her felt ashamed that she could think in such a manner, that she wasn’t strong enough to ignore her own prejudices and be happy for others. She cast another look at Alastor. Him. I could be happy for him. Maybe then, in time, I could be happy for Ana.  
    Someone cleared his throat loudly to her right. Her father, who looked like he should not be able to move in all the furs, brocade, and golden chains dangling from his body, had managed to stand and was waiting for the excitement t o die down. Even in his sixties he was still a good-looking man. His auburn hair was streaked gray, but his brown eyes had long since lost their fervor for life. 
    He cupped his goblet in one hand , and his mouth twitched, like it was broken and no longer remembered how to smile. “At this time, I would like to offer my congratulations to you both,” he said, extending the goblet. He looked at Alastor. “I shall welcome the time when I can look upon you as a son.” His words were polite, but that was all. There was no lilt to his voice, only monotone syllables mumbled in what had once probably been a powerful bass. 
    No one else noticed the absence of enthusiasm and genuine happiness in his voice. Smiles and murmurs of agreement spread around the table as the courtiers took to their own goblets and raised them high in the air. 
    To her surprise, Feron was not finished. “In honor of this engagement, I would like to invite you all to a celebration to be held three nights from now, an evening of gaiety grander than there ever was this side of the Jasper Sea.” He raised his glass to Ana-Elise and Alastor. “May you both live long, fulfilling lives, and may your rule be prosperous.”
    “Hail, Lord Alastor! Hail, Lady Ana-Elise!”                
    He tilted his goblet to his lips , and a sliver of red liquid dribbled down his chin. Everyone else followed suit. 
    Lian took a sip and set her glass down, more in respect to Alastor than Ana-Elise, and felt the slightest bit guilty for it.
    Within minutes, the hall was once again buzzing with laughter as people stood to shake hands and offer their congratulations to the co uple. Lian finished her drought and stared at Alastor and Ana down the length of her empty goblet, like a telescope. At least they’ll have handsome children.
    Ana was clearly her father’s child, but she also possessed many features of the late Duchess, the most notable being her striking gray eyes. Her skin was as smooth as ivory, as her mother’s had been, but her hair was a deep auburn, almost black, that shimmered blood red in the light. She was exquisite, and her glacial