Chapter - 162
The procession waiting for them outside was a spectacle. Dozens of carriages lined the courtyard, their gilded frames gleaming beneath banners of azure and gold. The nobles that were gathered shot Jacob appraising glances, some regarded him with awe, others with thinly veiled suspicion. And then, of course, there were those whose gazes burned with unspoken judgment—the nobles who had long-standing ambitions regarding the queen and the throne, and who now saw him as a complication.
Jacob clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to adjust his suffocating collar as Eleanor guided him into her carriage—a behemoth of black lacquer and stained glass, drawn by six white steeds.
As she ascended the carriage steps, the slit in her skirt parted to reveal a flash of toned thigh. Jacob, following close behind, noticed the delicate chain around her ankle, a thin band of gold studded with sapphires.