Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Jacinth
The long wait for everyone to arrive back from the trial was agonizing. Faiza clearly kept to her wish to be dead last, and it was nearing time to retire without her having returned.
“Everyone, thank you all for coming to today’s trial!” Azurill said, getting the crowd’s attention from where they were all split up into small groups across the large, colorful courtyard.
The wall of the courtyard itself was made of solid diamond, and inside were benches made of every type of gem one could think of. Flowers were planted throughout or hung down in bunches, while vines crawled across one of the diamond walls.
“We are still waiting on our last competitor, but we have reached the cut-off. Lady Faiza Nabhas will be eliminated.” He announced, causing the crowd to titter with excitement.
Zumra’s satisfied smile had me narrowing my eyes in a glare at her until Amatista elbowed me, shaking her head. I sighed, turning my attention back to the king.
“Our next trial will be a bit different, and I’m sorry to say, done without an audience,” Azurill smirked as the disappointed moans rang out.
“For the ladies remaining, you will be assigned a time slot before you leave tonight. Make sure to see Lady Arianell before you retire to obtain it so you can plan appropriately.”
He waved his arm to indicate the lady in question, and she waved from where she stood, her opal hair shining under the light of the moon and complemented by her teal gown.
“Your trial will be a date with yours truly.” His wide smile seemed only the slightest bit forced as he glanced around at each of the ladies competing.
“You will need to plan the date entirely, which Arianell, Emrys, and your guards can all help you with. I can’t wait for the opportunity to spend some quality time with each of you, and see what you all come up with. ”
The crowd oohed and awed, but I rolled my eyes. A date? What kind of date could I come up with to impress the High King?
As everyone began to scatter, I stood up to find Lady Arianell, only to be accosted by Casaan. His black jacket was encrusted with red rubies, and a trail of diamonds connected the two buttons by his collar.
“Lady Jacinth,” he greeted with that smarmy charm of his, “Lady Amatista.” He bowed his head to her, and she greeted him politely in turn, with only the slightest downturn of her lips as she looked between us and eyed the tight hold he had taken of my arm.
“My father would like to see you, cousin dearest.” His instruction was quite clear, and I nodded in acquiescence. It was easier to agree than argue in vain, after all.
“I just need to get my time slot from Lady Arianell, and then we can leave.” I insisted, not wanting anything to mess this up.
My chance for vengeance hinged on this, and I wasn’t about to lose it because of this waste of air.
“I’ll join you,” Casaan persisted, his expression flattening in a way that left chills trailing down my spine. I nodded in agreement, my eyes flicking to Amatista. She gave me a concerned look, but I shook my head slightly.
Casaan didn’t bother with polite goodbyes and brought us straight over to Arianell. My hand remained tethered to him by the crook of his elbow, pulling me along in his wake as he strode quickly towards her.
“Lady Arianell, I believe you have something for my cousin?” he asked, and his voice was full of a pompous condescension that was grating.
Her white eyebrow spiked high on her forehead as her eyes found mine.
We shared a look as I rolled my eyes, and the slight smirk on her face in response was gratifying.
It was nice to find that not all nobles here were like I imagined. Carnelian and Casaan were perhaps not the only type of nobles at court, but they were the ones I’ve been forced to deal with.
“Yes, Lord Casaan, but I’m afraid it’s for her eyes only. Competition rules, I’m afraid” she told him with a twinkling smile. “You wouldn’t want to get her disqualified, would you?”
Casaan’s ruby eyes narrowed, but he lacked the same force behind them that his father possessed.
He huffed like the spoiled child he was and stomped off to wait for me at a water fountain nearby.
I sighed miserably, dreading the conversation to come, before turning back to Arianell with a practiced smile.
“I apologize for my cousin, my lady.” I dipped my head, but she waved me off.
“Don't worry yourself about it, Lady Jacinth.” She smiled brightly, her shoulders straightening as she grabbed a potion and handed it to me.
“Swallow this, and your time slot will be revealed,” she explained.
“We’ve worked into the magic that each of the ladies will receive one of the available spots, and no one will accidentally be assigned the same one.
This also prevents the others from knowing your time, thus preventing any potential sabotage. ”
I examined the potion; its emerald, sapphire, and amethyst coloring was a unique blend, and it had a dash of what could have been diamond, judging by its sparkle at least. I quickly swallowed it down and concentrated on the magic in my mind, waiting for the information I needed to reveal itself.
It took a minute, but eventually the time became known to me.
I was lucky enough to get a night slot, meaning I had more options available. But now I needed to plan a several hour-long date tomorrow night, and I needed to figure it out fast.
Before I could get carried away, Casaan cleared his throat loudly, reminding me of his unwanted presence. I shut my eyes, counting to ten to reset my patience, and opened them to see Arianell watching me with an amused expression.
Thanking her quickly, I moved toward Casaan, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him before I’d even made it two steps.
“Father expects updates, little urchin,” he said harshly, despite the way his eyes followed the lines of my body.
“I’ve been a bit busy, you know,” I defended myself tersely. It wasn’t like I’d been purposely avoiding him. Not entirely, anyway.
Casaan scoffed, shaking his head as he practically manhandled me down the hall toward Lord Carnelian’s rooms. My heart sank the closer we got, despite knowing I had no real reason to dread this meeting.
Our goals remained the same, nothing had changed there.
It was really only Carnelian using Ula’s life as a bargaining chip that kept us from being on the same side completely. Okay, maybe I didn’t love the thought of him being king, but we certainly both wanted Azurill gone.
The High King, I corrected myself, cursing mentally. This competition was seriously beginning to mess with my mind. Or maybe that was the much too pretty king.
We entered a ruby red door encrusted with gems that made me itch to pick them off and pocket them.
Inside was the suite of rooms provided for the lord of Ruby Court, and we walked into the main living space that had dark black walls accented by scrolling red lines that looped and swirled, creating gorgeous patterns and keeping it from feeling gloomy.
The furniture was a mixture of red and white, keeping any one color from becoming too overwhelming.
Lord Carnelian was seated on an elaborate red velvet chair that looked more like a throne, with rubies lining the sides of the arms and legs and tufted vertical lines in the padding that created a plush-looking seat.
Casaan brought me to stand before Carnelian and finally released my arm. I clenched my teeth to prevent myself from glaring at him as I eyed the indented fingerprints in my skin.
“Lady Jacinth,” Carnelian mocked with a tip of his head.
“Lord Carnelian,” I countered with an expectant brow raised.
His brief scowl was quickly hidden beneath a placid smile. Casaan dropped onto the white sofa beside his father and sprawled out, crossing his arms as he watched in amusement.
“I must admit you’ve done surprisingly well in the early trials,” he began, his red brows quirking upward. “But from here on out, the competition will become fiercer, and the other ladies have a distinct advantage over you.”
“I’m aware,” I told him drolly, making his eyes narrow as Casaan smirked.
“Then I hope you have a good plan for your date?” he asked snidely, and I nodded firmly despite having no idea what I was going to do.
“Yes, and he’s clearly interested in me,” I told him, wanting this over with so I could get on with this madness. “I’ll use that to my advantage and ensure I win this competition.”
“Good.” He hummed thoughtfully. “But you aren’t the only one he’s shown interest in.”
My brows furrowed, since I figured that was obvious. He had eight women initially competing, and showing interest was a huge part of his role here.
“I have reports that he showed significant interest in Lady Sania of Pearl Court,” he said, watching me carefully. I tried to hide my flinch at her name as best I could, but his sparkling eyes didn’t miss a thing.
“You didn’t think you were the only one, did you?” he asked, his lips turning up in a mocking smile. “Unless there’s another issue?”
“Of course not, I just haven’t seen the two of them together.” I raised my chin, refusing to show any kind of doubt before the lord or his son.
“Perhaps you should secure his interest in another way.” Casaan hinted, his eyes raking over my body in a way that left little doubt as to what he was referring to. I kept my face locked down, refusing to let my disgust at his suggestion show.
“After all, it’s not fair for us to be doing all the work to ensure you win,” he finished, taunting me with raised brows and a lascivious smirk. I ground my teeth, biting back the scathing remark that itched to leave my lips.
As if I wasn’t out here doing everything I could, nearly dying by forest to secure my victory. What in Tartarus was he doing to ensure it?
“It’s not a terrible idea,” Carnelian said, but his head tilted to the side in thought before he shook it. “Perhaps something best left for later if necessary, however. We don’t want him to lose interest too early and for her to have no tricks left.”
My body was practically vibrating from holding back my anger as these two talked about me like a commodity to be traded away and used.
“Trust me, it’s not necessary,” I insisted, standing my ground. “I will win this competition, and you will keep your end of the agreement.” I stared Carnelian down, knowing better than to voice aloud what that entailed in this palace.
Who knew which walls had ears.