5 Maerryl #2
This was the longest dinner I’d ever experienced. And I didn’t even get to eat! Did they seriously do this every night? Goddess help me, this assignment kept getting worse and worse.
Finally, after what felt like ages, they were wrapping up. Dove murmured good night to her parents and pushed back from the table. As she began to bustle out of the room without a backward glance, her mother glanced at me.
“Oh, Miss Kirim, be sure to get your supper from Choia after my daughter is safe in her room for the night. And thank you for that list of exterior repairs needed. Frandin is hiring a carpenter and locksmith to take care of them immediately.” Gracing me with a smile, she added, “Sleep well. We are just delighted that you’ve joined our little household. ”
Like fuck you are. Dirty, uncouth, and stupid, aren’t I?
We’ll see who’s stupid when I’ve taken everything of value in your home.
But I simply nodded, murmuring my thanks, and moved to follow my charge out. Lady Wistrallo called, “And Dovey, dear! Don’t you dare forget to give her access to that blasted door of yours before you retire!”
Dove’s groan exploded from the hallway. With a quick “good evening” to the lady and lord of the house, I hurried after her, catching up to her short strides in no time.
“Quite a meal that was,” I said as we made the long journey back to her quarters. “Though the tentacles were a bit much, to be honest. Hope that isn’t waiting for me in the kitchens.”
“It’s a rare delicacy shipped in once a month from the Southern Isles,” she said, nose high in the air. “So no, it won’t be.”
“Ah, what a shame.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve asked Petra to make sure you receive our finest gruel for supper.
Whatever the pigs don’t finish from the day’s trough.
” Dove threw an evil grin over her shoulder, then flounced her hair.
Gold tinkled musically. Closer now, I could see that there were shiny, decorative little clasps scattered among the thick curls.
A handful of those would feed the average Kurrielan family for months.
The fire that had been slowly stoking in my chest all day flared higher.
She didn’t even realize what she had. Raised like a pampered doll in this massive manor, eating expensive seafood and goddess knew what else, wearing a fortune’s worth in clothes just to grumpily prattle about nothing for two hours—I was suddenly nauseous at the thought of spending days, possibly weeks, trailing around after her, forced to watch her oblivious decadence and act the part of a silent, obedient employee.
Even if I grudgingly had to admit that her hair did look very pretty.
“How gracious of you,” I grit out. “Princess.”
“I’m not a princess. There’s only one princess of Kurriel, as you very well know. I am a lady.”
“Of course, of course. Lady Dove.” I stepped closer to her as we climbed the stairs to the upper level, just to see her flinch away. “What kind of a name is Dove anyway?”
She stopped, one stair above me. We were just about at the same height now, and her pert nose scrunched up as she glared at me yet again. Goddess, I hated her.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Dove isn’t a name. It’s a bird. A little gray, boring bird. Did your parents just see you as a newborn and think ‘yes, she looks like those dull creatures who visit our gardens, let’s just go with that’?” I couldn’t help myself—the more I talked, the redder her cheeks flushed in anger.
“How dare you speak to me like this. And my full name,” she said in her iciest tone, “is Lady Dovenesdrea Iniri Wistrallo III. Perhaps I’ll have you call me that instead.”
“Perhaps I’ll cut my tongue out before that ever happens.”
“Oh, and what a dream that would be!”
I took another step up, towering over her now. She pressed back against the wall to avoid me, but didn’t break her furious stare. This close, I could feel the warmth of her silk-clad body. Smell the light, flowery scent of her hair. What was that, honeysuckle?
Before I could get in another retort, Dove scoffed and ducked around me to stride up the stairwell.
Moving faster than I thought her short legs capable of, she raced ahead down the hall to her room.
With one last flushed glare back at me, she entered and slammed the door shut.
I knew without trying that it would be locked.
Heading into my own room, I knocked on the interior door that led to hers.
“Princess, don’t forget what your mummy said—we need to take care of this door.”
Through the wood, I heard footsteps approach. No answer.
“How will I save you if some dastardly villain breaks in through your bedroom window tonight?” I tried again, forcing some pleasant humor into my voice. She was going to open this damn door.
An exasperated laugh choked out from the other side. After a few long moments, the door clicked and slowly opened. Dove’s pinched face appeared.
“Give me your hand,” she said with a resigned air.
“What?”
“I need one of your hands to give you access. There’s a powerful security enchantment on it. Like the manor’s wards, but no one can get in here but me.”
Interesting… Zephyra will definitely appreciate knowing about this.
Pretending reluctance so that she wouldn’t see how eager I was to gain access to her wards, I tentatively placed my right hand into her outstretched palm.
Yanking me forward, she slapped it on a large, engraved flower in the middle of the door—ouch—and put her hand firmly on top.
It was smaller than mine, with neat nails and very soft skin.
She probably moisturized with some obscenely expensive lotion made of ground up diamonds, imported honey, and the rarest dead beetles in all of Kurriel.
I focused on my scorn for the sparkling rings adorning Dove’s fingers rather than how smooth and warm her hand felt on top of mine. She closed her eyes and began to mutter—whether a spell or a curse, I didn’t know.
“What are you doing?” I whispered.
“Shut up,” she shot out of the corner of her mouth. “I need to focus.”
She kept muttering under her breath, and then we stood in silence for a long minute. Suddenly, I felt a strange tingling sensation on my palm. It spread to my fingers, and Dove’s hand kept me pinned against the wood as it left me and coursed over the breadth of the door.
“There,” she said, finally releasing me and stepping back. “Happy now? You can enter this door. For emergencies only.”
Shaking the phantom tingle out of my hand, I also stepped away, back into my own room. I was happy. I was very happy indeed. Zephyra would be pleased.
All in all, this had been a remarkably productive day.