Chapter 27
“ P lease, please, promise me you will not kill Lord West on your date.”
Kalliah’s warm brown eyes stared me down, and I believed each of us knew she pretended to be only half -joking.
In the mirror, I gave her my best attempt at a smile as she stepped away after completing a sweeping up-do of curls atop my head.
I clutched onto Lucien, who’d been resting on my lap. He’d barely left my side, sleeping near me and constantly on guard. I set him down, aware he’d be close.
I’d been allowed one day to grieve.
A small reprieve my father had granted before reminding me I had a duty to fulfill, even during heartbreak. My role in the trials continued.
The upcoming Festival of Blessings would kick off the third and final trial. Meaning now, I only had a few days until this would all be over.
I gripped my chair as I rose, realization hitting me. This would soon be over .
All of it.
I had no idea what it would look like, or who might come out victorious on the other side.
“You haven’t promised yet.” Kalliah bumped into me as she teased, trying desperately to break through the wall surrounding myself after Elisabeth’s death.
I snorted. “I’m unsure I should promise such things.”
“At least it’s a walk through the city. Why he thinks it's a worthy date when he’s trying to win your affections is beyond me,” she said, “but I guess we can’t expect a Lord who is responsible for nothing but himself to actually plan a date with you.”
She pulled out a pair of shoes I normally wore for more casual outings around the city, and I practically kissed her. While others may expect me to dress in the latest finery for this date, I had no intention of greeting the city like a visiting dignitary in shoes, which would have me falling all over myself and twisting an ankle.
A small pit grew in my stomach, for I knew if I hurt myself now, I couldn’t run to Elisabeth any longer.
Slipping them on quickly, I gave her a brief hug. “I promise. But only because I don’t want you having a mess on your hands.”
Her laughter remained with me as I closed the door behind me and walked into the hallway.
I turned, staring at the patch of carpet, which no longer bore the stain of Elisabeth’s blood. The patch no one would know she died on in a few centuries time.
The pit in my stomach grew larger, the longer I stared at the carpet. Swallowing down the pain still swirling inside of me, I walked down the steps, slowly, dragging out the little bit of time I had alone before being stuck with Lord West.
I hadn’t forgotten his strange interaction with Andras after the first winner’s dinner.
But rules were rules, apparently, and this charade of granting him an hour of my time as the winner was mandatory. Given that I had been playing charades my whole life, hiding who I truly was, and what I truly thought, an hour was inconsequential in the grand scheme of it all.
My father, mother, and Andras stood alongside Lord Casimir West at the entrance to the palace. The four of them were huddled together, engaged in a whispered conversation I could not hear. My father held onto my mother’s arm for support, his weakness becoming more evident with every passing day. Andras grinned slyly as he noticed my approach. I would never be able to shake the feeling of unease when I saw him, regardless of how many years it had been since I last left that dungeon.
Casimir stood tall, waiting for me at the entrance to the palace, his copper-red hair slicked back, despite its short length. He donned some of his finest attire, it appeared. The seams of his dark-grey pants and emerald tunic embroidered with a golden thread so thick, it reminded me of the upholstery on one of my least favorite chairs in our library. A golden swirling broach was pinned on the upper right section of his chest.
“My dear, we were just here to wish you both a wonderful hour together. Ruppert will accompany you across the city,” my father said, hugging me quickly before they all turned to leave.
“The princess is safe with me, my King.” Casimir’s expression displayed utter confidence as he nodded toward my father.
“Princess Illiana.” He bowed before me, grabbing my hand and kissing it lightly. “You are a vision. No one would know you were in mourning. Well done.”
I tried not to shudder at the lack of empathy in his words, and his tone. I only had to smile and tolerate this man for one hour. One hour .
“Lord West, a pleasure to see you. I hear we are going for a walk around the city. A fine choice,” I responded, attempting to smile genuinely. I likely failed.
“Yes, it seemed right to greet our people together.”
I clenched my teeth tightly at the comment. My people would never be his.
He opened the door, oblivious of how his words angered me, and led me down the path toward the city, holding his arm out for me to take, which I did reluctantly. Little did he know, in three swift moves, I could have him down to the ground, with a knife to his throat, a knife still conveniently sheathed on my thigh.
The thought brought a genuine smile to my lips this time.
Ruppert followed diligently, ten paces behind us. Too bad I couldn’t feign some sort of illness to get out of this date, but Ruppert believed in rules. In fact, he lived for rules. If the king ordered me to be out with Lord West for an hour, Ruppert would ensure I stayed for the full hour.
Lord West spoke of himself and his many accomplishments so much so, I didn’t even have to pretend to interject my thoughts and comments. He wasn’t paying attention to my responses, anyway, instead walking through the streets of Ellevail as though he owned them and all of its people.
In fact, he didn’t ask me a single question about myself. Not as if I cared. I would never choose him to win this competition. He served as another reminder that most of the men were here for the title and a Queen, not a wife or a friend.
The happiness I’d grown accustomed to enjoying as I walked this path through the city seemed stifled, suffocated by the man next to me. It must be the hot air he spewed. He certainly enjoyed hearing himself speak.
As we left the more affluent area on Duke Street, we approached my favorite part of the city. One I’d gladly flaunt to any visitors.
Although I was certain the wealthy would object, to me, this was the main street of the city of Ellevail. A street lined with shops, butchers, and florists. Anything one needed could be found on this street. Filled with a community, a sense of belonging, a place where our people looked out for one another, even with their limited magical abilities.
“I love this place.” I sighed, interrupting the lord. I didn’t care if he answered or not, I simply wanted it to be known.
He straightened, looking farther down his nose around us, if it were possible, and assessed each passing Fae with an air of disdain. He looked down upon my subjects, as if he held the position of King already. As if his gracing these villagers with his presence should be applauded. It repulsed me.
Who did this man think he was?
A group of tattered children from an alleyway bounded toward us. Ruppert didn’t flinch, as he was accustomed to my walks around the city and interacting with all of its citizens. I also had it on good authority he pined after a woman who lived in this part of town.
The thought of Ruppert being attracted to anything but work made me smile and peer at him over my shoulder. Proving my point, his expression remained as stiff as stone, observing the incoming children as though they could possibly be a threat.
“Princess Lana!” a young boy leading the pack shouted. “Princess!”
They joined in unison, shouting my name. The young boy skidded to a stop in front of us and gave me a quick bow, the others in the group following his lead.
Lord West stepped back and snickered in disgust.
Each of the children, five in total, held out handfuls of dirt, and Lord West’s eyes widened. “Be gone, children,” he snarled. “This is the princess, she has no time for your antics, or piles of rubbish and dirt.”
I grabbed at his arm, failing to hide my disgust. “They’re children, my Lord. They enjoy showing off their magic.”
He snorted. “From the looks of them, it can’t be that impressive.” He ignored me completely, turning back to the children. “Run along. I only get one hour with Her Highness, and I will not have it wasted watching magic tricks from children.”
A little girl with bright-red hair tied into pigtails stuck her tongue out at him as she shoved her hands forward, revealing a beautiful purple carnation, sprouting from the dirt in her hand. She offered me the flower earnestly, beaming with pride at her creation.
I clapped. “It’s beautiful.”
I knelt, ignoring the indignation and grumbling from Lord West behind me. Each of the other children followed and handed me their flowers, creating a small bouquet for me to take back to the palace.
I studied their faces, the excitement they had at creating life. Each of them were blessed with earth magic, and the way they gingerly handled their dirt and sprouted flowers seemed so innocent. So beautiful.
“Thank you so much for this incredible gift,” I said. They launched forward, hugging me, until we were all laughing.
As quickly as they’d come, they ran away again, returning to play. Only once they disappeared did the moment of joy turn to a sharp sting in my chest. A painful reminder, for even these children, so young and small, who clearly worked in the fields maintaining our crops, had more magic than I could summon.
I wiped the dirt off the skirt of my dress watching the last of the children run off.
“Shall we keep going?” I asked before resuming our walk down the street, choosing to ignore his spiteful comments from earlier. The man behaved like a weasel, and I would stop at nothing to ensure he didn’t ascend the throne.
His lip hadn’t relaxed from the snarled curl before he could answer me, when an older woman approached, bowing low.
“My condolences on Elisabeth, Your Highness.”
I reached for her hands, recognizing her immediately. “Thank you, Thea.” I blinked away tears threatening to spill and not stop. Clearing my throat, I quickly changed the subject. “How are the young newlyweds holding up?”
The woman’s voice transformed from one of empathy to one of pure joy. “To be young and in love.” She chuckled and bowed her head again. “I can’t thank you enough for your generous food and gifts. It was too much.”
I shushed her. “A wedding deserves to be celebrated fully.” I grinned. “Besides, if I recall, there wasn’t a single time I ran through Ellevail as a child which didn’t end with a chocolate milkshake in my hand.”
“Well, the milkshake kept you and Ian distracted from purchasing my entire stock of pastries every week.” The woman chuckled, patting my hands before releasing me. “I will let you be on your way.” She bowed her head and backed up before heading back toward her shop.
Thea and her husband ran a small bakery in the lower levels of town. They made enough to make a living, and their baked goods rivaled even the best bakers the richer nobility used. Ian and I stopped in frequently, and even though I could have paid for it, Thea and her husband never allowed me. Ian made sure payment showed up anytime they were in need though, which made me feel better accepting their generosity.
Lord West coughed into his hand before holding a finger under his nose. “We should return to Duke Street.”
“I enjoy being with all of my people, Lord West.”
He looked me up and down. “It sounds as though your handouts may cost your kingdom. Does your father know of these activities?”
I clenched my hands into fists at my sides, and my lip twitched. The implication that I provided goods without my father’s consent wasn’t the problem. Fates, I was the Hidden Henchman and had been doing such things for over a year now. No, it was the audacity to imply I needed approval to assist my people. “They are citizens of Ellevail. I’m allowed to give gifts and assistance to whomever I wish.”
He snorted. “You’ll have to obtain a savvier business acumen when you take the throne.”
“Well, it’s a good thing this is a city of Fae I love and care for as if they were each a member of our palace, who will repay those acts of kindness tenfold when asked and able. Sounds like the only person in need of savvy business acumen is you, Lord West.” I took a step away from him, veering back to the castle, noticing it far in the distance. I longed for it to be closer, or to run through the hidden tunnels to take me straight to my room. I’d been out here with this man long enough. “We should head back. By the time we return, the hour will be complete, and I have another date to prepare for.”
I didn’t wait to hear his response before I walked back toward the palace. All I had to do was change into my training leathers for a date with Ryland and then endure whatever he had planned.
After that, my day would be complete. I could see Hale tomorrow and then get back to ensuring contenders like Lord West would never have a chance at becoming King.