XIX | A DEAL TOO TEMPTING
─── ????? ───
She didn't dare raise the glass to her lips, though; for all she knew, Aleksandr had poisoned the wine.
Besides, if she was to convince demigods and the affluent to aid her, she didn't want to become a blabbering fool fueled by sour alcohol.
She'd already done something similar with Grishcolm while sober.
Her fingers tightened around the rim of the frosted glass, and she took a deep breath.
She hadn't waded into the bustling crowd yet, but she couldn't imagine it was much different from a packed night at the circus.
She could deal with being prodded and poked from twenty different angles, surrounded by sweat and warmth.
Probably.
She sighed, pushing her way into the crowd.
Keeping her head low, she averted her gaze from anyone who she didn't recognize that gave her a pointed look as she shoved her small frame through the sea of people.
She hadn't made anyone spill their alcohol—to her knowledge—so she didn't bother stopping.
They didn't recognize her, and she didn't want to talk to them.
Everyone around her was dressed in cheap fabric and gaudy outfits—she wasn't near anyone useful yet.
Maybe if she had runespowder, or just wanted to risk a weaker spell, she could've simply cloaked herself and snuck into the party as a noble.
But magic wasn't allowed. And besides, she'd walked through at least three different decloaking spells to be allowed to gain entry.
Her magic was solid, but it wasn't at a level where she could bypass those spells.
She would've been revealed the moment she stepped foot inside.
It brought her some comfort that the guards were taking the safety of the ball seriously, at the very least. Was there a chance anyone from Noriya wouldn't be able to make it in at all—or better yet, get caught?
Celvene was sure jailing a few enemy soldiers could lend them valuable information—if they talked.
She sighed again and turned her attention back to the crowd.
She could garner support by speaking to the partygoers if everyone in the castle wanted to hide from her.
Convince them that this ball was lunacy and Aleksandr didn't have their best interests at heart.
But, surrounded by jovial laughter and the pungent scent of decadent food, she suspected people who could afford to indulge themselves like this didn't particularly care for the politics of Aizasea.
Apparently, Celvene had done too good of a job ignoring the people around her. She bumped into something hard, and the slosh of what she figured was wine accompanied it soon after. A crimson splash splattered at her feet, and she stepped back to avoid getting any of the liquid on her shoes.
She bit her lip, lipstick smearing across her teeth before she looked up.
A tall woman, smooth skin the shade of a fawn, was glowering down at her, her small eyes dark.
Her thin lips rose in a sneer, and she stepped back, kicking her foot up as she did so; the fallen liquid was thrown into the air, and Celvene almost slipped on her heels trying to avoid it.
"Watch where you're going, jie nula," she said, with an accented, gravelly voice more tempestuous than her narrowed eyes.
Celvene glanced to her side, and a handsome brown-eyed man was latched onto her arm, leaning against the woman's dress.
But instead of reciprocating his date's pinched expression, his brown eyes were wide and his lips were parted.
He was wearing a tight-fitting brown suit, a shade lighter than his skin.
A white circlet swept his lavender curls back, a large pearl sitting in the center. "Oh, dear! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Celvene said, trying her best to keep her voice light. "I'm sorry about that. I wasn't watching where I was going."
"Clearly," the woman said, her voice almost a growl. Unlike the man, her black hair wasn't styled. It was an unkempt tousle of stringy waves. "What is someone like you doing at a ball like this? Shouldn't you be serving alcohol, not spilling it?"
"Ziel Rui, behave yourself," the man snapped. "Excuse her, please. It seems I do not get her out of the house as often as I should."
"That's... quite alright," Celvene replied, avoiding the woman's unrelenting stare. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught it: the woman's eyes widened a smidge, and her head cocked to the side.
"You..." she said. Then, a ravenous shimmer set in her features, and a crude smile stretched across her jaw.
She straightened her spine, whispers of laughter passing through her lips.
"You're the supposed heiress to the throne, aren't you?
Working as a mere servant? Oh, that's a riot.
The papers near my estate said nothing about that.
It was all wishy-washy nonsense about your feigned right to the throne.
But I digress. You are the heiress, are you not? "
Celvene hesitated. It was clear the woman recognized her, and lying to her would do her no favors.
Ziel Rui seemed to already hate her when she'd never met Celvene, and Celvene had to bite back a snappy insult about Ziel Rui's degradation of the next queen.
But as Celvene shrank at the pointed question, she could see the people around her turn and leer at her. Revealing herself wouldn't be smart.
So all she did was nod. The slightest, smallest motion, but she knew Ziel Rui saw it.
Ziel Rui's grin grew wicked, and the man next to her dug his nails deeper into her velvet dress. "Lit's told me all about you. When he has time to meet, at least. That crown has taken up his every waking moment, as I'm sure you've noticed."
Lit? Does she mean Aleksandr?
"Only good things, I hope," Celvene replied, voice far softer than she'd intended.
She cleared her throat, holding onto what remained of her wine with an ironclad grip.
Now, she wanted to go hide under the facade of a servant.
She was content serving alcohol for the rest of the night if everyone was going to act similar to Ziel Rui. But... could Ziel Rui help her?
But they're not going to. The people here are good. I just need to weed out the bad ones.
"Oh," Ziel Rui said, a devious grin still plastered on her face.
She ripped herself away from the man, whose wide eyes narrowed, and circled Celvene like a hungry lion.
"I've heard many things. I must admit...
none were particularly good. But I have always liked to give others the benefit of the doubt. "
Quite ironic, considering she insulted me a minute ago.
She watched the woman's choppy movements with feigned interest. "Say, uh, I have an issue. Something you might be able to help me with. Do you know where Aleksandr is? Or do you have any connections here? I have important information to relay."
Ziel Rui's grin sharpened and she let out a breathy laugh, apparently choosing to ignore Celvene's request. "As someone with such esteemed power, you can be valuable to me, even if you're not as influential as Aleksandr," she continued.
She came to a halt in front of Celvene, clasping her hands together.
Her partner made no moves to go near her.
Her words were laced with honey, meant to flatter her and lure Celvene into making a deal with Ziel Rui.
Chances were, Ziel Rui couldn't offer whatever she promised.
"What do you say we make a trade? A deal, if you will. "
Celvene ran her tongue over her teeth before puffing her cheeks out.
She had no power. Ziel Rui would know that, especially if she was acquainted with Aleksandr. What say would a mere servant have in the affairs of the kingdom?
None, which was why Celvene knew she needed to gain some semblance of power, even if it was not the crown.
If Aleksandr was the only man with power, the city would be driven to ruin.
Even if Celvene's political experience was lacking, bound to her knowledge of the system learned from her academy education and the hierarchy of the circus, she at least had the best interests of the citizens at heart.
If Aleksandr felt the same, he would have been trying harder to save the kingdom, not throwing a ball in celebration of its death.
Ziel Rui's voice was drowned out by the patter of drums and yells of drunken dancers.
Celvene had to strain to hear her, but Ziel Rui didn't seem to care.
She had to wonder why, if her words held truth, she was deciding to discuss this in the middle of a ball.
Surely her offer couldn't be genuine. Celvene had come here to find people like Ziel Rui, but something felt off.
Was she a merchant, or something lesser?
"I'm not sure I'm in the market," said Celvene, inching herself away from the woman. "And I'm sure I wouldn't be of value to someone like you. Of your status."
"Someone like me?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
"If you know Aleksandr, I can't imagine you're a nobody in Aizasea. You must have power. Money. And I really, really need to talk to someone important. Noriya is planning—"
"All things that can help you in the pursuit of the throne."
Celvene gritted her teeth. Was the woman purposely skirting around helping her with Noriya? "And what do you want from me in return? The crown? My old apartment? I ended the contract days ago, so you're out of luck. Do you want my heart instead?"
"On a silver platter," Ziel Rui replied dryly. "All I request is that you keep me updated on Aleksandr's whereabouts and doings. I think he is hiding something from the rest of the castle."
"The rest of the castle?" Celvene echoed, wincing as someone elbowed her in the side while twirling. "So you are with the staff here?"
"Of course. I work with the army as a planner.
Strategist, if you will. All we asked of him when he came to us with his plans was for him to keep us involved.
We have heard next to nothing since. I do not know where he is going, but he is gaining power somehow, and it is not through the people he's supposed to be trusting. "
"How is this my problem? Isn't it good for me if the ruler's staff isn't in on some treasonous plan constructed by Aleksandr?" Celvene's jaw locked. "And you seem pretty content in ignoring me when I mention Noriya. They're up to something. I think they're—"
"We have power, Celvene," Ziel Rui said, and Celvene shivered at the way her name rolled off her tongue like poison. "We can help you gain that throne with ease."
Celvene froze. Even if Ziel Rui ignoring her made her blood boil, the offer... was tempting. Shame washed over her; this wasn't the time to be thinking about the crown. But at the same time...
She looked at the man, who was now wringing his hands together in uncomfortable silence. She redirected her gaze back at Ziel Rui, and a hopeful, hungry spark lit in her heart. If she was telling the truth...
Don't be silly. She can't be.
It's not that easy.
"I'll consider your offer," she said, the words sticky in her mouth. She ran her tongue against the roof of her mouth, inhaling. "Where can I find you?"
Ziel Ruì's smile faltered, though it did not fall. "Why, the castle's armory, of course. I enjoy tending to our wide array of weapons and armor. I take it you're acquainted with the layout of the castle by now?"
"Of course," Celvene hissed out through a forced smile. "I'll be there if I've decided to accept your terms."
"Good," she purred, and looped her arm with the man's. She jerked head up in a nod. "I look forward to seeing you, Celvene. And for the record, I can't help against Noriya. None of us can. They made sure of that."
They?
And with that, she vanished into the crowd.
Celvene tried to shake off the uncomfortable warmth crowding her body, to no avail.
She admired the woman's confidence, but her directness and assurance that Celvene was going to take up her offer unnerved her.
After a few minutes of trying to move with the crowd's swaying movements, Celvene needed an escape.
Maybe wandering the halls would allow her to find Aleksandr, if he would even listen.
She broke free of the crowd after moments of struggling against their strength, almost gasping for air. She stumbled towards a door, wiping an arm against her brow, which was now coated in sweat. Grimacing, she took a moment to recollect herself—until something, or someone, caught her eye.
She recognized the blonde hair immediately.
Even when her skin was clear, with no tattoo in sight, she knew who the soldier was.
Adrenaline flooded her body, and her fatigue was forgotten in an instant.
As she stripped herself of her heels and ran after Melantha, one question coursed through her racing mind:
Why is she here?
─── ????? ───