Chapter 3 #3
I grimaced. I didn’t feel beautiful. I’d spent far too long staring at myself in the mirror this morning, wondering if I’d made a mistake when I asked Volkan not to heal my face and prevent it from scarring. “You’re sure it isn’t too revealing?”
Even as I asked, goose bumps skittered over my bare arms and up my legs.
The violet fabric fell in a loose skirt down to my ankles with a long slit up each side that ended over my hips.
The bodice consisted of a single piece of the cloth that started on one side of the waistband, crossed up and over my chest on the opposite side, and then wound over my neck to go down the other way and secure itself on the waistband once more.
Another band of material was stitched to the fabric on either side of my breasts, winding across my back to prevent any unfortunate, revealing slips.
It was gorgeous. It was meant to stun, to draw attention to me. I tried not to shudder at the thought of every eye from the Kryllian palace slinking over my form.
“Not too revealing,” Volkan said, raising an eyebrow. “But you need to believe it, too. Otherwise, instead of confidence, you’ll project insecurity.”
I sighed. “I know.”
“Where is Halvar?” Astrid asked.
I shook my head, the weight of my secrets bearing down on me once more as I remembered my conversation with Jac yesterday. “He said he isn’t coming. He was supposed to send someone else but didn’t say who. I assumed they would be here by now.”
“I am here,” a voice called from behind me.
My entire body stiffened, a chill that had nothing to do with the weather cascading down my spine. I turned slowly, hoping desperately to be wrong.
Arne stepped up to our group and surveyed me from head to toe with a disgusted expression on his face. I reached for my blade instinctively, but it wasn’t there. Volkan had insisted we pack all weapons in our baggage, lest we look like we were leveling an unspoken threat against the Kryllians.
“Arne,” Freja said, an air of anxious cheerfulness in her voice. She stepped up to him, pulling him into an embrace. When he stared at me over her shoulder, I rolled my eyes. “It’s good to see you again. Are you certain you want to come with us, though?”
He pulled from her embrace. “The Nilurae want someone trustworthy on this trip. Someone whose interests match their own, and not your Lurae queen’s.”
I wished Jac was here so I could chew him out for this.
Why, of all the Nilurae in the city, had he chosen my terrible ex-lover?
Arne had made it incredibly clear when I saw him again at the war front that he thought I owed him love.
He was bitter and jaded because I made choices that didn’t center around him.
Astrid stepped up beside me. She had been allowed to keep two small knives on her person, since she was technically my bodyguard. She narrowed her eyes at Arne, pulling one of the blades from its sheath.
The Lurae song thrumming in my ears picked up its tempo. I waited for the anger simmering beneath the surface of my skin to ignite and flare out, catching everyone here in its blaze.
But when the fury reached its breaking point, building up to an explosion, it faltered.
Instead, the exhaustion of the last three weeks came rushing in like an avalanche.
I just want my friends to be safe, I thought.
It took all my effort not to let my shoulders slump.
I want them to be safe and happy and then I want to sleep.
But rest is too much to ask for, it seems.
And I couldn’t ignore the other half of my thoughts either: the ones reminding me that Jac was the best strategist among my brothers during the war. Arne had been vocal about his mistrust of the crown—of me—ever since our argument on the front lines.
If a mistrusting man, a soldier even, witnessed the treaty signing for himself and returned with the truth, then the people would believe him. Far easier than they would believe me.
“Did you bring clothing suitable for a ball?” I asked, meeting his glare with a steady gaze.
He nodded stiffly. “Then go change. Yesterday you were a soldier in Bhorglid’s army.
Today, you are a diplomatic guest in the home of our future allies.
Leave your uniform here; then stow your sword and scabbard with the other weapons. ”
For a long moment, everyone was still and silent. I waited for Arne to snap back and refuse my order. Instead, he merely scowled and grabbed his bag before storming into the castle.
When the doors closed behind him, Freja turned to me with wide eyes. She signed, “Does Halvar not know what happened between you?”
I clenched my jaw. “He knows perfectly well. This was a strategic decision. A good one, unfortunately.”
Astrid replaced her dagger in its sheath. “What’s the likelihood of him attempting to assassinate you?”
Freja and I glanced at each other. At this point, she likely knew better than I did.
Arne had been hostile when we clashed on the front lines, but as far as I knew, he was still dedicated to the Nilurae cause.
And while the Nilurae might hate to admit it, they were better off with me on the throne than anyone else.
I settled with, “Not very likely. I hope.”
Arne returned, dressed in a black tunic and matching pants.
His were plain compared to Volkan’s, but we didn’t have time for a wardrobe overhaul.
“Time to go,” I said and signed as one. “But remember—be on high alert. Snubbing the Kryllians will end this treaty before it begins, but we must discover why they want to ally with us. Otherwise, we risk walking into a trap.”
Everyone nodded. Freja, Astrid, and Volkan all wore expressions that told me they understood the gravity of this moment. Arne simply glared, and I ignored it.
Silently, I reminded myself of my other motive during the negotiations: doing whatever I could to discover how Queen Anja had known I was Lurae before I did.
I looked to Astrid. She nodded, her mouth set in a determined line as she grabbed my wrist and Freja’s and teleported us away.