CHAPTER 4
Whoever picked out this room for me must’ve thought I was in dire need of exercise. I’d never panted and scowled so much in my life as we climbed what seemed to be an endless spiral staircase near the far side of the palace. Even Raena, who must be used to scaling these white marble stairs, was definitely beginning to slow in her heavy ruffled gown.
“We’re almost there, I promise,” she called out between deep breaths. “It’ll be worth it once we get to the top. You’ll see.”
After it felt like we’d climbed higher than the Drothmore Mountains, we finally reached the curved roof of the tower. Raena guided me away from the steps and down a small corridor, until we stopped outside an arched white door. From a few steps away, the door didn’t seem to be anything spectacular, but when I peered closer, a soft gasp tumbled from my lips. Hundreds of small carvings of healers and potion mixers decorated the panelling of the wood. Weaving around them were vines, trees, and quaint little buildings, each one delicately etched into the door. I lifted my hand to let my fingers run over them, feeling every perfectly sanded bump and dip in the design.
“It’s beautiful,” I sighed.
“The King had it commissioned specially from expert wood carvers in Dalking.” Raena grinned, bringing out her hand fan to flutter it against her face. “He wanted it to remind you of home.”
Home. I wasn’t sure if she meant Corlixir or Honeymeade, since neither truly felt like home to me.
“If you like this…” Her smile grew as she snapped the fan shut, then pointed it towards the door. “You should see what it’s like inside.”
After Raena twisted the golden doorknob, my heart nearly did a somersault. Behind the arched door was the prettiest room I’d ever seen. With its ornate decorations and soft lavender rugs, it looked so different from the rest of the palace, as though it’d been plucked straight from the pages of a fairy tale. The walls were a crisp white with wooden beams that reached up to the domed ceiling, while in the centre of the room was a curved four-poster bed. From the top of the bed frame, thin birch branches weaved all the way down to the bright wooden floors, creating intricate patterns on the walls. Even the little dressers and tables were delicately made and covered in tiny decorative flowers – so completely different from the harsher, more practical-looking furniture I’d seen dotted around the palace.
“The King did all this for me?” I gasped as I stepped further inside, twisting my body to try and take it all in.
“Well… I helped with a lot of the design,” Raena chuckled. “I’m not from Drothmore so I never really understood the mining look.” She fluttered her hand fan again. “I thought this would be a bit more… appropriate.”
“I love it,” I breathed. Beneath me, my skirts twirled as I continued to soak up every inch of the magnificent room. “I don’t know how I’ll ever sleep here though. It’s so big and I’ve never slept in a room on my own before.”
“How bizarre,” Raena quipped. “I could never share a room with someone else… Unless that someone else was a he and he was very, very handsome.” She squeaked with laughter, then pointed her fan towards another door a few metres away from the bed. “My room is just through there, so I’ll hear you if you shout out for me. And the servants will always come if you call them too.”
“Servants?” My eyes widened.
Raena tilted her head before replying casually, “Of course. You’ll have at least three or so to come in and help you dress in the mornings. Oh, and they also help with bathing.”
My nose scrunched at the thought. “I don’t need help to bathe.”
“You never need it,” she said with a playful smile, “but it is certainly lovely to have someone massage oils into your hair while you just lie back and relax in the bubbles.” A giggle burst from her throat, and in that moment, all I could think of was just how far I was from my simple village in the woods.
Raena then showed me to the wardrobe, proudly lifting each dress to describe exactly why she’d purchased it and marvelling at how much they cost. We were rarely given money in Honeymeade, and even when we were, it would only ever be a few coins to spend at the local markets. Still, in my entire life I didn’t think I’d spent as much as the price of even one of these dresses. Every time she pulled out another gown, I found myself gawking more and more at the absurd numbers.
“And this one,” she began, tugging on the skirt of a lilac off-the-shoulder gown, “would be perfect for dinner tonight, don’t you agree?” She lifted it off the rail to present it to me, beaming as if she’d stitched it herself. “Apparently purple was always the preferred colour in Corlixir. When I saw this in the dressmakers, I knew you simply had to have it.”
My fingers reached out to brush against the soft fabric. “It’s so lovely, thank you,” I told her honestly, just as I’d said with every other dress.
“I’ll call the servants. They’ll help you get ready.” Raena laid the gown gently on the bed before drifting back over to where I was standing. “We’ll have to do something about your hair too.” She reached for the thin blonde strand that was resting on my shoulder. “You may already be the prince’s fiancée, but you can still make an effort to impress him. And after how today’s introductions went, you really ought to try impressing him,” she added with a chuckle. “You’ve had a stressful day. As long as you apologise, I’m sure he’ll understand.”
I wanted to pull a face. If anything, he should be the one apologising. Still, I held my tongue. It wasn’t Raena’s fault that the prince had such an oversized ego.
A few moments after my new friend had disappeared down the hallway, a small group of servants swooped in to begin dressing me. They worked surprisingly quickly to help remove my dress and swap it for the gown Raena had selected. I tried to make conversation with one of them as she was lacing up my corset, but the girl was quickly shushed by an older servant the moment she opened her mouth to reply. Perhaps this was really the life of a princess – always surrounded by people, yet somehow still alone.
Once they had finished, I was brought to a large birch vanity so they could begin fixing my hair. As the light blonde mess on my head was brushed out, I let my gaze drift down at the dress now sitting comfortably against my skin. It hugged my figure like nothing I’d ever worn before. I hardly recognised the stranger in the mirror as the busy ladies behind me pinned up parts of my hair, leaving the rest down with its natural wave. One of them stepped forward when my hair was nearly finished to apply a rouge colour to my lips and cheeks. Just as I was beginning to feel more like a doll than myself, Raena stepped into the room once again.
“Oh, you look wonderful!” She grinned, clapping her hands together. “You’ve done a brilliant job, ladies. Thank you.” The three servants dipped their heads before hastily leaving my new bedchamber, disappearing just as quickly as they’d arrived. “I’m here to take you to dinner,” Raena announced. “Are you ready?”
Physically? Yes. Mentally? Absolutely not.
Slowly, I nodded.
The thought of meeting Lukas again made me feel queasy. Of course I couldn’t deny that his looks were charming; but still, after our last conversation, any butterflies that might have fluttered around in my stomach had long since drowned in a deep sea of nerves.
“Let’s not keep your future husband waiting,” Raena said with a smile, extending her arm for me to take.