CHAPTER 10
Aweek later, I awoke to the harsh morning light in my bedchamber, still laced up in yesterday’s uncomfortable gown. Beside me, Raena was sprawled out across my bed, also wearing the same silver ruffled gown as yesterday, but clutched in her hand was a silver chess piece. Our game last night must’ve continued for a little too long, with neither of us allowing the other to win. For a highborn girl who insisted she’d spent her whole life preparing only to please her future husband, she was surprisingly good at chess.
Our late-night games were also useful for another purpose. They served as an excellent distraction from my current predicament. Dinners with Lukas had become terribly awkward after our exchange in the gardens. Thankfully, most nights he didn’t show up at all, choosing instead to take dinner alone in his chambers. However, on the few nights that I was unfortunately graced with his princely presence, we’d spend the entire meal sitting in silence while he scowled at me across the table. I’ll admit, I didn’t even realise it was possible to scowl while eating, but apparently Lukas had mastered that skill.
Deciding to leave Raena to sleep, I wandered absentmindedly to the window. My gaze drifted from the purple spires of Corlixir and over to the vast forests. Somewhere, hidden within the trees, was the village where I’d grown up, and perhaps hidden more deeply, was the faery kingdom.
I shuddered just thinking about it. Seraphina had insisted I’d been lied to about the true nature of the fae, but still, I couldn’t get that twisted, blue faery from the portrait out of my head. Even if the faeries could form some kind of alliance with me, could I even bear to be in the same room with one long enough to sign a contract?
My attention was pulled away from the window by a shuffling sound behind me. Turning to face the noise, I was greeted by a half-asleep Raena, rubbing her eyes while desperately trying to smooth out the crinkles in her dress.
“Goodness, look at the state of us!” she complained as she caught sight of her tangled hair in the vanity mirror. “The servants will need at least a few hours to fix all this,” she tsked, pushing herself up from the bed.
“Sorry for keeping you up so late,” I apologised, wincing at the chess board.
“Nonsense.” Raena shot me her usual cheery smile. “At least I was finally able to beat you!”
“Oh, I didn’t realise you—”
My mouth clamped shut as Raena furrowed her brow in mock anger.
“Nevermind.” I shook my head as we both chuckled. It was so lovely to have a friend here, and after we’d spent so much time together over the past few days, I felt like I could tell her anything. Even something that perhaps I should’ve kept to myself.
“Can I ask you something, Raena?” I started while moving towards her. My skirts bunched up uncomfortably as I perched on the end of the bed. Someday I’d figure out how to navigate the world in these extravagant dresses.
“Of course,” she replied, taking a seat next to me and effortlessly smoothing her gown.
“What do you know about faeries?” I asked.
By the way her body tensed, I could tell the question had caught her off guard.
“Faeries…” she murmured quietly. “My family never really spoke of them, but I know they exist, or at least they used to. I’ve never seen one in the flesh. Why do you ask? Do you think there’s one here in the palace?” She glanced around nervously.
So she’d heard the stories too…
Quickly, I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”
A brief silence fell between us as Raena continued to study my blank expression, her lips thinning until eventually she slipped. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing,” I said, perhaps a bit too eagerly.
Raena tilted her head back with playful laughter. “Come on, you wouldn’t just ask me about faeries without a good reason. Did you perhaps encounter one in the garden? Is that why the prince was so angry? Was he jealous?”
A breath caught in my throat.
“Why would he be jealous?” I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of her question. “Faeries are hideous creatures. And while Lukas and I may have our differences, I can’t imagine a world where he’d ever be jealous of one of them.”
Raena just blinked, seemingly confused. “But faeries are supposed to be beautiful, aren’t they?” My eyebrows shot up. “Again, I’ve never seen one, but all the books in my family’s manor describe them as looking like gods. Apparently, they use magic to just wish away their flaws.” Her chin fell into her hand as she stared at my vanity, gazing into the mirror longingly. “I wish I could do that with my nose.”
“Don’t say that. You have a beautiful nose.”
Raena acted as though I hadn’t said a word, continuing to squish her perfect nose with her fingertips.
Visions of that gnarled, blue faery flooded my mind. They’d definitely told us with certainty that this is what faeries looked like. I remembered the lesson clearly. It all started when a girl from my dormitory bought a seemingly innocent storybook at the market. She didn’t realise it at the time, but it was a love story between a faery and a human. Of course, a few hours after she’d read it, the teachers snatched it away and tossed it into the fire. The very next day, they brought out the portrait, and it’d been that same poor girl who had run back to our room, in tears of pure fright. Raena was probably just swept up in all the fairy tales. Faeries weren’t beautiful or godlike; they were terrifying, wicked creatures. They had to be.
You believe too many of the lies you’ve been told.
Seraphina’s words echoed in my head.
“Are you alright, Naria?” Raena asked, tapping me on the shoulder.
“I… I’m not sure,” I answered as my hands gripped the fabric of my skirt. “I found something the other day in the library. Something I wasn’t supposed to find.”
Raena tilted her head. “What was it?”
“I…” I wanted to explain, but then I stopped myself. Instead, I reached for her open palm and began to rise off the bed. “Let me show you.”