Chapter 42
Sana never thought she'd find herself indulging in such a lavish excursion, but Rhyel insisted on stopping at a beautiful inn just outside the city walls of Grensea so she could have a proper bath before they arrived at the palace.
She couldn't deny she wanted more than a wash up in a lake before she met any nobles and certainly before she reunited with her siblings.
However, she didn't realize the inn Rhyel chose, was a spa and his definition of a proper bath meant bathing in freshly made lavender and rose soaps, getting a massage with jojoba and coconut oil before lying in a hot sauna to further loosen her stiff muscles after the long journey.
And finally, she was wrapped in a thin, buttery soft cotton slip and led to soak in a pool of crystal blue waters in a room full of lush green foliage. The smell of rain after a summer's storm lingered in the air while a soft melody of ocean waves filtered through the calming space.
Her sisters spoke of spas like this.
How their father would treat them to one every week to keep their skin glowing and their hair healthy and vibrant because he cherished them like precious gems—unlike her—who didn't deserve such care and attention.
Sana sighed, staring up at the glass ceiling encasing fluffy white clouds floating in the calming blue skies while she rested her head on the padded edge of the pool.
It was nice that Rhyel thought she deserved this kind of treatment.
"You seem relaxed now, my Lady," Zena said as she swam up beside her. "I'm glad Rhyel insisted on stopping here."
"So am I." A smile tugged at her lips as she looked over at Zena, resting her head on the cushion beside her. "I've never been pampered like this before," she said, biting her lip. "It feels too indulgent and I'm ashamed that I like it so much."
Zena laughed softly as she curled her hand around Sana's.
"You're allowed to indulge and enjoy lush moments like this," she said, raising her hand from the water and snapping her fingers as a tray with two glasses of rose-colored wine and a spread of grapes and cheese floated up beside them.
"There's nothing wrong with enjoying this.
" She handed Sana a glass. "You are the Lady of Darcanos, and your fiancé will always ensure that you want for nothing. "
A blush burned over Sana's cheeks as she took a slow sip of the sweet and flowery wine. "Can I... ask you something?"
"Of course."
"It's silly, but what am I supposed to do... in a courtship?" she said, gripping her glass. "I've never done this before."
Zena grinned. "You have nothing to worry about," she said, munching on a grape.
"Courting is nothing more than simply spending time with your intended.
All you need to do is be yourself and let Rhyel praise and pamper you.
" She waved her arm around the room before looking at Sana with her golden brown eyes shining with glee. "Just like this."
"And how...how long does a courtship last?"
Zena shrugged. "That's up to you. Cori courted me for a few years before I felt ready to marry her.
I wanted to make sure she was the one my heart couldn't live without and Cori waited until I was ready even though she had no intention of ever letting me go," Zena said as she twisted the silver ring around her finger.
"She always says her heart was mine the moment she saw me. "
"That's so beautiful," Sana said, leaning up on her elbow as she ate a piece of cheese. "And how did you know she was the one your heart couldn't live without?"
"Cori got sick. It wasn't anything life threatening," Zena said, resting her cheek on her hand.
"But she used to send me notes to greet me in the morning.
She still does now, actually." She laughed.
"They were simple messages, like 'good morning' or 'I hope you slept well', but they were for me and it meant Cori was thinking about me while she stood watch on the wall. "
Zena swirled the wine in her glass as if she were lost in thought.
"One morning I woke up without a note." She sighed.
"And I couldn't do anything until I knew she was safe.
It was the first time I ever left my duties to the people to care for someone, but I knew deep down in my soul that if anything happened to my Coriana, life would cease to have meaning.
" Zena Said, smiling as she took a sip from her glass.
"That's when I knew I was utterly in love and my heart belonged to her. "
Sana rubbed the band of her ring as her heart thumped from Zena's tale of how she knew Cori was the one.
She'd been sick with worry over Rhyel when he went to Mortend.
Did that mean she loved him if she cared so deeply for him?
She couldn't imagine her life without him now, but she felt that way for Zena, her maids, Oziel and Loic, too.
"What's wrong, my Lady? I didn't mean to worry you."
"I'm fine and you didn't worry me," Sana said, taking a drink from her glass. "Thank you for sharing that with me. It's nice to have someone to talk to about these things since I'm so new to... to this." She sighed. "I feel like a child who's just learning to walk."
"I'll always be here to talk about anything and who cares that you're new to this? Take your time and enjoy it. You have nothing to be ashamed of," Zena said. "Have you spoken of this to that dragon in your dreams?"
"I have," Sana said, laughing softly. "He says he will strike Rhyel down if he doesn't shower the sun, the moon, and the heavens upon me like I deserve."
"Oh, has he?" Zena chuckled. "I like this dragon of yours. He's very wise."
"He is, and sometimes the things he says reminds me of Rhyel, but that's silly, right?" Sana laughed, finishing her glass of wine. "Likening my imaginary dragon to Rhyel."
"I don't think it's silly at all." Zena shrugged. "And who says your dragon is imaginary?"
"What do you mean? Of course Kal's imaginary." Sana giggled. "He's just a being I conjured to complement my dream."
"Mm, maybe," Zena murmured, waving her hand over Sana's glass to refill it. "But dragons are known to have the gift of dream walking. Who's to say Kal isn't real?"
"Well, according to the books I've read, if that were the case," Sana said, tapping her glass against her lips.
"Kal would have had to know me in a previous life and I would have to be a phoenix because dragons can only dream walk with their kin or the phoenix they are bound to protect.
And since none of that is true or possible, Kal is, indeed, a lovely figment of my imagination. "
Sana smiled, drinking the smooth, flowery wine.
"Although if he were real," she said, biting her lip as she thought of Rhyel with glowing red eyes, thick black horns protruding from his mane of black hair and strong sturdy wings cocooning her against his burly chest. A blush scorched her cheeks as she shook her head. "N-nevermind."
Zena grinned, patting her hand. "I think I know who you've just envisioned," she said, leaning closer to her. "And wouldn't it be nice if he were your dragon?""
Her heart screamed to say yes, but her mind wouldn't allow her to wish for something so impossible. She wasn't a phoenix and even if, by some miracle she was, if Rhyel was her dragon, she would've felt something more than this childish desire for him.
"Lady Sana, General Zena," a young maid entered the room and bowed her head. "Your rooms have been prepared for you to get ready for the evening."
And the calm that Sana once felt shattered.
For a moment, she forgot why they'd come to such a pleasant spa. It wasn't wholly to rest and enjoy themselves.
No.
It was a brief reprieve before the first engagement of the festive season.
And soon, she'd be reunited with her siblings that had no love for her while she'd try her best to hold her head high and be the Lady the people of Darcanos deserved.
Gripping her dragon's breath as she followed behind Zena to their rooms, Sana sucked in a deep breath, letting the calming hum of her charm ease her worries.
Gods, she prayed she wouldn't do anything to embarrass or bring shame to Darcanos.