Chapter 58
Thain had just finished doing my hair and makeup—and as it turned out, he had a talent for both—when the chimes rang again, and one of the nameless chamberlains appeared. “I’m supposed to escort you to the ball.”
My gaze moved to my friend, and he dipped his chin slightly as he whispered. “I’ll follow you as soon as I can sneak away. By the way, they suit you well.”
My fingers went to my throbbing earlobe.
When Thain had seen the earrings I’d gotten from Dion as a courtship present, he’d been excited beyond measure, and as he’d discovered I had no lobe piercings, he’d insisted on remedying my unacceptable condition.
With a heated needle. So I’d replaced the bad pain in my scalp with good pain and allowed him to mutilate me further.
The procedure hadn’t been fun at all, but at least I was finally able to wear the present I loved.
My stomach revolted as I followed the palace servant. There was a certain foreboding energy in the air.
Before the last ball, I’d paid close attention to the path we’d taken through the maze of corridors, and today, I frowned when my guide led me on another route. My suspicions rose to never-known heights. “Excuse me, shouldn’t we have turned left here?”
“No. Tonight, you’ll enter via the main doors, not the servant’s entrance. But don’t be mistaken; just because you’re treated as one of us, no one would ever consider you as such.”
“Charming.”
The chamberlain didn’t reply, and I didn’t mind at all.
In a way, I would have preferred the small staff entrance and the hidden pariah table—as I’d dubbed the poor excuse for adequate seating. Being invisible felt much safer, but as usual, I had no say in my own fate. My heart ran in overdrive, and I wiped my sweaty hands on my dress in secret.
On an instinctual level, I knew I wasn’t safe tonight. The only thought keeping me halfway sane was the one that I’d be gone by tomorrow.
Lost in my own mind, I realized rather late that we’d arrived in front of the enormous double doors leading to the ballroom of Alaiann Palace.
Oh gods, they stood already open.
Grounding myself, I straightened my spine and stepped across the threshold.
“The Eachtrannach.”
Damn, even the herald had announced me today. Well, kind of.
Trying hard not to show how intimidated I was, I entered the hall with my head held high, but my bravado faltered like paper in the rain as I spotted none other than the High King strutting toward me.
In the last second, I remembered my manners and sank into a deep curtsy, concentrating on the shine of Galrach’s dark green dress shoes and the hem of his matching tunic, which was accentuated with delicate gold embroidery and brushed over the floor.
“You may rise, Eachtrannach.”
Obediently, I did just that. Luckily, Antas and Thain had taught me more about royal etiquette during the past few days, so I kept my mouth shut. I would only be allowed to speak once the High King granted me permission to do so.
“Let me escort you to your seat.”
My insides deconstructed themselves as I noticed his hand moving in my direction. There was no way I could deny him, not with the collective High Court giving us their undivided attention. Swallowing down a good amount of bile, I endured my hand slipping into his.
All my senses yelled at me to recoil and to run from Galrach’s unwanted touch.
But my reaction wasn’t just repulsion.
An unpleasant sensation, like needles pricking again and again, tormented my skin, and there was no doubt—the High King was using some sort of magic.
Panic gripped me as unyieldingly as Dion’s embrace, my heart accelerated its beat, and as we promenaded, every point of skin-to-skin contact transformed from discomfort to outright pain.
Still, I had to act normal.
“You will sit next to me tonight. Nothing else would be acceptable for the courted female chosen by my grandson and heir.”
Everyone overhearing us had to think how forthcoming their High King was, but I knew better.
This was another part of his power play, the next attempt to break me under pressure.
And although I was petrified and fractured, I did my best not to show my misery.
Galrach wouldn’t win if he had no idea how afraid I was.
Outwardly, the High King was politeness personified.
He helped me into my chair, even filled my glass, but again, nothing was what it seemed.
Galrach hadn’t permitted me to speak yet, and considering that his powers centered around rot and decay, why my food and drink tasted moldy and… off was no riddle at all.
Would he poison me in front of his entire High Court, or was I safe for now because of Danartha’s ultimatum?
The meal weighed down my stomach like boulders, and a hint of cramping stirred and upset my intestines.
And if I’d thought that all this was bad, I should have considered twice, because after dinner, Galrach stood up and extended his hand again. “Dance with me.”
What had I done wrong during my life to land in such a situation? Was that the punishment for not staying in my lane? For not accepting the lot the gods had given me?
Suppressing a sigh, I meekly nodded and allowed him to take possession of my hand once more. Dion would lose his shit without question if he were here.
The music started, and the High King pulled me into a dancing stance. When I’d met him for the first time, I’d noticed the similarities between him, Antas, and Dion, but after all this time, the differences stood out more.
The constant hateful lines engraved on his forehead. The glint in his eyes that spoke of his hunger for power. The cruel edge to his lips—compared to the other two males, Galrach was just plain ugly.
“You see, Eachtrannach, I heard you received a very generous offer from Lady Danartha. Such a promising, ambitious female, would you not agree? So, in light of her proposal, I am informing you that I am altering my orders for you. You are not to wait until the end of this farce of a courtship to reject my heir. No, you will do as discussed with the High Lady.”
I bit my lower lip to silence the scoff and the comments that burned on the tip of my tongue. I still wasn’t allowed to use my voice, and I didn’t want to give this male more ammunition, not even the one that I had no court manners.
Addressing Danartha with a title that wasn’t hers yet was a clear statement and the proof he really intended to force Dion into marrying the vile female. But I wouldn’t allow their scheme to work. Only over my dead body could Galrach order my prince to wed someone he despised.
Staying silent like an outwardly obedient female, I met the High King’s eyes with steely determination.
“Do as you are told, or I will personally help her with the second option. You may have friends in Alaiann, but those can be preoccupied somewhere else within the blink of an eye. Do not forget how quickly my grandson left you here at my mercy.” He spun me around and leaned closer.
His breath was like a humid breeze on my face, carrying notes of decay, as he whispered into my ear.
“You are powerless. What chance does a weak human stand against someone who once bested something akin to divinity?”
The tingling sensation started again and became worse. A whimper escaped my lips, and the sound earned me a cruel royal smile. Pain dominated my senses, and even though I’d heard his words, I didn’t make any attempt to understand the hidden meaning behind his cryptic message.
“Just nod if you comprehend what I want you to do, Eachtrannach.”
My jaw locked as my hand hurt worse than after everything Feroy had done to me in his torture chamber.
I was convinced that any second, my skin would fall off my flesh, and so I gave Galrach what he’d demanded and nodded.
My outward obedience didn’t mean that I planned to follow Danartha’s orders, but blatant rebellion wouldn’t help, and neither would provoking the king to damage me further before I could escape from the palace.
Tomorrow morning at eight. As long as I was gone before anyone could aim to assist me with jumping from a high tower, all would turn out fine.
“Good, Eachtrannach. Now, why don’t you enjoy the night?
There are a lot of males who desire a dance with you to get a feel for their potential new princess.
Do not disappoint my courtiers.” Triumph was written all over Galrach’s features, making me literally sick. “Oh, and human…don’t forget to smile.”
Several hours later, I fled to Dion’s quarters. The remainder of the ball had been as horrible as the beginning. Dodging every wandering hand had proven to be impossible, but under all the scrutiny, I couldn’t do more than attempt to do so anyway.
My friends had been absent during the entire revelry, and I was certain this had been by design. Even now, they were missing, and I could only hope that nothing terrible had occurred and that they were safe.
My head spun, and the urge to empty my stomach was overwhelming.
So much so that the moment I slipped into the prince’s personal chambers and locked the door, I threw up into a vase next to the entrance.
Once I’d recovered enough to move, I dragged a plush chair to the exit and pushed the massive piece of furniture under the handle. I was under no illusion about how ineffective all my measures were against determined fae, yet the extra security made me feel slightly better.
My breath was heaving as if I’d run for hours, and I started to shiver and tremble all over. If anything went wrong, I’d be dead. Or maybe I was already dying, poisoned by whatever magic Galrach had used on me tonight.
Desperately, I pulled off my gown, tearing the beautiful fabric in the process, but I didn’t care.
Just in my underthings, I stumbled into the sleeping chambers and tossed various clothes and possessions into a bag without method or thought.
Only paying attention when I packed my courtship presents, I hid all of them inside the crumpled garments.
I would survive wearing the same dress for months, but I couldn’t part with even one of my gifts.
The thought alone made me sob, and tears spilled over. My frayed nerves snapped, and I landed on the bed, crying and wailing until I’d exhausted myself enough to fall asleep.