Chapter thirty-two
Waiting on the steps of the palace among his primary servants, Hara, the guards and I watched as the emperor stepped away from his white horse.
The morning was bright and strong, and the crisp spring winds had settled completely, creating a silent moment for his arrival.
Even the birds had completely stilled.
Standing as if we were statues of the palace, I was careful not to breathe too loud, afraid someone would hear it.
Aris was wearing all-black attire, a dark linen blouse with black riding trousers and tall leather boots.
His hair had grown an inch more, and the fact that I noticed it disturbed me deeply.
What else had changed since he’d been gone?
The large carriage behind him was a royal blue with gold fabric entwined throughout.
The footman about to reach the door of the carriage was stopped by Aris, who had made his way to open it.
The woman who stepped out of the carriage, followed by Helon, was tall, thick around the bones, and had light brown hair wrapped around her shoulders.
My heart twisted and pulled.
Who was she?
Her gown was the richest silky blue, and with an arm entwined through Aris’, her hips swayed as she approached the palace stairs.
Her eyes darted over the stairs and past us all.
Eyes like Aris.
Wild eyes that ran dark and deep. Mesmerizing black ink framed her eyes, starting from the inner corner reaching toward her temple.
I didn’t look anything like her.
She carried an unholy amount of confidence and beauty.
A strange sensation burned in my chest.
“Charming, darling.”
Her voice, like milk and honey, echoed in the silent air.
Helon appeared behind the woman and nodded at the palace keeper.
“Mother, this is Hara,”
Aris introduced.
Mother.
It shouldn’t have made me this happy to hear the woman walking beside Aris was his mother, but it did.
A lightness settled in the bottom of my stomach.
His attention moved ahead to where I stood on the steps, between two primary servants.
My heart burned and stopped beating altogether as his eyes found mine.
His face softened as he locked his sight on me, and he offered me the faintest smile.
It was as though he had been searching through the servants just to find my pair of eyes.
It was as if he found me familiar and safe, because something opened in his eyes.
They turned clear—
A throat cleared near him, and my attention broke to find his mother and Helon waiting on Aris.
Her brows pressed together, and her gaze flew in my direction, wondering who—or what—took her son’s attention.
I lowered my head and kept my eyes glued to the floor as heat rose from my neck to my cheeks.
The rest of the servants turned my way.
My hands turned clammy, and I wanted nothing more than to hide under a bridge—possibly drown in the water.
Anything, really, would be better than this.
Just end it completely.
This was worse than the day Camilla saw me come out of Aris’ tent.
Aris, his mother, and Helon continued their walk silently past me and through the palace doors.
Aris showed his mother her new surroundings.
Helon gave me a tight smile.
I looked up to find the palace keeper’s impatient scrutiny on me.
Her eyes narrowed—like always—as she approached me while the rest of the primary servants wisely went on to their duties.
“Did you make sure his chambers were in perfect condition?”
I nodded with a half-smile on my lips.
“Good.”
Hara gave me a list of chores to do, and obediently, I nodded through every demand even though I wasn’t listening to a word she was saying.
Aris is home, I squealed mentally.
Then I scowled at myself.
I shouldn’t be this happy.
When Hara was done with her relentless demands, I turned towards the side of the palace to continue my duties and for some strange reason, today was one of the better days I’d had in a while.
My spirits were lifted, and I felt like nothing could change that.
If I didn’t know better, I could sing, but I left that for Maeri since she was much better at it than I was.
With the quick and sudden celebrations that were sprung onto the staff, the entire palace had been transformed with hundreds of decorations and live music within a few hours.
Ribbons entwined with flowers hung around the pillars, weaving in and out between the interior courtyard and the main hall.
In the ballroom, there were different types of meat platters, pickled vegetables, hard and soft cheeses imported from lands I hadn’t heard of, and there were several tables filled with fruit and cake.
The one thing that really brought the palace to life was the music.
The violin especially transformed this palace, and I could almost feel the walls breathing and vibrating to its magical sounds.
There were people flooding through the palace doors coming from all over the land to celebrate Aris and the arrival of his mother, Acantha.
I was surprised by all the gowns and dresses that the women could find on such quick notice.
I glimpsed Camilla and her father entering the opened palace doors.
She wore a purple dress laced with gold thread throughout, and her hair was dressed up, allowing full shoulder exposure.
“The celebration seems to be going well.
I just wish I could be part of it.”
Nirelle pouted over my shoulder.
We stood behind one of the pillars on the side of the ballroom, gazing at the festivities.
Everyone was either laughing, dancing, or drinking.
“I can’t believe they pulled it off so quickly.
Do you think they were prepared for this many people?”
Maeri asked, pulling her eyes from the direction where Aris and Helon stood.
“I think so.
There is no way they didn’t know he was on his way from Stroka,”
Nirelle said.
“He was in Stroka?”
I asked quietly, surprised he even stepped foot there after finding out what his father did to him.
“Oh, yes.
I heard that Malakar keeps Aris’ mother on a tight leash, but from time to time, he allows her to visit Aris.
I think since our lord’s thirtieth birthday is around the corner, Malakar must have permitted Acantha to celebrate her son here.”
“Our lord?”
I muttered.
I knew now where her loyalties lay.
“I—I just.
I’m sorry.”
Splashes of red painted Nirelle’s cheeks.
Instantly, I regretted my harsh words.
“No—I’m sorry, Nirelle.
It’s just that…we can’t forget who they are to us.”
I looked at Aris across the ballroom, who was embracing an older man with a lazy smile on his face.
“I sometimes, too, forget…”
“Here, let’s make a promise,”
Nirelle offered to Maeri and I, lifting a bottle out of nowhere.
“No matter where life takes us, we will never forget who we are and where we came from.”
I smiled at Nirelle, who took a swig of the bottle and handed it to me.
“I promise.”
Grabbing the bottle, I took a swig, and down went the burning liquid.
I tensed up and made a face as I swallowed another gulp.
Nirelle and Maeri giggled at my facial expression.
Maeri grasped the bottle in her hand and chugged the contents.
My jaw dropped, surprised by how she could handle the liquor.
“Impressive.”
Nirelle regarded Maeri with amazement.
“Let’s also promise that tonight will be the best night of our lives,”
Maeri said.
We all agreed and took a second round.
And then another.
And another.
After an hour of dancing together behind the pillars to the music we heard in the ballroom, we decided we were hungry for some extravagant food, and if we were clever enough, we’d be able to indulge in anything we wanted without anyone noticing.
We took another swig of the bottle and then two more for some liquid encouragement.
I hadn’t had this much fun in—well, forever.
I’d never felt like this before.
Where everything seemed light and blurry at the same time.
I didn’t know if this was normal or not, or if this was what being drunk felt like, but it felt amazing.
I want to do this every single day, I thought to myself.
We made sure our dresses were in perfect condition.
We wrapped my hair in linen, and decided to pretend we were one of them and walked, giggling, to one of the tables filled with cake and exotic fruit with attempted confidence.
The whole ballroom was packed with people, so the chances of us going unnoticed were in our favor.
Most of the guests were surrounding Aris and Acantha, who seemed quiet and reserved.
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, I saw.
The table we approached was filled with mini pink cakes and one large purple cake with white frosting weaving through the rim.
There was a fruit that was large and blue, with yellow seeds in the middle.
The taste burst in my mouth of sweet, juicy—
“If it isn’t our little witch coming here to eat our food.”
I turned around to see Kallen smirking behind me.
I giggled at being caught.
Things were a little blurry, and I could smell his breath filled with strong liquor.
The linen wrapped around my hair, of course, had fallen off.
Kallen reached down and found my linen for me.
He laughed with brows high.
“So much for trying to be concealed, though I’d much rather see your beautiful hair than a cloth wrapped around your head.”
I blushed because I’d never heard someone call my hair beautiful before.
I turned to see where Nirelle and Maeri had disappeared to.
They were both snatching cheeses from another table.
Instead of catching their eyes, I met Aris’ eyes from across the ballroom.
Helon was at his side, speaking to him, but Aris didn’t seem to listen to a word he was saying.
His face was stiff and emotionless.
Even though things were blurrier than usual, I could see the flare of his nostrils from this distance.
Why was he angry? My brows knitted.
Helon, noticing Aris’ absent mind, followed his view and met my own eyes.
Kallen’s fingers wrapped around one of my face-framing curls, and I snapped my eyes back to him to tell him to back off, but then his hand was behind my head, forcing his lips upon mine.
My world spun out of control.
His lips were cool and firm and tasted like fish.
Adrenaline shot through my chest.
I felt as if I were being smothered and swallowed at the same time.
I couldn’t believe this was what a kiss felt like.
I was about to throw up all the contents of what I’d drunk in the last hour all over myself and Kallen.
I attempted to yank my body away and release my lips from his when several hands wrapped around my wrist, pulling me from his grip.
“Come on, we have to get out of here,”
Nirelle said in a hurried tone.
“That’s disgusting, Solei—”
Maeri attempted to say while Nirelle laughed.
His cold phantom lips were still on me, and all I wanted to do was rub soap in and around my assaulted mouth.
“Quick.
We’ve been caught!”
Nirelle pulled me from the food and drinks.
The three of us squeezed through moving bodies.
“What was that about, Solei?”
Nirelle called over her shoulder.
“Ugh, I have no idea.
I think I’m going to be sick,”
I whimpered.
“Kissing is making you sick? My gods, I can’t imagine what sex would do to you.”
I heard Maeri giggle behind me.
My lips tugged, threatening to break into a laugh.
“You’ll be okay though.
At least it was just an innocent kiss,”
Maeri tried to comfort me.
It didn’t feel like it, I wanted to say.
“Hey! Where are you going?”
Kallen called from behind us, and we quickened our pace.
I looked behind, and he was following with a determined look on his face.
“Run, run, run!”
I whisper-yelled.
Maeri and Nirelle burst into laughter.
“Wait!”
Nirelle stopped in her tracks behind one of the pillars.
“Let me get some more drinks.
Why don’t we all meet in the servants quarters? We’ll go for a swim!”
“This late?”
I furrowed my brows.
Peering over my shoulder, I didn’t see where Kallen went and released an audible breath.
Chills appeared on my skin, remembering his lips on mine. Gross.
“Yes! This is going to be the best night ever, remember?”
“I wanted to grab some more of those small cakes.
I’ll be right behind you, Nirelle!”
Maeri squealed.
Before I knew it, I was alone again, making my way to the servants’ quarters when footsteps echoed behind me.
A chill prickled down my spine, and I felt a presence lurking in the shadows.
I whirled around to find Kallen.