Page 34 of Powerful

I cross my arms, looking down my nose at her teasingly. ‘And you trust me enough not to tell her?’

Ellie lifts her sponge, dripping water as she points the dull end at me. She smiles softly. ‘If I go down, you go down with me. Besides, I’m her maid. This is what I do.’

I sigh, leaning against the door frame of the bathroom. The entirety of Paedyn’s room is spotless, seeing that she’s been gone for nearly a full week now in the first Trial. All of it is very unnerving, and I don’t like the idea of Pae being in thesespecialTrials. It’s hard enough to survive as it is.

At that gloomy thought, I turn my attention back to Ellie now loudly scrubbing the bottom of the tub. ‘Any ideas for her next gown? The second ball is already in a week.’

‘Not really.’ She’s forced to raise her voice over the water that is now running. ‘Who knows what color she will be wanting next?’

‘Well, I’ll just have to wait for her to tell me, then.’ I say this confidently, as though I know for a fact that she will be coming back alive today. ‘Because the silver dress will be difficult to top. Ugh, she looked so stunning with the drooping sleeves and slitted skirt—’

‘And you didn’t even get to see her turning heads at the ball.’ Ellie peeks up at me, pressing her lips together in a knowing smile.

‘Well,’ I say, flustered, ‘I was there to help her get ready and wish her luck, of course…’

‘Right.’ Ellie’s smile is far too mischievous for hersweet features. ‘Because you were busy seeing yourboy.’

‘He’s not… He’s not myboy, Ellie,’ I scold despite the smile beginning to form on my lips. ‘And I don’t regret sneaking out one bit. I took him to the Fort, and we talked for hours about every little detail.’ I can feel my cheeks heating at the thought. ‘He told me that he had a dog growing up. Well, it was a stray that would come and visit him, but isn’t that adorable? I learned all about his favorite things and how he prefers green apples to red— Oh! And he said my hair is – and I quote – very bouncy.’

I beam, forcing myself to take a breath. ‘Anyways, I’ve seen him almost every day since. Sometimes we meet halfway, or I leave early in the evening so I get to the slums before dark. No one seems to care where I go, so long as I’m back in time to make Pae’s dress.’

Ellie lets me finish my squeal before saying, ‘Wow, you really are falling for him.’

I still my dancing feet at her words. Falling is not what I do. No, I trip into love, unable to slow down long enough to question these feelings or the person I’ve dumped them on. But I’ve liked boys in the past, and nothing compares to how easily I’m tripping into this one.

‘Have you told Paedyn?’

I blink out of my daze. ‘Hmm?’

Ellie narrows her eyes slightly. ‘You haven’t told her, have you?’

I huff, plopping down on the spotless floor beside her, one I’m suspecting she scrubbed before I arrived. ‘No, I haven’t. But I will! Just not… yet.’ I pick at my fingers, falling into the same dilemma I’ve had since being reunited with Paedyn. ‘She has so much on her plate at the moment, and she needs to keep her focus on the Trials. I don’t want my love life to be a distraction for her. Because, trust me, Pae would not stop until she met Mak and approved.’ I shake my head, making up my mind. ‘No, I can’t have her losing her focus or worrying about anything to do with me when her own life is at stake.’

Ellie’s silent for a long moment before nodding slowly. ‘She won’t be happy about being left in the dark.’

I smile, small and teasing as I nod towards the bathtub. ‘Same goes for your cleaning, my dear Ellie.’

Before she can splash me with water, I hurry from the room, shouting, ‘I’ll be back! I’m off to meet my boy!’

It’s an effort not to skip down the hallway in excitement. I can hardly contain my anticipation to—

I nearly run into a large figure rounding the corner.

In the midst of my sputtered apology, my eyes trail up to the green ones boring down at me. I blink, horrified by what I’ve just done, and sweep into a curtsy.

‘Your Majesty!’ I squeak. ‘I am so very sorry! I really must get better at watching where I’m going, especially in such a crowded castle where—’

A large, raised hand has the remaining words dying in my throat. My eyes flick from the palm hovering before my face to the man standing behind it.

Everything about the king is large and looming. He stands well over a foot above me, and his piercing gaze feels as though it might cleave me in half. Swallowing, I stand before him as his scrutiny sweeps over me, lingering on my messy hair and crumpled clothing.

When his silencing hand finally falls, I feel oddly stripped bare before him. ‘And who might you be?’

His voice is deep in a way that is far from comforting. I shift on my feet, attempting to sound at ease as I say, ‘I’m Adena, Your Majesty. What a pleasure it is to meet you!’

The smile he gives me is menacing at best. ‘Let’s not lie to your king, Adena. I’m likely the last person you wish to see, seeing that you’re in such a hurry to find someone else.’

My mouth opens and closes several times before words begin to fall out. ‘Oh, well, I just have a lot of work to do before the next ball and was hoping to get a head start on things. You know, picking fabric and calculating measurements—’

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