Page 11 of Bonded Chaos

Didn’t monarchs have a plethora of homes they frequented? This could be one of many.

I could feel the oppressive weight of the room closing in around me as my desperation grew stronger. I took a calming breath and forced myself to reassess the space with fresh eyes.

My gaze flicked to the window. Even if I could have pried it open, it was too high up for me to escape without breaking my neck.

I dismissed the window and surveyed the room once more. There had to be something else, some unnoticed weakness I had yet to find.

My thoughts were interrupted as a woman with long burgundy hair, twisted into an elegant braid, entered the chamber. She appeared youthful, although that meant very little considering that Fae were all but immortal and did not age beyond their first twenty years.

She dipped low to the ground in a curtsy, almost dropping the bundle of fabric she clutched in her arms.

I blinked, unsure if she was real or just a figment of my desperation.

“Forgive my interruption, My Lady.”

My Lady.

I scanned the chamber, searching for another woman I might have overlooked. My brows furrowed in confusion when I confirmed I was alone.

“Are you talking to me?” I asked, jabbing a finger at my chest.

The woman gave me a puzzled look before she stood. “Yes. The prince instructed me to bring your garments to his chambers.”

“My garments?”

“Yes, the Seamstress just dropped them off,” she said as she walked over to a closet and started hanging the items inside.

“I don’t understand.”

“The prince commissioned a wardrobe for you,” she answered.

“How would he even know my size?”

Of all the questions I should’ve asked — like how to escape — my indignation took hold, and the words slipped out before I could stop them.

I didn’t expect the woman to answer, but she did anyway.

“He took your measurements while you were resting.”

She cast a glance over her shoulder, and her eyes were awash with sympathy.

“Dreadful situation. I do hope you have recovered from the rough handling of the brutes who tried to kidnap you.”

I was certain her prince had omitted the part about howhehad been the brute in question.

Wait, did she just say hemeasuredme?

Before I could dwell on it, the woman finished and turned to me. “I will be your chambermaid. If you need anything, just ring that bell over there.”

I turned to where she pointed. Sure enough, a bell hung beside the bed.

“Thank you,” I muttered, not knowing what else to say.

“You’re very welcome, My Lady,” she replied as she turned to leave.

Panic surged inside my chest. The woman’s arrival was the perfect opportunity for escape, and it was already slipping between my fingers.

“Wait!” I called after her. “I don’t know your name.”

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