Page 50 of Cursed By Gold

But I am numb, frozen in the throes of gut-wrenching dismay and fury. How could she have been so recklessly careless? So staggeringly selfish? And now she would sacrifice my future - my very identity - to the lecherous whims of Lord Greystone for her own survival? If he was such a catch she would be offering her own daughters, not me. No, she knows exactly what she’s doing.

A soft rap on the door breaks through the heavy silence that has descended. I hastily swipe at the lingering tear tracks on my cheeks as Fairy Godmother slips into the room, a steaming cup of tea in her hands.

"Here, drink this, my dear," she soothes, handing me the fragrant brew before settling herself in the chair beside me. Her warm eyes take in my disheveled state, lips pursing in a concerned moue. "That dreadful woman has put you through the wringer once again, I see."

The gentle understanding in her tone is my undoing. I crumple forward with a hitching sob, cradling the teacup in a white-knuckled grip as hot tears spill down my cheeks anew. Fairy Godmother simply waits with infinite patience, letting meunleash the roiling tempest of heartache and fury that batters me from within.

"How did you even know I needed you here, Godmother?" I ask bluntly, swiping at the dampness on my cheeks.

Fairy Godmother lets out a dry chuckle, perching herself on the arm of my chair. "Please, Scarlet. I'm the one who trained you myself since you were a tiny thing. You really think I can't sense when my girl is in turmoil?"

I manage a watery laugh at that, comforted as always by her no-nonsense manner.

"So is there any way out of this fresh hell without having to marry Greystone?" I ask, unable to disguise the desperate longing in my voice. "Some angle you've got worked behind the scenes?"

She considers me shrewdly for a moment before shrugging. "You know I can't divulge everything I've got cooking, girl. Not until it's go time."

I huff out an exasperated sigh - of course she's playing a longer game here, as always. "Will your 'cooking' at least let me hang onto Father's legacy without being leashed to that lech?"

Fairy Godmother's expression turns deadly serious. "There's only one surefire way out, Scarlet," she states, locking eyes with me. “You need to win.”

***

I need to win. That sounds so simple and somehow like a guarantee when I am in Fairy Godmother’s presence, but as I walk back to the dorms that hopeful delusion dissipates and reality sets in. I’m still competing with many of the best of the best. Not to mention Rose who was also trained by Fairy Godmother. I can hold my own, but I also feel shackled by theparts of me I can’t reveal in the trials so as to not give away too much of myself.

Lost in my meandering thoughts, the muted crunch of gravel pulls my focus outward with a start. A sleek black carriage rolls to a halt beside me on the deserted path, its elaborately wrought door unlatching to reveal a dimly lit interior. My heart leaps into my throat, any number of sinister scenarios flitting through my mind before an unmistakable voice drifts out on a satiny baritone.

"A bit late to be wandering the grounds unescorted, my lady," comes King Remme's rich tones, laced with a thread of dark amusement. "One might be tempted to enact a few...creative forms of recompense for such brazen defiance of propriety."

I almost laugh. My lady? No one has ever called me that. Also, is he flirting? The curtains part further, revealing the king himself lounging amidst the plush seat cushions. He cocks one dark brow in an imperious arch, wine-hued lips quirking in a devastating smirk.

"Need I remind you this kingdom strictly prohibits banditry and assaults on nobility?" I manage to retort through my breathless stupor. "Unless you are confessing a penchant for disregarding your own laws?"

A rich chuckle spills from his lips, the sound caressing me with indecent intimacy. "For a woman of your spirit and fire? I may be sorely tempted to make an exception," he purrs, crimson eyes glinting with wicked promise in the dim carriage light. "But tonight I come in peace - merely offering an escort to ensure your safe return before the castle's more...delicate inhabitants take to the halls."

My mouth curves before I can temper the response. "And just why should I trust the word of an admitted criminal?" I rejoin lightly, the thrill of our playful repartee dancing throughmy veins. "You could be luring me into some nefarious scheme under the guise of nobility."

"Perish the thought," King Remme gasps in feigned horror, pressing one hand dramatically to his chest. Then his expression sobers infinitesimally, that intense, brooding edge seeping back into his gaze. "Though I would sorely grieve any circumstance that robbed me of your intoxicating presence before I had a chance to...appreciate it more fully."

Heat blazes across my cheeks at the blatant implication, my breath catching in my throat. I can only gape at him, mind whirling at the dizzying path our flirtation has taken. After what feels an eternity suspended in that smoldering look, he quirks one brow in wordless invitation, lips curving in a slow, sensual smile.

Is it really sensual or am I just reading into this? Why exactly am I responding like this to him? We’ve only had one intimate moment before this. Most of our interactions he didn’t even know it was me.

With a shaky inhale, I step into the carriage, conscious of King Remme's heated regard tracking my every movement. As the plush cushions dip under my weight, our eyes meet and hold in another soul-searing look - a world of unspoken promises and illicit, delicious temptation.

The carriage lurches forward with a subtle creak before Remme finally breaks the weighted silence. "So tell me, Lady Scarlet - what deep philosophical musing occupies your mind on this fine spring eve?" he rumbles in that rich timbre. "Family woes? Court intrigues? Or perhaps...more intimate considerations?"

His gaze drops briefly to my mouth before flicking back up, weighted with unmistakable hunger.Does he know? Why would he be looking at my lips if he didn’t? He doesn’t appear to be drunk. Is he putting on an act to merely probe?

"I...find my thoughts lately turn to the subjects of choice and consequence," I manage at last, inwardly cursing the tremor in my voice. "The ever-tightening bonds of expectation, and the escalating price we pay for resisting them."

His expression turns contemplative. "You speak of rebellion against convention - casting off the shackles we so obediently adorn," he muses, something like approval tingeing his tone. "No small risk for one of your standing, Lady Marheart."

For someone of my standing? He he really just say that?

I hold his weighted stare, a reckless frankness taking hold. "One I've already paid steep coin for on more than one occasion, I fear," I counter. "And yet the allure of breaking those restraints only grows more intoxicating with each passing day."

Why am I having fun with this? I shouldn’t be. I need to stay far away so he doesn’t discover who I am. But yet, my gaze lingers on King Remme's lips, memories of our searing kiss at the masquerade ball flooding back vividly.

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