Page 37 of Legacy of Glass
Knowing Daphne wasn’t in her home kingdom anyway was the one reason Olivia had been willing to write and ask her to come. Daphne would suffer no more in Sovar than she already did in Glandore.
The last time they had spoken, Prince Julius had reminded Olivia that he had a whole team of scholars on his side. He had a whole palace—a whole kingdom—behind him. But Olivia was alone at court.
But that didn’t mean she was truly alone. Aunt Helen had reminded her that her family, at least, would be on her side, and the family member Olivia most wanted in the palace with her was Daphne. Daphne would be far better equipped to handle the environment than Nell or Hattie, and she had the added advantage of not being a subject of Olivia’s husband-to-be. Daphne, alone, had little to lose if she angered the royal family. If it came to it, she could simply return home to Oakden, as she had always planned to do once she reached adulthood.
Olivia shook herself. She trusted Daphne would eventually arrive, but for now, she had no companion for a morning outing. And she should be doing something more productive with her time off, anyway. Her aunt had sent Olivia’s clothing and other belongings to the palace, but when packing up her room, she had missed Olivia’s most prized possession.
Olivia couldn’t blame her for doing so since Olivia had kept its existence a secret and even hidden it within her room. But she was eager to visit her old home to retrieve it—especially since the item might prove to be an excellent assistance in her new role.
If she didn’t go that morning, she didn’t know when she’d have another opportunity. And she needed to collect Mildred as well. Given the mouse’s new size, Olivia feared that every day she wasn’t under Olivia’s protection put her at risk.
Olivia unlatched the external door in her sitting room before retreating to her bedchamber to dress for the day. Her new wardrobe from the queen hadn’t been delivered yet, but her aunt had included some of Nell’s nicer gowns along with Olivia’s practical dresses, and after some hesitation, she chose one of those. While her planned activities didn’t include mingling with the court, she couldn’t be sure who she might run into. After all her hard work of the last two days, she didn’t want to disgrace the queen the first time she was left to her own devices.
After struggling into the chosen gown without assistance, Olivia was pleased to find a breakfast tray had been delivered to the small table in her sitting room. Breakfast had arrived quickly on the previous morning as well, and she was half-convinced the servants had someone on watch to check when she unlatched her door.
She ate in the pleasant room, her amused glance dwelling on the single glass slipper displayed in a prominent position, protected by a glass dome. Apparently, that was why the prince had needed it that night after the ball. Anyone who entered her suite needed to be reminded of her role in the Legacy.
She had just polished off the last bite of the delicious repast, when the door to her sitting room swung open, making her start and spill her hot chocolate. She turned an annoyed frown on Prince Julius.
“Don’t you know how to knock?” She looked around for something to mop up the spilled drops of chocolate.
The prince—she really needed to think of him as Julius now they were formally betrothed—stepped forward, looking like he intended to take over the task, but she gestured for him to keep his distance, and he stopped. She wiped up the spill while he sighed, presumably with impatience.
“Have I come too early?” he asked. “You struck me as an early riser.”
She put down the cloth and stood to face him. “Early or late, you can still knock.”
He raised a brow. “It’s not as if I entered your bedchamber. This is a room meant for visiting, and I am your betrothed.”
“In name only,” she snapped, trying to control her rising indignation. None of the court would treat her with respect if her own betrothed did not.
He ran a hand through his hair. “How about we start again? I’m sorry for startling you. I’ll make sure to give you warning of my entrance next time.”
“Thank you,” she said stiffly. “But what are you doing here? Queen Elsinore said I had the day off.”
Surprise showed in his eyes, and something almost like hurt flashed across his features, quickly suppressed. Olivia frowned. What was she missing?
“Yes,” he said carefully, “she said you had the day free of lessons so that I can show you around the palace and introduce you to some of the younger members of court.”
Olivia’s horror must have shown in her eyes because he quickly added, “I don’t mean any formal functions, of course. It’s supposed to be a day off. Just an informal tour and a few introductions. They’re all dying to meet you, I’m sure.”
Olivia opened her mouth only to close it again. She didn’t think it would be a good idea to say any of the things running through her mind. And she was surprised to find that she didn’t want to cause that look of hurt to return to his face. What he was describing sounded more stressful than the difficult two days of lessons—but he clearly had no idea that was the case.
Had she misunderstood Queen Elsinore entirely? Olivia had thought she was being offered a break, but perhaps the queen had always intended the morning to be an initial test of her lessons. If so, Olivia had promised to devote herself to her studies, and she didn’t want to make trouble over something that had to happen eventually.
She sighed. “I suppose I’ll have to find another time for my own plans, then.”
Julian’s brows drew together. “Your own plans?”
“Yes,” Olivia said tartly. “I do have those, you know. I had a whole life before I made the terrible mistake of wearing glass slippers to your ball.”
She bit down on her tongue, annoyed at herself. She had resolved to keep her irritation to herself and had immediately failed. She was going to have to show better control if she wanted to survive at court.
“I had intended to visit my aunt’s home and collect a few of my items that were left behind,” she said in a politer tone.
Julius continued to gaze at her silently, so she didn’t attempt any further explanation. Instead, she crossed to a mirror to check her hair. Now that she knew about the actual plans for the day, she wished she’d rung for someone to help her put it up instead of doing a simple style herself.
“Don’t worry,” Julius said. “It looks nice.”
