Page 111 of When the Wicked Sing
“Hold still,” Ophelia ordered as she secured the pearl and gold wire crown, then arranged her long, wavy hair before meeting Mariana’s shocked eyes.
“There.” Ophelia clapped her hands with pride. “Now you look like a queen.”
Mariana touched the small crown on her head, wondering why Ophelia would have given her one. “You didn’t have to do this.”
Ophelia waved her hand. “Nonsense, I wouldn’t let my friend walk out there wearing anything less than something spectacular.”
“Will she be angry that you helped me?” Mariana knew Ophelia understood who she meant, but the Seer only shrugged.
“Let me deal with that. You deserve that crown just as much as she does,” Ophelia said with a wink, then began adjusting the ruffles before noticing how quiet Mariana had become. Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she tilted her head. “What’s wrong?”
Mariana didn’t know how to explain it, but she felt like an imposter. She didn’t want to be queen, at least not right now. Her stomach tightened painfully as she stared at the crown pinned to her head. Her fingers began to fidget with the gown’s ruffles and pearls. So many pearls.
“Mariana?” Ophelia turned her around by her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“I, uh …” She struggled to find the right words, but there was only one person she wanted to speak to at that moment. And he wasn’t here. “I need to …”
Ophelia gave her a soft look as though she could read her mind. “Go to him. I’ll cover for youas long as you need.”
They shared a small smile, and Mariana gave her hand a grateful squeeze before turning to leave.
Ophelia murmured softly, “His heart is scarred beyond recognition, and yet it still beats strong and true. His soul may be shadowed, but that changed the moment he saw you.”
Chapter 61
Takingasteadybreath,Mariana walked down the ornate hallway, her heart skipping, her hands shaking. Anxiety was choking her, the weight of everything she had to do smothering her. She could barely breathe.
“Queen Mariana,” a flat male voice rang down the hallway. She turned to find a servant holding a silver tray in their hand with an envelope on top.
As he approached, he said, “Apologies for the abruptness, Your Majesty. I was instructed to deliver this to you immediately.” He held the tray out toward her, the envelope beckoning.
Mariana’s brows furrowed as she picked it up and opened it. “Who’s it from?”
She barely heard the name as she began to read. The words tightened her chest as they seemed to lift from the page, staining her vision. Squeezing her eyes shut, she crushed the letter in her hand.
Glancing up at the lanky male, she firmly asked, “Where is he?”
As soon as he told her, Mariana marched through the palace until she found the right door and began knocking furiously. The sound of her fist hitting the wood echoed down the empty, bland hall of the servants’ quarters.
A moment later, the door swung open. Mariana threw the crumpled paper ball at Dax, hitting him in the chest.
“You bastard!” She shoved him backward and slammed the door shut behind her. “How dare you! A goodbye letter? After everything we’ve been through!”
His shock dripped away into sadness as he stared at the crumpled parchment inked with heartache.
Dax sighed, his hands settling on his hips. “You don’t understand,” he whispered.
Mariana’s eyes filled with tears. “Then explain it to me. Explain to me why in that letter you told me that all you wanted was to belong to me, and yet at the end, all it said was goodbye.” When he didn’t say anything, she shook her head. “How could you do that to me?”
“We both know this can’t go on anymore. You’re a queen. After everything that’s happened—”
“Lies!” she shouted.
Dax shook his head. “I didn’t lie to you, Mari.”
“Then what is that?” she yelled, her voice cracking as she gestured toward the balled-up letter. She stepped toward him. “All this time, I thought what we had between us was special. You’re now telling me that all of it was for nothing?”
Finally, his eyes shot up to hers. “No,” he said firmly. “I’m telling you that you’re better off without me. Destruction isall I leave behind, and I have been fighting to keep that from happening to you.”
