Page 29 of The Court of Secrets
She took it from the bag, and I gasped. The heavily shimmering fabric billowed out. The pale-gold gown was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. The bodice was heavily beaded and crisscrossed into a deep V-neck. There were no sleeves or belt. “He wanted you to have this,” she said as I examined the gown. She handed me a tiara, and my stomach sank. It was the tiara I had worn at our wedding. What game was he playing?
“Uh, thanks.” I examined the glittering beaded wires and their upward curl, and I sighed. I placed it on my dresser. “Thanks, Amara, for bringing these.” I paused, staring at the woven white-and-silver tiara. “I have several meetings now, but I will see you at the banquet this evening.”
“Absolutely you will. Blaise also wanted me to tell you that dress if for you to wear when he arrives.”
My cheeks heated. “Thank you.”
She curtseyed, then left me alone. Once she was gone, I sank onto the bed. I hated how he made me feel, even when he wasn’t here. Why the tiara? What was he trying to say? Then not even leaving a note. Oh, how he infuriated me so.
I got up and hid the crown in a drawer, as if it were a dirty secret.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The room had been transformed. Red draping covered the walls, transforming the area into a world enveloped in silk. Silver tulle hung from the now-black ceiling and wrapped around beams, spelled to twinkle as if they had trapped a thousand stars.
I held my staff close to my chest as I walked inside the banquet room. Silver platters of the most glorious cakes, tarts, cream puffs, pastry rolls stuffed with meats, crackers with pâtés and cheeses, and so much more covered the long tables along the length of the far wall. The smell of lilies powdered the air, mixed with the aroma of baked crusts, bread, and berries.
My dark dress turned heads. It ran down my body in waves of ruffles, and I loved the way it danced around me as I stepped. Ladies and men whispered to each other, turning their heads as I passed, at an attempt of inconspicuousness. I grabbed a glass of water and gulped it down to coat my parched tongue.
“Queen Winter Mortis of Magaelor,” Vahaga announced loudly, his eyes fixed on mine, and everyone clapped.
I curtseyed, uncertain if I had to make a speech or not. I hadn’t been prepared on what to do at my own banquet. I was sure it had been done on purpose. They wanted me to fail. All of them.
I spotted Ada telling a few maids to place glass domes over exposed cakes on a nearby table. Small crowds swelled. Against my better judgment, I cleared my throat and projected my voice as I had been taught since a young age. “It is a privilege to be your queen.” I looked around, then saw my mother by Vahaga. My gaze landed on her before I looked away. “I’m honored to have this banquet in my name.”
I saw it in their eyes, the soldiers, guards… men and women who had fought. They looked tired. Many still wore scars from the battle.
The lords said there wouldn’t be a memorial yet, not until after the coronation, and even then, I wasn’t sure they planned to go through with it. I got the impression most of them thought it a waste of coin. Regardless, words spoken couldn’t be taken back. I decided to deal with the backlash tomorrow. “The main event, however, will be the memorial I will be holding for all our fallen. We must honor them. I know without the bravery of the Magaelorean people, I would not be here today, wearing this crown. I am indebted to each of you, and in return, I promise to serve the kingdom with the honor, integrity, and courage each of you has shown.”
Vahaga paled. Mostly everyone in the room lifted their drinks, toasting my speech. Their frowns loosened and were replaced with smiles. Vahaga and my mother, however, did not.
After various people who had come to meet me had left, I was finally able to mingle with those who had been waiting for me, Cedric being one. Pride swallowed his features. He beamed, then took me in his arms. We almost forgot ourselves, but we pulled apart.
“That was a wonderful speech.”
“I have my people on my side.” I couldn’t help but beam. I felt powerful, more than ever.
“Vahaga is seeing you’re a force to be reckoned with. They all are.” Cedric tilted his head in their direction. Vahaga was watching me with predatorial eyes. If anything, he looked more dangerous.
“Your Majesty,” Daric said as he walked up beside me.
“Ambassador Daric.”
“I have a letter for you.” He handed it to me. I turned it over. A blue seal with the Lazarus crest.
“Thank you, Daric.”
He bowed his head, then walked backward.
Cedric arched an eyebrow. “Blaise?”
I licked my dry lips. I prayed it had nothing to do with the tiara and dress. The changes in his affections were giving me a headache. Unless… It was about the Objects of Kai. I had promised him I would unite them and break his curse. It was the same promise I’d made the mer king, who’d given me one year before he started sinking ships. Cedric had reminded me of it twice. He was more committed to the task than I was, and it was me who had the most to lose. A lot had slipped my mind with the pressures being queen came with. There was the necromancer, Morgana, and what my brother had said. I still had a long time before the mer king would make good on his promise, so it didn’t overshadow more immediate threats in my life.
“Are you okay?” Cedric asked.
I must have spaced out again. Dissociating kept me from having panic attacks, a luxury I could no longer afford as the leader of a kingdom. I had to show strength, and breaking down at my own banquet would be the worst thing that could happen.
My gaze trailed over his scrawled handwriting. For once, I was appreciative of his terrible penmanship, for it meant very few could interpret it. It was a skill, one I had mastered. “It’s a peace treaty.”
