Tonight was the first night I would dress up for a welcome ball and meet the king “officially.” I hadn’t heard from him since our date a few nights ago. I was hoping there wouldn’t be so many women there tonight that it would leave him no time to talk with me. All I’d thought about the past two days were of the sensation on my cheek when his fingers had trailed across it.
“Your dress has arrived!” Narine trilled from the entryway as an assistant to the seamstress walked in carrying the most beautiful emerald-green dress I’d ever seen. It glittered in the light, with a tight corset bust and a waist that looked like a bell.
It was fit for a queen.
I had made a compromise with Narine. During the big balls with all the other girls, I would wear dresses, but if it were a date or just me walking around the palace, I was in trousers.
“Holy Hades!” I gawked at the gown as the seamstress laid it on the couch and then bowed to me before leaving.
I turned to Narine. “You’ll get good money for this, right?”
She grinned. “I already have a buyer for twenty jade coins.”
Each day I was supplied with new clothing as if wearing the same thing twice was a crime. A few of the cotton day dresses I kept for my mother and Adaline. I liked my trousers and silk tunics. The seamstress had sewn me four pairs, and I wore them whenever appropriate to not be in a dress.
“I’ll be sure not to spill anything on it,” I promised her.
She looked at me then with a seriousness in her gaze. “I will never forget this kindness. At this rate, I’ll have my sister’s wedding paid off by next moon!”
I gave her a genuine smile. “Let’s try it on!”
I’d never been overly into fashion but I didn’t mind looking like a queen for a few hours. I was going to enjoy this time here at Jade City so that when I went back home I would have a lot of fun memories to go back with.
The thought of going home now, after my date with the king, made a pang of sadness creep into my heart.
“I’ve been practicing my braiding on Mida, another maid. I have this idea I want to try with your hair and some jade stones I was able to get from the royal jeweler.” She dug into her pocket and pulled out a pouch.
“Sounds fun! Do whatever,” I told her as she unzipped the back of the dress.
I slipped out of my clothes, now comfortable with Narine seeing me naked, as she had bathed me many times now. Narine had me raise my arms over my head, and then slipped the dress over my small frame. The inside was lined with silk, so the glittery fabric didn’t itch.
“Deep breath in,” Narine said.
I frowned. “Why?”
She pulled the string to the corset and suddenly my rib cage was squeezed. “Ahh.” I sucked in a deep breath to widen my chest and she loosened it a bit, laughing.
“You enjoyed that,” I sniped at her playfully.
“Just a little.”
After dressing me, she made me promise not to look in the mirror, and then brought me an old book to read while she went to work on my hair.
I was a slow reader, never had much opportunity to read full novels, but by the time she was done with my hair I’d read six chapters of a gripping fantasy about a wolf shifter and a shadow demon who fell in love.
“Who wrote this?” I asked, looking at the leather cover.
The letters J.E. were embossed in gold.
“She lives in town, a highborn,” Narine said, and then tapped my shoulders. “Ready to look?”
I set the book face-down so that I could pick back up where I left off, and nodded.
Stepping over to the mirror, I had to walk slowly so that I didn’t trip. When I faced myself, I startled for a second, not recognizing the woman before me.
“I’m so clean,” I exclaimed, never having seen my skin and fingernails and hair so spotless in all my life.
She laughed. “You’re more than that. You’re beautiful.”
I really took myself in, then gasped when I saw the lattice-like pattern she’d somehow managed with my hair. It was like a net had been braided over my ponytail and then small jewels glittered throughout.
“You’re an artist!” I exclaimed.
Narine blushed. “Hardly. I just like to be creative.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s what artists do.”
After applying some light makeup, we set off for the main ballroom, where our dinner was to be served.
Each and every girl I walked by complimented my hair, and every time Narine beamed with pride. Kendal wore a truly stunning red gown that complemented her hair, and we sat together and talked immediately. The girls had heard I’d had some sort of illness a few days ago but not what it was.
“Is your fever better?” asked Joslyn, the girl from Grim Hollow.
She and Kendal seemed to have formed a friendship. Tonight she wore a bright gold gown with black beading, which complemented her bronze skin tone and dark hair.
I smiled. “Yes, thank you.”
Murmurs rose up, and I peered at the front of the room to see that the king had entered. He looked devastatingly handsome in his black leather Royal Guard uniform. His eyes scanned the crowd eagerly, and then stopped on me.
My back went rigid as his pupils glowed yellow for a split second. Leaning over, he whispered something to Regina, who stood next to him, and she nodded and then left.
I swallowed hard, unsure if he’d said something about me or not. It certainly looked like he had.
“I’m sorry I’ve been absent the past few days.” His voice boomed throughout the room and everyone fell silent. “We had a skirmish at our border, which has now been taken care of and secured.”
The room made a collective sigh at that news and then he went on.
“As much as I would like to get to know each one of you personally and make my decision for a new wife based on compatibility…” He paused. “That will not achieve the outcome I desire, which is a healthy heir.”
Everyone went dead silent. His openness was not expected, at least not from me.
“I would like you all to enjoy your meal. We will be pulling you out in groups of five to test your magic. If you cannot produce enough dragon-folk magic to my physicians’ liking, you will be sent home early with payment as promised for the full month.”
The room erupted into shocked gasps and whispers. Kendal, Joslyn, and I traded a wary glance. The king was clearly in a hurry, and a lot of the girls were having fun playing dress-up, but it seemed that fun was over. I was torn about whether or not I wanted to manifest enough magic during my test to keep me here. He’d just said that I’d be getting the five hundred jade coins whether I stayed the full month or not. I’d give some to Narine to help with her sister’s wedding and I’d take the rest to my mother. But… did I want to be sent home? To never see him again? Or worse, watch him marry another? It might be better than the alternative. To manifest so much magic that he found out who I really was. A pure-blood that apparently had magic that could harm him. Wasn’t that what my mother had said?
After spending time with the king, I was certain now that he wouldn’t hurt me if he found out who I was.
Right?
