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“Are you not pleased?” Synder challenged. Was this a test? I willed my face into neutrality.
“No, thank you. That is very kind of you,” I said placidly. I wanted to scream.
“Has anyone ever told you about my abilities, Miss Rumor?” Synder asked, taking me by surprise. I read in my packet his title and standing, but I couldn’t recall his abilities. Most members of the High Council liked to keep the full extent of their abilities a secret.
“No, I’m not aware of them.”
“As you probably know, there are many variations of mind control. It’s not only limited to compulsion.” I nodded my head, waiting for him to continue, not daring to breathe.
“Well, I was gifted with being able to determine whenever someone is telling the truth and when someone is lying.” I swallowed the lump back in my throat. Images flashed through my mind of him at my evaluation. Did I say anything that wasn’t truthful that day? The day was a blur and I couldn’t remember, but an uneasy feeling swept over me. Did he have a hunch about me? About the side of me that was Lux?
“That is a very useful ability,” I remarked carefully. Kole smirked despite his bowed head.
“Indeed, it is.” Synder’s smile turned mischievous. “Kole will be your guard throughout the night. And this is Abherham. He will be your guard during the day.”
I turned my attention away from Synder to meet Abherham’s gaze. He seemed older, not in his appearance, since every Advenian looked young, but in his demeanor, in how he presented himself.
His brown hair was kept short, his skin a rich chestnut. He wasn’t as tall as Kole’s looming figure, but stood straight, proud, silent. His facial features were fixed as he gave me a subtle nod.
Synder turned my attention toward the third male standing before me, “This is Alexander. He will be your substitute guard.”
Alexander gave me a grim smile. “I hope you won’t be seeing much of me, Princess, but it is nice to make your acquaintance.”
I cringed as I remembered what Synder had told me during the banquet. Alexander would only be filling in if one of my main guards became injured on the job.
As much as I wouldn’t mind that happening to Kole, I said, “I hope that you don’t need to step in. It is nice to meet you all.”
Synder clasped his hands together. “Well, now that you all know each other, Abherham will take Miss Rumor to her lessons. Kole will take over at night.”
I caught a glance of Kole before Abherham guided me toward wherever my lessons would be. My stomach turned in on itself at the smug, brooding grin. I bit the inside of my cheek. I wanted to punch that grin off of Kole’s face. How was I going to be able to sleep when Kole would be guarding me throughout the night?
The only goodthing about my new schedule was that it kept me distracted. Despite how dreadful the lessons were, they kept me engrossed. I didn’t have time to think about Sie or our kiss. I didn’t have time to worry about Kole spending every night with me. About how I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep again.
The first half of the day was slow, painfully slow. I was almost thankful I had never looked at my schedule beforehand because I would have dreaded it. Abherham remained by my side the entire time. He never spoke to me but would offer an occasional smile or nod as he directed me through the halls in between lessons. My only break was a prolonged lunch spent with females of the high rank. I was surprised to see the current Queen among them. Although she kept too busy with a handful of people to even notice me. I assumed they were wives of the High Council. Reagan was among the group, but she too avoided me. I didn’t know what I dreaded more—the classes or the forced gossip.
The lessons were a mixture of general knowledge and etiquette. My entire morning was spent relearning the ranking system and how each rank was categorized. I stared at the paper before me for hours until my eyes hurt.
Rank 0:No abilities, no magical reserve
Rank 1:One common ability, small magical reserve
Rank 2:One strong ability, small magical reserve; or one common ability, large magical reserve
Rank 3:Two common abilities, large magical reserve
Rank 4:Two strong abilities, large magical reserve
Rank 5:Two or more strong abilities with one ability being considered rare, large magical reserve
My classesafter lunch were worse—etiquette training. Lady Applebee was overseeing my studies. She was a scarier, younger version of Professor Gibs, but without the hunchback and an even stricter sneer.
By the end of her lessons, I had bruises already developing across my breasts and arms. She had smacked me across the chest with a book every time my posture drifted into my normal slouched stance. I’d never been insulted so many times within a few hours as she grumbled under her breath that I sat like a male or walked like a penguin. She’d grumbled that the task of making me a lady was impossible too many times to count.
I was rubbing my chest when Abherham spoke for the first time. “You have one more lesson, milady.”
I groaned. This was a new sort of nightmare. If I had to sit through one more class, I was going to lose it. I struggled with remaining calm during my normal classes back in LakeWood, but this was worse, so much worse.
“What more could they possibly want me to learn in one day?” I mumbled under my breath, unable to keep my composure. All I wanted was to curl up in my bed, fall asleep, and not have to talk to anyone. Except that wouldn’t happen, not with Kole as my night guard.
