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“It’s affirming to help our country,” Darla said in a noncommittal voice.
There was more after that, but luckily my best friend was able to guide the princess onto much more polite talk. At least until Seraphina turned to me while ignoring her stylist’s irritated huff.
“It’s just that ever since the incident with Tristan’s sister I… well, I can’t get the war and the military off my mind, and I don’t know why we don’t talk about it. Like ever. It seems so important.”
And there it was.
I inhaled and exhaled, and while the diplomatic part of me, the Healing Hermit who knew it was better to keep her mouth shut than to get embroiled in drama, wanted to keep quiet…in the end, I couldn’t.
“You don’t talk about it in the palace because your father has expressly forbidden it. His people are dying, and the borderlands are being terrorized by the mounting forces of Vekas. One of the reasons we came here was to try to get the king to realize exactly what’s going on and help out.”
“I…” The princess sat back in her chair. “I didn’t know that was a thing.”
“It is,” Darla muttered, looking hard at the stylists, like she was daring them to say something and tattle, or working some psychic mojo on them. As far as I knew, Darla couldn’t really compel people with her thoughts too often, but she was exceptionally good at suggestion. “Which, as you can imagine, is frustrating.”
“I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t my father want to end the war?”
“We don’t understand, either,” I said sharply, but then my patience was wearing thin. We were sitting around getting our hair and makeup done when we should be stopping Vekas. “People are dying. Your brother is trying as hard as he can to get your father to see reason, but it seems next to impossible.”
Seraphina let out a small hum. “Tensions have been present between my brother and father ever since I can remember. People say it’s normal for two alphas to butt heads from time to time, but I’ve always thought that… well, that it was more than just general knot head posturing.”
All the stylists gave Seraphina a sharp look while I chuckled. I never thought I’d hear such a crass term fall so nonchalantly from her lips, let alone about her family.
“Your father is afraid Kai will usurp him.”
“Does he want to?”
This time it was Darla and me that gave her a sharp look. I was most definitely surprised.
“Of course not,” the psychic said quickly, and I hoped she was projecting thoughts into Seraphina’s head to not chase that path any further while the stylists were around. “Prince Nikolai is loyal to Camdaria down to his bones. There isn’t a single person in this country who wants what’s best for all of us more than him.”
Seraphina didn’t say anything for a moment. I could only assume that Darla was rapidly relaying something to her, and I’d never been more grateful for my best friend’s abilities. I liked being able to control the forces of nature and steering people away from the borderline of death, but being able to read people’s minds and project thoughts certainly seemed pretty damn useful.
When the talk did eventually resume, it was on much safer topics. Especially when it came time for the tailor to sweep back in—minus his assistant, I noticed—and get us all into our elaborate dresses.
Although I’d seen them all before during our fitting, it was another thing entirely to see them on us, complete with ornate hair, makeup, and jewelry.
I saw Seraphina first, emerging from what I assumed was her bedroom dressed in a beautiful, peachy-colored dress that looked amazing against her darker, tanner skin. It was easy to see the family resemblance between her and her brother, that was for sure.
She wore an understated tiara atop her dark curls, which were arranged in an elegant updo, emphasizing how she was well past the chubby-cheeked softness of childhood and was well on her way to being a grown woman.
Goodness, Kai was going to tear up when he saw her. Not that I could blame him. I hadn’t known her for long, and I was feeling emotional at how she was glowing. She looked so confident and pleased with herself.
Was this what it felt like to be a big sister? If so, it was a pretty great sensation. If Kai and I broke my curse and were able to pursue the relationship we wanted, we’d be able to spend real quality time with Seraphina, and she’d come to see me as someone she could trust. Someone who had only her best interests at heart and was genuinely interested in her as a person, wolf or not.
“Oh, Ayla, have you seen yourself?” Seraphina gasped, her hands going to her face.
“No, I’m too busy looking at you,” I said, making a circular motion with my finger. It was improper to order a princess around, but it was so cute how an even wider grin broke out across her face as she did a twirl. “You’re gonna steal the show, I know it.”
“Compared to you two? I don’t think so.” She held out both of her hands—one for me and one for Darla—and we took them. “Come, come to my full standing mirror. You have to see the art our team has made of us.”
As she gripped our fingers and bounced back into the room, I had the belated thought that she’d never had such an opportunity before. Even when she was invited to such events, I imagined she’d only had Halle to share it with.
“There you go,” she said as she practically yanked us into what turned out to be a dressing room.
Goodness, I didn’t think I’d ever seen so many clothes in one place at one time, and she was the unfavored princess. What would the room look like if her family actually wanted to spoil her?
“Take a look at yourselves.”
