“There’s more than one hallway in the castle,” he pointed out with a wicked grin.
I rolled my eyes.Obviously.
In an attempt to pass, I stepped to the side of him, but he grabbed my shoulders and stopped me. His hands were large enough to cup the entirety of my joints. His hold on me was firm, preventing me from moving forward.
My brows furrowed as I bent my neck to look at the smugness on his face. My eyes traveled through his, wandering in the shades of blue that swirled in response to the lanterns that illuminated the corridor. He had literal cosmos circulating within his irises, and they were the most captivating eyes I had ever seen.
I snapped out of my admiration for this man and reminded myself of why I had tried to get away from him in the first place. If the king was his father, then the man before me was likely just as corrupt.
Lowering my brows, I snarled, “Let me go.”
“Sorry. No can do.”
I wiggled my shoulders, trying to get out of his hold. “I don't need you to take care of me,” I hissed.
Sebastian tightened his grip. “Good. Because that's not my job. I’m not your house maiden, I just have to keep you alive.”
“Let go!” I yelled, not caring if any bystanders heard me.
He didn't budge.
I pursed my lips at him and my eyes started to burn with the sting of salt. “Please,” I begged, with no luck.
“I will let you go when you stop fussing. You’re causing a scene,” Sebastian growled under his breath, his eyes darting around the corridor.
“I don’t care.”
His grip tightened even more.
The odds were not in my favor, but I dared to ask anyway, hoping the gleam in my eyes and the cracking of my voice would be enough to convince him. “Can Ipleasejust have this one afternoon alone before my every waking move is monitored by you?”
Sebastian stared at me, pondering my request. His gaze seemed to soften, and after a few moments, his hands went slack, falling from my shoulders. He nodded slowly. “Fine. But you are to go directly to your room and stay there. I’ll have lunch delivered to you.” He stepped to the side, giving me room to pass, and I didn't hesitate.
I sauntered the rest of the way to the main entrance, and when I looked back, he was gone.
Chapter
Seven
My wakeup call the following morning was from a slender, older woman who made quite the ruckus as she rummaged through my wardrobe. She scurried around my dorm, hanging gown after gown on the rod at the top of my wardrobe. I sat up in my bed and marveled at the way the skirts gathered on the bottom of the chest, pooling into puddles of glitter and silk.
King Hawthorne had said that someone would come to deliver me dresses, but I wasn't expecting their arrival so early into the day. I also had no idea how she got into my room, but I elected to not question it.
Once all of the gowns were hung, she gestured for me to rise with a snap of her measuring tape. My body cracked as I stood and stretched my arms above my head, giving her access. She wrapped the measuring tape tightly around my waist while informing me to browse through the gowns and select one for the gala. She would be back in a few hours to tailor it, and said that she would have the others altered by the end of the week for future events. She let herself out once she was satisfied with her measurements, and I scurried to see what she had left inside of my wardrobe.
Upon opening the doors, I was met by a spectrum of color and a medley of fabric. Corsets of silk constructed a rainbow in my room, shimmering from the sunlight that danced through the window. Chiffon skirts glazed with ribbons and lace filled the dresser, some simple and some covered in intricate designs.
One dress caught my attention almost instantly. I pulled the form-fitting gown off the hanger and laid it flat on my bed. The fabric was an ivory satin scattered with thousands of tiny crystals, their colors ranging from the palest of purples to the deepest shades of blue. The bodice was translucent apart from the bosom area and the boning that stiffened the corset. The gown was completed by a set of thin, beaded straps attached to a sweetheart neckline. I didn’t even bother looking at the other gowns. The colors and luster of this one reminded me of the stones that garnished my face. Though I may not have been happy about my gemstones, I had no choice except to embrace them.
I left the gown out for when the seamstress returned, then got dressed for my day. It was then that I realized I had absolutely no idea what I was even supposed to be doing. I had missed the new student debrief while I was meeting with the king. Classes did not begin for another few days—I knew that much. But I failed to ask anyone what was expected of me in the meantime.
I sat on the edge of my bed, contemplating my next course of action. If I left the bounds of my room, there would be a soldier waiting for me and I wasn't sure if I was ready to have my every move watched. But then my stomach gurgled, reminding me of a more dire matter.
I was fucking starving.
I didn't eat the lunch Sebastian had delivered for me yesterday and hardly picked at my dinner, either. I haven't had much of an appetite since Jewel-Light. Not to mention that Ihad thrown up again last night when I tried to eat—King Hawthorne’s orders made me physically sick.
My stomach tumbled again, accompanied by an audible growl. I needed to get some sustenance in me if I wanted to stay standing, so finding something to eat was the first task on my list.
