“Wait a second, you’re the one everyone’s been talking about?” Pia asked, catching a glimpse of my gemstones glistening in the mirror.
“Um, I guess?” King Hawthorne said he hadn’t announced my gift to the kingdom yet, but I had disregarded that people may have discovered it for themselves at the Jewel-Light ceremony.
“You are!” Pia put a finger out to feel the jewels on my cheek bone. She was awfully touchy for someone I just met—as everyone in this castle was it seemed—but I didn't shoo her away.
She gaped at my cheek. “I overheard a second yearstudent say that one of the newly gifted had been blessed by Blythe, but I thought it was a joke.”
“Really? You're in the royal family. I would have assumed you’d be kept in the loop,” I said, her words taking me by surprise.
Pia scoffed. “They don't tell me anything, but I like it better that way, anyways.”
“Well yeah…It's me,” I confirmed her suspicion. “But if it’s all the same to you, would you mind keeping it quiet until the king decides that ithasto be everyone’s business? I’m content knowing that it’s still somewhat a secret.” I hated being the center of attention, and dreaded the moment that the king decided to announce my gift to the kingdom. “I just would like to pretend that I’m a normal first year for at least a little while longer,” I continued.
Pia nodded in acknowledgment and moved her hands back to her hair, adjusting it in the mirror before we both reentered the living space. It was then that I noticed the amethyst burrowed into her hand.
“You’re a healer?” I asked in an attempt to change the subject. Before she could respond, a deep, male voice filled the room.
“Pia, what are you doing here?”
I turned to see Sebastian standing with one hip relaxed against the doorframe—he seemed to have a thing for lounging against entryways.
His attire was mostly black, aside from buttons built of diamond that ran up the center of his shirt and also held together the cuffs at his wrists. His slacks were fitted around his thighs, accentuating the muscles of his legs. His outfit was finished by a pair of shining boots, tied mid-calf with silver laces. He looked dashing, and heat flooded my cheeks at the sight of him in his formalwear.
His eyes roamed me for the briefest of seconds, lookingaway when Pia waltzed over to him. “How do I look?” She smiled before doing a twirl and a curtsy.
He grinned and dipped his chest in a bow. “You look lovely.” His expression turned back to all seriousness. “Now, what are you doing here?”
Pia frowned. “Maeve was just helping me with my gown. Why does it—” Her mouth fell open in an epiphany. “Ohhhh,” she glanced between Sebastian and me, “Maeve is who Uncle Aldous instructed you to guard?”
Sebastian nodded, still avoiding me as if I wasn't even in the room, which Pia noticed.
She scrunched her nose at him. “Would it kill you to be friendly? You come off as such a jerk.”
I couldn't help but snort out a laugh. At least she recognized who she was related to.
Sebastian shot me a look of warning, which I disregarded as Pia turned to me. “Well thanks for your help, Maeve. I’ll find you at the gala! Sorry you're stuck with him.” She angled a thumb at her cousin and flashed me a smile before leaving.
I watched her go, then turned my back to Sebastian in hopes that he would go, too. He must have gotten the hint, because I heard the click of my door as it latched closed.
I moved for my window, one hand grasping the sill while I used the other to brush a curtain to the side. The colors of dusk crept into the room, painting the walls orange. The moon was a sliver of white in the sky, and a few stray stars twinkled around it in preparation for their time to shine.
I sighed, releasing a breath of anxiety about what Pia had said. I knew that it was only a matter of time before I was the hot gossip of the castle, but the confirmation that I already was didn't sit well with me. I hadn't been overly nervous for the gala, but I was now.
A throat cleared behind me.
My body tensed as I spun around, pressing my back to thewindow. Sebastian was standing against my door with his hands stuffed into his pockets.
I rolled my eyes at him. “I thought you left.”
“No.”
“Well I wish you had.”
He scowled, but inched forward. “I’m here to escort you to the gala. Are you ready?”
“No.”
“Too bad. You have thirty seconds.”
