My father’s frown grew so deep that grooves appeared in his forehead. “I don’t know, and I can’t even venture a partially intelligent guess, but the Council suspects those creatures either would have taken you or bitten you, but that’s only a theory.”
A memory hit me, of the way thethingoutside of Inisville had seemed to grow excited when I’d appeared in the Wood after following Kole. It was as though it’d wanted me to get closer to it.
I turned entirely rigid.Gods and Goddesses.The Council and my father were right.
My mother shifted closer to me, and her skirt rustled. “Enough of that. Please.” Her voice shook. “You will always be guarded now, and when you leave the palace walls, Kole or another Imperial Warrior will always be with you. Nothing will hurt you.”
I couldn’t tell if my mother was saying that to reassure herself or me, but it became more real to me what was occurring. I truly was in danger.
I folded my hands together in my lap. “But despite all of that, I’m not to stay confined to my chambers?”
“At the moment, no,” my father replied. “We have no wish to cage you. You’re our daughter. You’re a princess of Mistvale. You’re not a criminal who must be locked up. But like yourmother said, Kole or another Imperial Warrior must stay with you at all times. You’re not to leave or go anywhere without them. Understood?”
I nodded quickly, so relieved to hear that they weren’t going to banish me to the wilds or confine me in my chambers, and I also realized having a warrior guard me day and night was a smart decision. Even though my magic was strong, and I was more than capable of defending myself, if I was unaware of a threat, I would be easy pickings to someone who snuck up on me.
“Speaking of your new life in your royal role,” my father added, drawing my attention back to him. “We plan to officially announce your return to the kingdom, and consequently, we’ll be moving you into your permanent wing. It’s adjacent to your sisters and will be yours for as long as you live in the palace.”
My eyebrows rose. “You mean, the chambers I was placed in aren’t where I’ll stay?”
“Oh no,” my mother replied. “Those are guest chambers. We’d only placed you there temporarily until you learned your true identity.”
My heart began to race again. “Do Koraline and Lillith know I’ll be moved closer to them?”
The king shook his head. “No, but they’ll learn soon enough. We’ve instructed the servants to move you first thing in the morning.”
“Okay.” My forehead furrowed. “Other than that, is there anything else happening in my new royal role that I need to be aware of?”
“Actually, there is!” My mother clapped her hands. “I nearly forgot. You have your first dress fitting tomorrow morning at ten. The tailor will be bringing several gowns for you to choose from to ensure they’re properly fitted.”
“I need new gowns?” I cocked my head. “But the wardrobe in my current chambers has clothes in my size that Betsee’s been dressing me in.”
“That’s only a small portion of the garments that you’ll need, and you’ll need a proper gown for this weekend. We’ll be officially announcing your return to the royal family at your introductory ball, and then you’ll need another gown for your sister’s ball in a few weeks’ time. Koraline’s reached a hundred summers and will be betrothed that night. There’s much celebration to come.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Koraline’s to be engaged?”
“Indeed. Surely, you’ve heard about it?” My mother frowned.
I shook my head, but it suddenly struck me that when Koraline had been speaking of a ball, she’d called ithers, but prior to today, I’d never heard of it, but that was likely because I never read the royal section in theWhiteolf Tribune.
Feigning forgetfulness, I replied, “Of course, now that you mention it, I did hear of it. I’m sorry. I didn’t usually spend much time following the royal’s column in theWhiteolf Tribunebefore in my—” I cut myself off. I’d been about to sayin my normal life, but I wasn’t sure how that would come across, so instead, I just dipped my head. “Of course.”
“We’re so happy that you’ll be by our sides when it occurs.” A smile bloomed across my mother’s face again, and a hint of happiness returned to her. “Koraline will be officially engaged to Lordling Neb Deerwood, heir to House Deerwood. They’ve been courting for the past full season and are an excellent match.”
I drew my eyebrows together and wished I’d paid more attention to the royal gossip column after all. “Was it a match she chose, or is that something you and Roosep...I mean, Russem wanted?”
“Russem?” The king chuckled. “Now, now, Primelle,Fatherwill do. But to answer your question, we did choose severalsuitable males for Koraline’s union, but she ultimately made the decision.”
I bobbed my head. “I see. And will it be the same for me?”
After all, siltenite law required that royals be married to whomever their parents considered worthy matches.
My mother’s smile gentled. “Of course it will, but that’s still a long way off for you, Prim. You won’t reach a hundred summers for many full seasons yet. However, it doesn’t hurt to begin introducing you to matches now. That gives you plenty of time to truly get to know potential suitors and will help us narrow down the list when that day arrives.”
My heart began to pound in earnest. “I see, so an arranged marriageisin my future.”
My parents shared a veiled look, and my father replied, “As long as you choose someone suitable, there’s no reason your mother or I have to be directly involved in your choice at all. And like she said, now is the perfect time to start meeting potential matches.”
I forced a smile and nodded again. It was all I could manage, because while they were right, any kind of marriage was still far in the future for me, it’d never been something I’d worried about before.
