I swallowed uneasily. “Is that right?”
Betsee nodded vigorously. “Indeed, especially Lordling Messepire. His magic is terrifying. I hope you never have to experience it.”
“She won’t.” Kole’s brow furrowed, his emotion leaking through his usual mask. “I’ll ensure that.”
Betsee dipped her head, but when I looked at Kole for an explanation, he merely said, so quietly I knew that only I could hear, “Don’t worry. You’re too strong for him, Prim. You’re too strong for any of them to get past your defenses. None of them can penetrate your Shield as long as you keep it in place.”
I nodded and took some comfort in that, because Kole was right. I was stronger than all of those males combined, but that was only if I had my wits about me. If I let my Shield fall or fell asleep without a ward activated around me, which automatically put a fairy in a vulnerable state, then I would be as helpless as a newborn babe.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Betsee showed me to my new royal wing, and I was speechless by the wealth and decadence. My private suite held a huge bedroom chambers, two separate sitting areas, a lounge area with a bar and a small dining room, an enormous closet, a small library, a bathing chambers that had a tub big enough to fit at least four fae, and my own private courtyard. Everything was beautiful, ornate, and made with the best fabrics and richest brocades. It was elegance at its finest.
And I felt entirely out of place.
The gown fitting didn’t help matters. It ended up being long and tedious, and I found myself daydreaming of the Nelive seashore with its brilliant night sky.
Throughout the fitting, Kole stood watch, his aura perpetually strumming around him while the tailor had me turn every which way.
Normally, I’d never minded gowns and sometimes enjoyed wearing them, but the tailor was insistent that I try on at least twelve and then demanded that I take them all in case I changed my mind as to which one I preferred wearing on the nights of my ball and Koraline’s.
He also said over three dozen day dresses would be crafted for me, along with riding breeches, casual loungewear, underthings, and so forth. I tried to contain my surprise, but I had a feeling the huge closet would soon be stuffed with more clothes than I knew what to do with.
Hours passed before the fitting was completed, and then I was immediately whisked off to the lunch meal with my parents.
And as my parents and I dined over tenderustorill, grilled fish, roasted hen, and herbed salad, they encouraged me to learn who all of the House leaders and their families were since my introductory ball was only a few nights away.
A part of me wanted to ask Koraline and Lillith if they had any interest in helping me learn the Houses, but they were still gone, too caught up with their friend, Tinelle, to have returned in time for lunch, and I hadn’t seen them since our disastrous introduction to one another the evening prior.
So after the meal finished, Kole walked with me back to my new wing, and I spent the afternoon settling into my new chambers. I connected with Ree again too, but she was working, so our catch-up was brief, but I filled her in on the latest of what’d happened, including being moved into my new wing along with the nobles I’d met. After our quick conversation ended, I began to learn the House lists.
But after studying them for an hour, I finally gave up. My mind wouldn’t calm, and I had the overwhelming need to move. I was feeling restless and cooped up, so in the mid-afternoon, I asked Betsee if she’d been able to find a palace map yet.
“Oh, yes, my lady. I actually got one for you while you were at lunch.” She handed over the map, and a brief moment of joy hit me at seeing all of the intricate hallways and corridors. In a way, it looked like a puzzle, and it required me to learn where everything went and led to, and I truly adored puzzles.
“Do you mind?” I asked Kole as I gestured to the map. “I’d love to learn my way around.”
He dipped his head. “I’ll follow you.”
Kole wasthe perfect companion as I spent the rest of the afternoon and a good part of the evening wandering around the palace. He didn’t complain once, even though we walked for hours. And he never seemed to mind when I got distracted in a room or found an area I wanted to study further.
With the map, I was able to travel where I wanted without getting lost, and one thing became apparent to me—the palace was like a living city within itself.
There were so many rooms. So many corridors. So many alcoves and stairways. Magic covered many of the areas too, wards in place to prevent servants or non-royals from passing through, but it didn’t seem any of those wards applied to me. Everywhere I wanted to roam, I was allowed.
But when I reached the palace wing used for services, and I discovered the workshop my uncle could normally be found in as he created his palace inventions, a lump formed in my throat.
Kole stood behind me as I gazed into the messy room. My uncle’s scent could still be detected among his pile of gadgets and supplies, even though it’d been weeks since he’d last worked in the palace.
I laughed lightly as I surveyed the mess. “Somehow, he always manages to make sense of his chaos.” I pointed to an apparatus that was long and thin near the wall. “I remember when he first invented that.”
“What is it?” Kole asked.
“A projector. The royals use it at large outdoor events when they want something broadcast into the sky.” I smiled, remembering when my uncle had first started working on it. “Timith created the first prototype when we were still living in the Clawfur Mountains. I’d been so curious about it that I often spent my afternoons in his shop, watching him construct it. And when he created the first lens, it was so colorful that I couldn’t help but touch it. But I’d been young and rather clumsy then, so I dropped it and broke the lens into a dozen pieces.” I pointed to the apparatus again. “You can see the lens there, fixed to it at the end. But anyway, even though I thought I would be in trouble for breaking it, all Timith did was pull me onto his lap and dab my tears away. Then he explained to me how the sunlight or moonlight activates the projector’s magic.” My throat grew thick as I continued. “He picked up one of the broken shards, held it up to the light, and let me see how its magic created a projection. And even though he’d spent weeks creating that first lens, he never once got angry with me for breaking it. Never yelled at me. Not once.”
I took a deep breath, but my chest felt tight. “He was always like that. Gentle. Kind. Patient. He never raised his voice to me in anger. Not in all the seasons I was growing.”
“He’s a good male,” Kole said quietly from beside me. “I could sense that in him the other day, after you saved him with the Stone.”
