Amaris opened the door and poked her head inside. She smiled when she spotted Lexi and pushed the door further open to enter. Draped over her arm, the striking blue dress she carried was the same shade as Cole’s eyes.
Lexi gaped at the thick, satin-looking material that shone in the sun spilling through the windows. “Is that forme?”
“Yes.”
Amaris’s smile lit her black eyes. Today, she’d pulled her thick black hair into a braid that dangled over her shoulder. The brown dress she wore was slitted to midthigh on both sides.
“Do you like it?” Amaris asked.
“It’s beautiful, but it’s… it’s… too much.”
“Of course it’s not,” Amaris scoffed. “It’s a dress fit for a queen.”
“I’m not a queen.”
“Not yet, but you will be.”
Lexi couldn’t argue with that. Cole hadn’t formally proposed, but he’d made his intentions clear.
Closing her mouth, Lexi stared at the dress as Amaris laid it across one of the chairs. When the sun’s rays lit on it, they turned it a more spectacular shade of blue.
“I’ll return to help you dress in a couple of hours,” Amaris said. “I have some plans for your hair that I think will be lovely. It’s such a pretty shade.”
Lexi couldn’t stop herself from touching her hair. “Thank you,” she murmured. “Are you all alone today?”
“Yes. The others are helping to prepare for the coronation and the celebration to follow. We all miss King Tove; he was loved by many, but a coronation is a time of celebration, and after the war and now King Tove, we could all use some celebrating. Many are excited to see Lord Colburn take the throne; he is also loved by many here.”
“Even though he’s only half dark fae?”
“He led our side to victory during the war. I’m sure you’ve heard of his reputation in battle?”
“I have.”
“The dark fae respect power and might, and Lord Colburn possesses both. If he survived the trials, he is stronger than the many other dark fae who failed before him, and his dark fae side must be the more dominant of the two. That is enough for most.”
Lexi wasn’t sure she would agree with the dark fae being the more dominant part of Cole, but she wasn’t going to say that. Amaris was already sayingmanyinstead ofallthe dark fae when she talked about Cole and the fae. Lexi didn’t need to give the woman gossip to spread that could turnmanyintosome.
“And what do they think of me?” she asked.
Amaris’s eyes darted away. “They don’t know much about you.”
But that’s not stopping them from talking about me.
Lexi didn’t ask her for more information. The topic clearly made her uncomfortable, and she doubted Amaris would reveal what the fae were saying about her.
“I was going to explore the palace for a bit; Cole said it would be okay,” Lexi said.
“If you’d like, I have some time and can join you for a bit.”
Lexi couldn’t stop herself from beaming at the offer. “I’d like that very much.”
Chapter Forty-Eight
Amaris stayedwith Lexi as she made her way lower through the palace. She opened doors and peered into countless rooms. Many of them were bedrooms, and some were nurseries; there were dens, libraries, art studios, a couple of music rooms, and one trophy room that made her blood run cold before she shut the door.
And those were the doors that opened for her. There were more than a few that simply refused to budge. She stared curiously at those doors and pulled on the knob a little more than she should have before conceding defeat.
“Many of the rooms have never allowed us entrance,” Amaris said.
