I froze, tilting my head with a grin, hand caught on a clasp. Paint streaked her golden strands. A smear of purple crossed her forehead, a bit of green speckled her nose, and a black smudge marred her ear.
“I was painting and lost track of time.” She laughed while Freya fussed over her garments.
“Do I need to fear the painting?” I asked, then offered Fallione a quick nod, dismissing him.
Her lips parted and a look of panic crossed her expression. “What?”
“It looks like you’ve battled with it.” I chuckled, checking her mantle for drips.
“It’s proving more difficult than I imagined.”
“I recall you retiring to the drawing room torelax.” I shook my head—no pigment stained the gilded scales. She was more careful than she realized.
“It was relaxing.” She giggled, then cupped my cheeks with colorful hands before pressing a chaste kiss to my lips. “I need to wash up, or I’ll be late!”
“My dear, you are the queen. You cannot be late.” My words followed her as she darted to the bathing chambers, Freya at her heels.
Greaves grunted. When I faced him, he stared at me with brows raised high, then wiped his thumb along his cheek.
I returned to the mirror and let out a breathless chuckle at the bit of color smeared across my face. Not nearly as covered as Nienna. Part of me wanted to join her, trace the remnants of art on her skin.
She had darted down the halls, exposed to prying eyes, a queen streaked with paint. Some might mock her or judge her carelessness—but I found it endearing. She sought art to calm her mind, to make peace when none seemed possible. I only hoped she wasn’t sketching Tallon engulfed in dragonfire.
But if she was—I was sure she’d capture every delicious line of agony on his face.
I dressed for dinner, taking my time. I wouldn’t pressure her. She should be able to slip away when the world became too much. Guilt had no place here.
Sloshing water lured me to the bathing chamber. Nienna stepped out of her new claw-foot tub, creamy skin scrubbed clean, glistening. I leaned against the frame as her maid dried her hair. My gaze drifted to the smooth swell below her navel.
Water trickled in rivulets down her pale skin. Was it larger? She’d always been soft there, her feminine form protecting her womb.
I wouldn’t—couldn’t—hope there was a child hidden inside her, safe and content and warm.
It was impossible. Foolish. Immature.
And still, a spark of a dream bloomed in my chest.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Nienna
Radaanian queens wore green to their weddings; a symbol of the life they would bring to the kingdom. I stood patiently as my handmaidens and a woman named Alma fussed with the seamstress over the application of fine silk flowers in a royal fitting room.
Lenses framed in delicate gold perched on Alma’s pixie nose, far too large for her face. Rich brown curls pinned into a bun sat atop her head, but rather than appearing docile, they looked like the tendrils of an octopus reaching for its next victim.
“No, the red is too much.” Alma batted away the rose, selecting a soft violet instead. “Purple will accent the celadon green.”
She might’ve been half-dwarf for her small stature, barely level with my chest, but the woman Kallias offered as a temporary Advisor to the Queen carried authority without effort. With a quick flick of her wrist, she shoved her glasses back up her nose, then placed two violets into Edith’s hands while rummaging through the cart of fabric flowers the seamstress had brought.
“She’s Draconis—what about snapdragons?” Freya flashed a mischievous smile as she hemmed my dress.
“Better than the fire lily,” Alma mused. “And the lotus or water lilies.”
Edith hummed, placing the violets at my waist. The advisor joined her with handfuls of flowers, pinning them along my hip and up my side.
The dress was gauzy, feminine perfection. Though the halter neckline clung to my throat; a vain attempt to conceal the bandage streaking across my collarbone. My arms were bare, scandalous in Reem, but progressive, as Alma informed me. The mantle would press down on exposed shoulders, a symbol of my willingness to bear Radaan without barrier.
Everything she advised carried purpose and reason. I liked her.
