I paused, carefully concealing my reaction to her question. I hadn’t taken the tonic after everything that happened last night, but I wasn’t about to admit it.
“No nightmares,” I said, keeping my tone even. “Thank you for having him send them up for me.” I hesitated for a moment before settling into the chair across from her.
“You look better,” she said absently, brushing a speck of dust from her dress. “The color has returned to your cheeks.”
Absentmindedly, I touched my cheek, feeling self-conscious under her scrutiny. “I guess it has,” I said, offering a small smile. “I’m feeling better today, for sure.”
Winnie only stared at me, and I looked around nervously before speaking again. “Was there anything else you needed, Winnie?”
“Why? Are you trying to get rid of me?” Her eyes narrowed, a flash of something unreadable flickering in their depths.
Caught off guard, I stammered, “Err- no, it’s just that you usually don’t have time to visit during the week, and as you said, you are busy with the ball.” A blush spread across my cheeks.
Winnie’s gaze hardened slightly. “The maid has brought to my attention that you’ve had a gentleman in your bed.”
My eyes widened in shock. “What?! Why would she think that?” I blurted, my voice rising in panic.
Winnie reached behind her and pulled something out. My breath caught as she revealed a black silk button-down shirt. “She found this under your bed,” Winnie continued, her voice icy. “And judging by the look on your face, you recognize it.”
I was momentarily speechless, caught completely off guard. My mind raced, but no words came out.
“Normally, I wouldn’t have believed her,” Winnie said, her voice growing colder. “But with your sudden interest in training,those long hours you spend in the library, and your recent peculiar behavior… it made me reconsider.” There was a storm brewing behind her eyes.
“Is this,”—she jerked the limp shirt back and forth for emphasis—“the reason you’re avoiding choosing a partner for the ball? Is this man one of the guards you train with? Who is he?” she demanded.
“I don’t know whose that is,” I said, a panicked edge to my tone. I threw my hands up dramatically, as if that would help.
“Don't lie to me, Zara. It is highly inappropriate for you to have a man in your room, especially one without a shirt.” Winnie's eyes narrowed, spearing into mine.
“I swear! I don’t know whose shirt that is!” I protested, my voice breaking with frustration. It wasn’t a lie; I really didn't know who the man was who gave me his shirt.
“I expected better from you, Zara, and now you have gone so far as to lie to me on top of it all.” She scoffed. “I'm disappointed in you.” Winnie stood up. “I raised you better than to be tramping around with some nobody. Who else have you brought into your room? How many other men?”
“None!” I angrily replied, standing up also.Why was she doing this?
“If the maid found out so easily, then who knows who else might have found out? Do you want rumors to spread?”
I gaped at her, frozen from this conversation. “I have not had any men sleep in my bed, Mother!”
“You will marry whomever your father and I choose,” Winnie said, her tone icy and unyielding. “And it will not be some low-level guard you are slumming it with.”
Winnie threw the shirt at me, and I instinctively caught it against my chest. The familiar scent of cedar and citrus still clung to the fabric, and my fingers tightened around it as Winnieturned sharply. Her footsteps echoed off the stone floor as she stormed out of my room.
Chapter 6
Xavier
Aria stepped into my tent the following day, her long red hair cascading over her shoulders with effortless grace. She tilted her chin back, her high cheekbones emphasizing the fierce intensity of her gaze. Her brown eyes, always sharp and full of an almost palpable rage, made anyone who lingered too long uncomfortable. She had a straight nose and full lips, usually set in a determined line. Despite her petite frame, she had powerful muscles that were sun-kissed from her relentless hours of training. She was undeniably one of my fiercest warriors.
“Your Majesty,” she greeted, flipping her hair to one side and bowing deeply.
After her mother’s death, I had entrusted Aria with the governance of Territan, the western territory of Nexia. Yesterday, witches riding Daka ravaged one of its village trade markets. They had stormed the streets, reducing everything to ash.
The pixies in the surrounding forest had alerted us, and we were luckily nearby and could intervene.
“Aria, you are looking well,” I said, winking at her.
She wore a red leather bodysuit that hugged every curve of her slender frame. It was something she always tended to wear, as if she were about to head into battle.
