Page 24 of Facade

“Wait,” I lowered my voice. “Does he know I’m not an actual queen? Thaddeus? Won’t he be… angry or offended if he finds out I’m just a human slave?” The Queen would’ve been offended to waste any food on an imposter. Not that I cared if it made Aiden look bad. I cared about lying.

Aiden turned on his heel, fiddling with a dagger sheathed at his hip. “I’m taking the safety of our visiting Queen seriously. As far as anyone is concerned, Thaddeus included, you are who we say you are.” His fangs glinted as the corners of his mouth tugged up. I frowned, folding my arms across my chest.

“This ruse is going too far.”

Right on cue, my stomach growled louder. Aiden’s mouth lifted further, a ghost of the genuine smile he'd just given Thaddeus.

“This ruse goes as far as I say it does,” he drawled.

My cheeks burned. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It means I’m in charge. Now come, wouldn’t want to keep our generous host waiting.”

Blood ran hot in my veins, my teeth damn near cracking from the force with which I clenched my jaw. Was this all a game to him? I moved to stomp past, and his hand lightly grazed my lower back to lead me inside. A scowl twisted across my face as I jerked away, though my cheeks burned hotter at the dizzying effect his touch had on me. Traitorous fucking body.

My jaw went slack when we walked through the doors.

Gold covered most surfaces in the entry. The banister, chandelier—even the door handles were made of the rare substance. If there was a shortage of gold, it had to be Thaddeus’s fault.

Lyra returned, chattering about the inner workings of the bathroom—specifically the toilet—as we all proceeded to the dining hall for dinner, where I purposefully sat as far from Aiden as I could.

We ate and listened to Aiden and Thaddeus swap various news from across the realm before they settled into stories from their shared past.

If I were to be honest, their stories fascinated me since I still didn’t know much beyond what Sarah had told me. It was also the way they freely talked around me, and as I cast a glance down the long table, no one sneered at me or looked at me with disgust. They paid me no attention. It was… nice.

Juice from the duck burst in my mouth as I took another bite, then washed it down with a rich, red wine. Every bite and sip I took, I relished. I’d probably never get to eat something of this caliber again. My throat tightened. Thoughts of the Fae King seeped into my mind—dungeons, torture, starvation, more guards like the brute Aiden had killed. My mind conjured the worst scenarios, breathing them to life.

“And you remember that battle in Skaurin? Brutal! Nothing but marshlands out there.” Thaddeus shook his head, leaning back comfortably in his tall-backed chair, sipping his wine. They’d moved on to a story of a battle I hadn’t heard of. It was a nice distraction from my darkening thoughts.

“I heard some soldiers drowned by being trampled face down in the marshes.” The youngest-looking guard leaned onto his elbows, enthusiasm lighting his boyish features.

I flinched, but not from the story. A sharp pain cut across my stomach—I hadn’t eaten this much in years. Nausea clawed its way up my throat, and I quickly clamped a hand over my mouth.

Thaddeus cleared his throat. “I apologize, my Queen. It’s usually just me here in my home, and I believe I’ve become a bit of a brute in allowing such morbid conversation at my dinner table,” he said apologetically.

The young guard’s cheeks reddened as he instantly cast his gaze to the floor. Unlike the big one, Malachai. I could feel his stare, and it was unnerving.

I held my hand up. “It’s fine.” I forced the corners of my mouth to lift before my gaze inadvertently flicked to Lyra, who continued stuffing her face, food falling onto her lap and plate. My stomach rolled hard enough that I knew my face had gone green.

“If you’ll excuse me,” I mumbled, shoving my chair back. The males stood as well, which made the situation even more awkward. “I need some fresh air.”

“Ooh, excuse me too! I have to pee again. That porcelain beauty is calling my name.” Lyra jumped up, food falling from her lap.

“Alaric, please escort the Queen—” Aiden began, glancing warily at Lyra as she hobbled down the hall.

“No! Uh, I mean, no, thank you. I just need some fresh air,” I repeated, briskly walking out before anyone could argue, or worse, my dinner came back up in front of them. It was easy to forget my place among them under the circumstances—but this was a harsh reminder. I was so beneath them that I couldn’t even handle the nicer food.

The cool night breeze brought instant relief. I leaned my head against the cool stone pillar near the door, wiping sweat from the back of my neck. Light from the waning moon trickled through the clouds, casting a muted glow across the courtyard. A splash of purple caught my eye by the fence. I walked down the steps until my markings tingled—the end of what appeared to be a very short leash. I growled beneath my breath.

Entwining itself up and through the iron were the most exotic flowers. They had the darkest violet—almost black—petals with pale purple and silver in the center. They were unique, beautiful with a lush fragrance and… familiar.

My eyes flared as the recognition hit—dreams. I'd seen these in my dreams.

I reached toward them, the tingling in my wrists gone.

“Beautiful, aren’t they?” I retracted my hand to my chest at the sound of Aiden’s voice and faced him. He watched me, hair tousled with his hands casually in his pockets. I tore my gaze away quickly.

“Yes. I’ve never seen anything like it. Not in person anyway. I didn’t realize they grew here.”