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“No need to apologize, my lady. This way.”

I followed her straight shoulders through the open doorway and into the dressing room. I had already spent some time there this morning arguing with Nixie. She had wanted me to wear a gown that was almost completely covered in braid. I had objected, of course.

“What is your name?” I asked.

“I am remiss, my lady. Please call me Astra.” She offered me a slight dip as I moved past her into the dressing room. “I was warned that you would prefer a personal approach.”

“As opposed to what kind of approach?” I eyed the three gowns hanging from hooks along the wall. One was a cheery yellow and the second a rich blue. The last was another mint-green gown in a slightly darker shade than the one I currently wore.

“The furniture expectation.” She caught my confused expression and continued explaining. “Some prefer for us to act like inanimate objects only there to fulfill their desire.” She tilted her head to the side and examined my features. “I think the blue or green gowns would best suit your skin tone. The green fabric would definitely bring out your eyes, but this is a mere family meal, so you need not shine at your best. You just need to look presentable and appealing. I would recommend you choose the blue dress, my lady.”

“Mistress,” I corrected.

“I beg your pardon, mistress. Please excuse my error. I was misled.” Astra bowed to me.

“No harm done.” I hoped. There was very little I knew about this new environment and my place in it with any conviction, but the fact I was common-born was at least one fact of which I was acutely aware. “I will defer to your choice, Astra, for I know nothing of such things.”

The worry in the maid’s expression melted away as she smiled at me. “Then I shall teach you all I know. My mother trained me, and she used to be one of the queen’s personal attendants when the queen first married the king. The court completely changed when she came.”

Astra skillfully extracted me from my rumpled gown and eased me into the chosen blue gown. Then with slender fingers and a few pins, she secured my hair into a new style that didn’t leave quite so many curls dangling about my shoulders and brushing against my neck and forehead in distracting ways, which I appreciated. She did leave a few small curls loose along my hairline, though, softening the effect.

“Now, follow me.” Astra led the way out of my chamber, through the sitting room, and into the confusing passageways of the sprawling mansion.

Thankfully, we didn’t have to walk far. Down a corridor lined with closed doors, down a grand staircase, around a turn, and then down another corridor, but this one lined with mostly open doors. I peeked inside one of them and glimpsed gilt trim, pale patterned walls, and upholstery, and far more sparkly baubles than I thought anyone would want to possess. How did one spend time in such a room without fear of breaking such expensive, fragile things?

Just when I feared Lady Lyra expected us to meet in such a room, Astra turned and stopped before a massive double door guarded by a rather scrawny young male with mossy green and brown hair growing around impressively curly dark horns.

“Is Lady Lyra prepared for visitors, Nord?” Astra asked.

“Select visitors,” Nord replied, frowning at me. “Is she the one who arrived with the new heir?”

Astra pressed her lips together and glared at Nord. “Don’t be rude or Bartle will blister your ears. Remember what happened last time you were rude to a guest?”

Nord squinted at me. “She is a guest? She looks like a lady’s maid.”

“That is because you are an ignorant child. Mistress Rue is an honored guest, and Lady Lyra requested her presence.” Astra narrowed her gaze at the younger male. “Now answer my question. Is she prepared for visitors? Is Lord Greyson with her?”

Jutting his chin at Astra, Nord glared back at her. “She is available for Mistress Rue if she is the one who came with the heir.”

“She is.” Astra crossed her arms over her chest. “Now answer the second question. Is Lord Greyson with her? We wouldn’t want to walk in on a romantic moment.”

Nord rolled his eyes. “Like I would allow that.”

Astra didn’t respond. “Answer me.”

“He hasn’t arrived, to my knowledge.”

“Good. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“Like plucking a wayward hair,” he retorted before pushing open the double door and announcing, “Mistress Rue, my lady.” Then with a flourish of his arm and a bow, he motioned me through the opening.

I stepped from the carpet of the cool corridor onto the tile floor of a warm, fragrant forest of potted plants lined with dirt beds filled with growing things. I leaned into the welcoming shade and breathed deeply of the life and magic that called to me from the plants.

Only when the door closed behind me did I realize I was alone in the humid dimness. Astra hadn’t accompanied me. Before fear caught up with my mind, a voice called from further into the room.

“Oh, Mistress Rue, come join me. I have been expecting you. You must be hungry. From what I understand, you haven’t eaten in over a day. I wish I had known that when you arrived or I would’ve insisted that you eat before retiring. Though clearly you needed your rest more considering how long you slept.”

I followed the pleasant sound of Lady Lyra’s voice through a maze of plants, descending deeper into the room until finally, I emerged into a fountain of light pouring from a wall of glass windows that stretched two stories up. In the midst of the spotlight stood Lady Lyra.