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I whisper a different thought aloud. “The prophecy still fits.”
Dante, sitting below me, turns from his reading. “Hmm?”
“The one that voice told me before the ball and the one he got from the Balican Seer. Did Cyrus ever tell you the exact words?‘The journey to love never runs smooth, and yours, your father would not approve.’That one.” It makes sense now. I thought I was missing something, because his father arranged Cyrus to marry Raya, so how could what I heard be true? But since she’s actuallyNadiya…“His fatherwouldn’tapprove of him marrying Nadiya, so maybe she really is his true love.”
A funny look crosses his face, as if he had a thought ready but discarded it. “It’s possible.”
“It can only be a good thing, right?” Five fairies and a ruse that has lasted longer than it should have, and now the attention of the prince. Nadiyaisspecial—something hopeful at last, regarding this prophecy.
My heart remains contrary, beating like an off-rhythm drum.
I rub my head. It’s been pounding too with the constant interruptions to my sleep. I haven’t rested well in a long time, and it’s hard to muse further.
My thoughts get interrupted anyway as Camilla barges through the bedroom doors, huffy, a blaze of golden curls bouncing with each step.
“So this is where you are!” She waves a vial of blood around with the urgency of a cat swatting a moth, glaring daggers at Nadiya, who curls into Cyrus. “You are allawfullycozy with Raya.” She thrust the vial under my nose like it’s a bottle of smelling salts and snaps her fingers.
I lower her arm. “I’m not enchanted.” I sneak another glimpse at Nadiya, who stumbles apart from the prince.
“That’s exactly what an enchanted person would say.”
Unsurprisingly, Camilla refuses to leave or take any excuse we throw at her. Our furtive whispers only agitate her more, and eventually the four of us sit her down in a too-plush armchair and explain.
Camila, subdued, takes in the truth with quiet shock. “So, I was right about Raya—or Nadiya, is it?—this whole time? Sheisdeceiving everyone.”
“Yes.” Cyrus sighs.
“But I have to pretend I’mnotright?”
“Please, yes.”
“Gods, you owe me.”
Nadiya bows her head down to her knees. “I’m so sorry for the messes I’ve caused, Your Highness,” she says, and Camilla only harrumphs.
“Compliment her,” I hiss behind Nadiya.
“Oh—ah, especially because you…are the most beautiful woman in the Sun Capital,” the girl adds hastily, “and it must have been very frustrating to see me steal attention because of my fairy glamours.”
The princess immediately relaxes, her frown twisting into a placated pout. “Well. As long as you knowthat.” Getting to her feet, she steps over the scattered papers on the floor to loom over Nadiya. The poor girl squeaks as Camilla digs her bright pink nails into her chin. “You have goodbone structure. No wonder you could pull off pretending to be your mistress. You’re quite pretty on your own.”
“Th-thank you, Your Highness.”
Camilla turns Nadiya this way and that, by the chin, by the shoulders, then lifting her arms. She makes a face as she takes in the rest of her—her bowed frame, her wrung hands, her modest blue gown, unadorned by glamour. “If you’re sticking around, you’ll need to learn to act important. And if you’re sticking aroundme,you’ll need to be at least half as fashionable as I am.”
“Th-thank you, Your Highness?” Nadiya stutters again, expression caught somewhere between awed and afraid.
“You do love pet projects,” I tell Camilla.
Camilla grumbles. “Ido.”
Nadiya being taken under Camilla’s wing will be a good thing, both for her social standing and her disguise. I’m more weary and stubborn than optimistic about what’s to come, but I won’t be a choosy beggar.
As much as I’ve rallied against the Fates, their warnings echo in the back of my mind, persistent as my headache. I glance around the room: would anyone here betray me? Cyrus would be the easy answer, but he doesn’t have reason to anymore now that we’ve finally learned to compromise. I’ve only known Nadiya for a little while, but I know her threads—past and future—better than anyone else does, and she doesn’t seem like a possibility.
The game board’s changed, and I can’t figure out where I stand, exactly. It’s hard to imagine, but if—when—we emerge on the other side of this prophecy, Auveny will have a new king and queen.
Whatever happens, I’ll ideally remain in the Sun Capital without much fuss—less obedient to the next king, but otherwise no different than who I was before.
