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“An invite doesn’t mean I’ll get a private meeting with the King.”
“You’re a clever girl. You’ll figure something out.”
Self-preservation reminded me. “If something goes wrong, I’ll be trapped in the castle.”
“I am aware.” Her expression turned serious. “I know this task sounds dangerous and impossible, but Jrijori’s questions are ones I’ve been asking myself. Something is happening to the desert, Asharee. I can feel it.” She thumped her chest with a fist.
“You sound like Jrijori. Don’t tell me you’ve seen dragons too,” I scoffed.
“There have been a lot of stories—”
“There’re always stories because people love to tell them. Exaggeration is what we do.”
“But everyone has the same story. The same descriptions. When does it go from coincidence to truth?”
My lip curled. “Since when do you believe in fantasy?”
“How is it you still don’t?” Qynn shook her head.
“As Jrijori’s niece, what will my tasks be? Am I attending him when he leaves his rooms? Keeping out of sight? Presenting myself on the marriage flesh market.”
“You’re an outsider, so you won’t be eligible. Nor will you be recognizable once we’re done with you,” Qynn promised.
“That sounds ominous.”
“Not really. Just some cosmetic tweaks. We’ll bleach your hair, lighten your skin. I’ve also got some eye drops to turn your eyes blue.”
“Blue?”
“Fear not. None of it is permanent.”
“Must we? Why can’t we just use makeup around my eyes? And I can wear gloves.”
“Unmarried Weztrogian females don’t cover their heads.”
I blinked. “You’re expecting me to show my face?”
“By the time I’m done, not even Palla will recognize you.”
“But I’ll be bare in public.” I hadn’t done it since my teens. At the time, it felt natural. I’d chafed when I first put on the veil, resenting it until I saw it as my shield. With my face covered, no one would ever know who I was. It meant one day I could choose a different kind of life, like Qynn had. Upon retiring, she removed the veil for good and set up as a widow.
“You’re not wearing a veil right now,” Qynn pointed out.
“That’s different.” These were my family. I trusted them. I would be baring something intimate to strangers. “People will stare at me.”
“They will, and never imagine you’re one of them.”
I chewed the tip of my thumb as I paced, thinking aloud. “If the King is bride shopping, he won’t want anything to do with a forward Weztrogian.”
“Foreign flavors are always a temptation. See if you can’t lure him somewhere private.”
“As if he’d go off into a corner with a stranger.”
“It’s almost like you’ve forgotten what we do. Or are you scared? Because if that’s the case, then I’ll do it. I’m a little old for the King, but then again, he wouldn’t be the first young man to succumb to my charms.”
It was obvious she purposely goaded me. I saw right through her nice offer to the veiled insult.
I could handle this task.
