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“Yes, my queen,” I said instead as the questions pounded at my brain.
She made a disapproving clicking noise with her tongue. “Vanessa being here should quash this notion that you have some sort of special place with my son, or in his life, beyond your duties.”
I wasn’t sure it was possible to hate someone so much after watching Vanessa on the stairs making a spectacle of her closeness with Noah. But in this moment, both she and the queen held a certain place deep in my soul that was where I stored the evil things in my life.
I lowered my body once more in a curtsey, preparing to leave now that she had obviously made the point she had intended to make by calling me here.
Rising, I turned my back before being dismissed.
“Ah, Cora. There is one more thing.”
Though every fiber of my being wanted to keep walking and make her shout her one more thing and feel ignored, I paused. Irritating the queen further could be costly to me. After all, she held the real power since no one wanted to go against her and suffer her wrath.
Instead, I stood straight, keeping my chin high but not defiant. She may demand my obedience, but I would not be made to feel inferior again in my life. No one could do that to me.
“You are being assigned additional duties. Noah’s feeding schedule seems to be fine and his strength such that once or twice a day will be quite enough. You’ll feed when he needs, but otherwise…” She paused, her smile spreading. “You will be taking care of Vanessa personally. As her lady’s maid. For the duration of her stay, which,” she laughed lightly, “could be forever.”
* * *
It was time and avoiding this was only going to make my nerves worse. I stood facing the door to Vanessa’s room while the nausea churned in my gut, threatening to unload the second the door opened to reveal her smug face.
But there was no escaping this. No one to save me from the actual villain of my story.
Ha! Of course there wasn’t. What did I think I was, a fairy princess?
Here goes nothing.
Before I could knock at the door, a familiar laugh sounded from the other side and the nausea that I’d been barely fighting back crawled into my throat.
What in the world was Noah doing here? At this hour, when the sun was barely cresting the sky?
Unless he had been here all night.
Steeling myself against the jealousy and rising emotions I couldn’t name, I knocked on the door.
It was thrown open in an instant and I was face-to-face with Vanessa. Decked out in all black, in a lace corset with thigh highs and a see-through black shawl.
Half hanging off her shoulder.
“What do you want?” She acted as though she was quickly fluffing her hair and had been thoroughly disrupted. Her voice was just on the edge of menacing and the look of annoyance was clear on her face while her back was to Noah. Confirming my suspicions that I had in fact interrupted something.
I glanced past her, over her shoulder and met Noah’s eyes. The instant we connected, he looked away, smoothing his rumpled hair to the side.
More bile rose in my throat, but I plastered a smile on my face instead. No one would get to know they made me feel any sort of weakness. Even the Unseelie prince himself.
“Good morning, Lady Vanessa,” I said, curtseying and bowing my head quickly. “My name is Cora, I’ll be your lady’s maid for the duration of your visit.”
She let out a quick, short huff. “Very good. But as you can see, I’m a bit busy this morning, you may return in—"
“It’s all right, Vanessa,” Noah cut in, standing from the edge of the four-poster bed he’d been sitting on.
I made sure not to look at him as he approached. Who knew what vile things the queen had already said about me to Vanessa. Especially if she felt the need to lure her here so quickly. I didn’t need to substantiate any rumors.
“I have weapons training with Aron this morning. I have to be off anyway.” Noah leaned in to kiss her cheek and Vanessa turned her face.
Their lips met and she ran a hand up to his face, making a small moaning sound while she leaned in deeper to the kiss.
Don’t vomit. Don’t cry. I chanted mantras to myself to stay strong while inside it was as though a piece of me was breaking.
