AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“How you wound me, Highness. Now drink this, it’ll help.” Sophie handed her a vial that was similar to the one she took last night. It tasted bitter, but she choked it down all the same. “And here I was worried you wouldn’t have a good time.”
“Terrible maid,” groaned Wren.
“Well, your terrible maid is now telling you to get out of bed, have breakfast, and get dressed because you have the lovely privilege of attending etiquette lessons today.”
This earned Sophie another groan, but not wanting to be caught off guard by the court again, Wren rolled out of bed. She could already feel the liquid Sophie gave her soothing her head.
With as much breakfast as she could stomach in her, Sophie helped her into a new dress. This one was less grand than the one she had worn last night, but it was still beautiful. If there was one thing she liked about this place, aside from Sophie, it was the dresses. This one was a deep blue silk without any trimming or frill. The neckline was straight across again, but there was sheer muslin fabric on either side of the corners that wrapped around her neck lightly. The sleeves came down to her wrists like the others had.
It was rather simple, but she felt more comfortable in it as if its simplicity was reminiscent of home even though the only thing she had ever worn there had been sturdy wool dresses. The thought of home was like a rock filling her belly. She remembered how close she had been to the lake and how she could feel the magic still there ready to bring her home.
Whether or not the elder prince had been telling the truth about the lake being a trap hardly seemed to matter anymore. It was difficult to see him as anything other than the reason she was still here pretending to be nobility. Sophie did her hair in a way that it laid to the side over her right shoulder, her brown curls falling against the soft fabric of the dress. It was a relief to have some pressure off her head, which was already feeling almost normal.
When she inquired what was in the vial, Sophie told her dismissively that it was just a concoction of herbs and roots. Feeling as ready as she ever would be, she moved to open the door where a guard was standing. Of course. He bowed to her, and as Sophie and Wren left the room, made way to follow them.
Sophie led her to a small parlor where she was pleasantly surprised to find Lady Daugherty waiting for her. Any familiar and friendly face felt like a wish granted. As she entered, Lady Daugherty stood up and went to meet her, dismissing the guard at the same time. “Your Highness, it is a pleasure to see you again.” She gave a small bow and, rising, gave Wren’s hand a small squeeze.
“I must confess I am grateful to see that you will be my tutor, Lady Daugherty.” Wren felt her body relaxing as she had not realized how much anxiety she had on her way here.
Lady Daugherty smiled fondly. “For as long as we can get away with it, anyway. Kai asked if I would be your tutor, and I find myself having a difficult time telling him no.”
“He is different with you than the others,” Wren said as if it weren’t a question.
“Your first lesson is to never say what you are thinking.”
Wren recoiled at the change in the woman’s tone.
“Except with three people. Kai, Sophie, and myself. Someone could have taken what you just said and used it against your husband.” Her tone had taken more of a gentle tone again, but she could see how much Lady Daugherty wanted her to understand by the way her eyes burned into her.
Wren frowned. “But he is the crown prince.”
“That is exactly why they will use it against him. Lesson two is the court is full of people scrambling for power and willing to wield whatever weapon they have to achieve that power. Do you think the Blackwood line has always been our monarchy? The king’s father seized the throne from the previous reigning king and slaughtered his whole family. Their family line is extinct now. Do you understand?”
Wren only nodded, suddenly realizing how little she knew about this world.
Lady Daugherty's eyes softened. “If Kai is seen as weak at all, they will go after him, and they will be merciless. If the king finds his son weak, he will not hesitate to allow them. I know the court seemed glittering and full of splendor last night which is how the king intended it to be. Everything that you see, everything you are allowed, is given at the mercy of the king.”
At her pause, Wren considered everything that had been said. Her position here felt more precarious than ever before. It was one thing to have been kidnapped, but another to know her place here was at another’s mercy.
Grasping blindly at anything, Wren said, “You said you were my tutor for as long as we could get away with it.”
That earned her a pleased smile from the other woman, unexpectedly filling Wren with pride. “Indeed. I am here because Kai asked me to do this without the king’s consent. Likely, he will find out soon enough and put a stop to this, but I will do what I can.”
“Why would he want to stop you from teaching me?” Lady Daugherty seemed to be a lady of respect amongst the court.
“Because he does not trust me. Kai’s mother, Cordelia, was my sister. She died when Kai was only six and Richard four.” There was a youthfulness to the grief that coated her face as she lost herself in the memory of the deceased queen. “When she died, she asked me to watch over her children and protect them. The king knows I will do this at all costs, even if it means working against him, so he prefers me where he can see me.”
“Why would the king want to hurt his children—his heirs?” Her own father had died when she was young, but when she imagined him she could only ever see him being loving and kind.
“This is what you must never forget. The king will do whatever it takes to preserve his power no matter who is in the way. The survival of his line is important to him, but he has two sons.”
Wren felt horrified at such a statement. The man she had met last night did not seem to be the monster Lady Daugherty described. She didn’t even know if she could trust her own husband, let alone someone he trusted. The only person she truly trusted was Sophie.
The thought of Sophie made her turn, she realized that, at some point, Sophie had snuck off. Wren made a mental note to ask Sophie about her relationship with the prince and Lady Daugherty. She needed the whole picture to be able to survive in this place.
“One last thing I need you to understand before we proceed with your lessons.” Lady Daugherty’s face hardened, all kindness and understanding gone. “If you ever became a danger to my nephew, I will not hesitate to remove you.”
Swallowing hard, Wren fought for the right words. The threat was radiating warning throughout her body. Through the wave of fear Wren realized that she did not know if she was a danger to the prince. She did not mean him harm, but she still didn’t know what her purpose here was and what plans the king had in store for her. The uncertainty crawled up her body, foreign and unwelcome. She would need to find answers if she had any hope of surviving this.
