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“It’s unfortunate, but yes, I have been called such.” Sophie sighed, clearly bored with the conversation.
“Why did you let me think you were a maid, why did you insist on calling me my lady?” Wren felt a little betrayed under all the confusion. Sophie was who she had trusted most and she had deceived her.
“I wanted to really throw myself into the part, and you needed someone you could trust. Would you have trustedLady Sophie?”She saidladyas if it was distasteful.
Wren shook her head. “I would have trusted you because you are who you are, Sophie. Was that all an act as well?”
Sophie’s face hardened. “I have never been anything but myself with you, except the maid part.”
Wren smiled. “No wonder you were such a terrible maid.”
The tension broke from Sophie’s face and she gave a small chuckle. “I was set up for failure. Poorly qualified and all.”
“This is why you always acted so forward with Malaki. This explains a great deal,” mused Wren.
Sophie grinned. “You called him, Malaki.”
She hadn’t realized she had been so informal. She wondered at her misstep, but hurriedly changed the subject. “Doesn’t your mother mind that you dress up like a man, play with swords, and pretend to be a maid?”
Sophie tilted her head. “You have met my mother. She feels differently about the role of a woman. She does not believe I need to drink tea, sew, or gossip to have worth and I am grateful for it. Of course, I grew up in the court, and I take part in the required events.” She sighed. “Listen, Wren, Kai and my mothers were sisters. Kai’s my cousin, and we have been inseparable from birth.
“When I was old enough that playing with boys was unacceptable, my mother insisted that I would be allowed to maintain training with Kai. The king agreed. I don’t think he cared one way or another. So when Kai found out that they had taken you, and that you were being forced to marry him, he asked me to look after you. Being your maid seemed like the best option.
“He sent away your assigned maids and paid them to not immediately make it known. It’s well enough that you found out now, we were going to have to give it up soon before the king figured it out. We have been feeding them information about you to give to him, but he will soon wonder why it’s nothing of merit and send new more reliable maids.”
Wren put her hand over her mouth trying to process it all. Everything made more sense now, but then nothing made sense at the same time. The only thing she could think to ask was. “How can you stand to be friends with him?”
Sophie grimaced as if hurt. “Wren, there is something you need to know about Kai. I know he can be difficult. He hasn’t known love outside of my mother and I and that could never be enough.” She paused suddenly, tilting her head to the side. A small smile played on her lips when she continued. “Kai is a good man. He may not think he is, but he is so much more than the mask he insists on wearing.”
The door opened and Malaki stood there, flushed and expressionless.
“Eavesdropping is illegal, Prince Malaki,” sang Sophie.
He sent her a warning glare and turned to Wren. “I only came to make sure nothing was amiss after that maid came in blathering for Sophie as if she were an idiot. I see everything is fine. I will see myself out.”
Sophie rolled her eyes and Wren could only stare, not knowing what to say and wondering how much he had heard.
Before he went through the door, he paused, not bothering to turn around. “Wren, I indulge Sophie and let her hold onto her fantasy of my worth, but it is not a mask that I wear. You should not listen to her nonsense.” He left and shut the door without waiting for a response.
Sophie put her elbows on the table and rested her head in her hands, groaning in frustration. Wren heard mutters of “idiot” and an alarming amount of violent suggestions on what to do with the prince.
Finally she put her arm down and said, “I’ll kill him, that’s the only thing left to do.” Wren must have looked concerned since Sophie burst out in laughter, and Wren realized it was a jest.
Sophie stood up and rested her hand on Wren’s shoulder. “I will forgo killing your husband for now because you are my friend, but I do fear I must leave you to have some words with him.”
Sophie squeezed her shoulder and smiled down at her before leaving to follow the prince.
Of all the things that had happened since she arrived in this place, this whole exchange might have been the oddest.
That night, Sophie never came back and in her place two new young women came to attend to her. She told them she was fine, but they insisted on getting her ready for bed and tending to the fire. Despite having spent the rest of her day in her rooms in order to try to process the conversation with Sophie, Wren still felt at a loss. Worse was the feeling of guilt that crept in as she thought of Cara and wondered if her newfound friendship was somehow a stain on her memory. Even as logic told her that Cara would want her to be happy, she couldn’t escape the feeling that she had betrayed her lost friend.
Chapter 12
Aweekpassed,blissfullyquiet. Wren attended her lessons with Lady Daugherty and spent the evenings with Sophie playing cards or just talking, which usually ended in fits of laughter. Sophie knew wonderful stories of all the pompous members of court, and whenever Wren relayed an embarrassing conversation with one, Sophie would make her laugh by sharing an unflattering story of the person concerned and while the feelings of guilt and shame for Cara still found her, it seemed to be less often.
She only saw Malaki at court affairs such as dinners where she held onto his arm and played the part of a dutiful wife. She thought more of what he had said that day about his mask, but she could not make sense of the glimpses of the man Sophie insisted was there. The man who had soothed her through her panic and who had apparently sought justice for Cara. The man who had asked his cousin and friend to stay with her. Who asked his aunt to give her lessons so that she might have a chance at success here.
If she thought about these things too long, she remembered that all of them benefited him. He needed her to be able to maintain this charade so as not to reflect poorly on him. None of it was done out of concern for her as was evident by the way he spoke to her and treated her.
