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The maid smiled at me. “It would be an honor to dress you, Raja-kumarai, if you allow it.”
I nodded and half an hour later she had me wrapped in lengths of glistening gold silk fabric with striking ebony embroidery. She’d pulled my hair back and placed heavy hoops in my ears, bracelets on my wrists, and draped my neck with beads. I stood before a mirror staring at myself. I didn’t even know who I was anymore.
A Raja-kumari—whatever that was that the maid kept calling me—I was not.
I stepped into Sai’s bedroom to find him dressed and waiting. I didn’t know where he’d washed up, but his hair shimmered like it had oil in it, and he’d trimmed his beard. He wore a long ebony shirt that ended at his mid-thigh and was lined with gold embroidery that matched my clothing. Along with that, he had dark pants and gold slippers which glimmered in the light of the sunset that pooled in through the windows.
My heart skipped a beat as I took him in, and when I met his eyes I felt a sharp jolt of attraction.
“You look beautiful,” Sai whispered.
“Thank you.”
He offered his arm, and I accepted it. The heat of our bodies touching grew as he led us out into the hall. His scent had seemed strong on the robe, but at his side it was overwhelming. That burnt, sweet smell had drawn me to him in the first place, and I had gasped in hungry breaths of it as we’d made love. I pulled away from him, longing for fresh air where I could try to iron out my thoughts. A servant turned the corner, and I tucked back against Sai’s side, curling my arm into his again.
When the hall cleared Sai whispered, “You don’t have to touch me if you don’t wish to.”
“I told you, I don’t want to embarrass you. I know we don’t really know each other,”—the words came bitter off my tongue—“but when I say something I mean it.”
“I’m coming to understand that.”
He let his fingers rest against my forearm but there was an uncertainty in the touch. Neither of us knew where we stood. However, I wouldn’t shame him in front of his family and the fairies he presided over just because he’d hurt my feelings over something that was foolish to begin with. What was I thinking to believe I could know someone after a few weeks? That we had some divine reason to be together? That was ridiculous. Sai had been kind to me, brought me into his life, vowed himself to me to help me escape King Carrington and my mother’s scheming. Acting as a wife—if that’s what the Prasanna saw me as—was the least I could do. My hurt and distrust of him could remain private.
We approached an archway, and Sai paused. “I’m trying to do a better job of explaining things.”
I frowned.
“At dinner, only eat with your right hand.”
“Why?”
“It’s… It’s just what’s done.”
That left things as unclear as ever, but if he was trying, I could be gracious. “Thank you.”
He nodded and walked us into a dining hall. The walls were decorated in cream tiles covered in intricate olive and crimson patterns. The design stretched up to the ceiling where it glittered in the candlelight from the low table Sai’s family and team sat cross-legged around. Sai walked us over to the remaining cushions and gestured at one for me to take.
Shaan sat on Sai’s other side. As soon as Sai made sure I’d found my place, he turned into a quiet conversation with his brother. The girl to my right smiled brightly at me. “You’re Lira, right?”
“I am.”
Her smile widened. “I’m Veena, Sai’s youngest sister. I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet you earlier. Mother says I’m still too little”—her face took on a pouty pucker—“to join official council meetings, but as soon as I heard, I ran to Amyra and forced her to abandon work so she could tell me all about you.”
Servers stepped forward and filled goblets with wine. My lips had parted to make a remark of some sort, but Veena carried on before I could. “She said you were beautiful, and she was right.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Veena bobbed her head, her long braid thunking against her shoulder. “Of course. My name, Veena, means lute. It’s musical, is what I’m saying. I think Mother and Father received divine counsel to choose it for me, because I’ve always loved music. It must be really lovely to be a siren!”
“Veena,” Amyra, who sat across the table, shot a censoring look at her sister.
Veena bowed her head before shifting to face me again. “Sorry. I just mean it must be so nice to have such a beautiful singing voice.”
“No, you’re fine.” I hesitated a moment. I remember the surprise Sai had expressed when I’d called sirens’ magic dark. He’d implied that he knew other sirens who were helpful, and now his younger sister discussed siren magic so casually. “Have you heard sirens sing before?”
“Of course! Sometimes I volunteer with the sirens that work in the hospital at the palace.”
I parted my lips as a dozen questions bubbled in my mind. I didn’t know what use sirens’ powers would play in a hospital, but it reminded me of the reverence in Sai’s voice when he’d spoken of siren magic. He’d acted as though sirens were the opposite of how I saw myself—like our magic possessed some noble purpose. The Maharani, who sat at the head of the table, the silk of her clothing sparkling in the candlelight, clapped. “Thank you, everyone for joining us tonight. It’s a pleasure”—she reached out and squeezed her husband’s hand—“to have all of our children at the table with us again.” She smiled at Sai’s team. “As well as those who we consider family.”
