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The way Thana styled my hair was less intricate—and less painful, than any style she had done before. Braided, and pleated. Half of it swooped back, and the rest left to drop gracefully in gentle waves down my back. It was simple, and yet very elegant. The coal she painted on my eyelids did wonders to bring out the deep blue of my irises, and the deep, almost purplish red now staining my lips made them fuller. I seemed older even though I would never age.
All I was missing was the crown—which I sent Thana to retrieve from the royal treasury.
“May I take your silence to mean you like it, majesty?” Darius inquired, standing just off to the side of my reflection in the tall mirror.
Finally, I allowed myself the squeal I’d been holding in to squeeze past my lips, “I love it! It’s—It’s—”
“Perfect.” Finn said, walking into the room from the arched entryway. It was easier to tell them apart now. Finn looked too serious to be confused with his brother, and Kade too much the opposite.
“You look like the Night incarnate,” Alaric agreed, “Beautiful.”
I stepped from the pedestal and wrapped Darius in a monstrous hug, causing the slight male to wheeze. “Thank you.”
Darius patted me on the back, and I released him, glad to see his eyes blazing with pride. Good, he should be proud. He would be myonlytailor from then on, I had decided.
“You are most welcome.”
“Where’s Kade?” I asked Finn, stepping down from the raised platform.
A flash of disappointment was clear in the set of his jaw as he cleared his throat to answer, “He’s following Selbi. If she doesn’t attend the ceremony, then he won’t be either.”
I doubted Selbi would attend the ceremony, she wasn’t of noble birth. But she would be at the feast which meant Kade would be there too, but, “Do we have a plan for the feast?”
It took a moment for Alaric to discern my meaning, and it was Finn who answered, “I doubt there will be—”
Alaric silenced Finn with a cold stare, his gaze resting on Darius. And as much as I wanted to trust the male, I knew it wasn’t wise.
“Shall I go, majesty?” Darius asked, picking up on the energy in the room.
Lifting my skirts, I fell onto the ugly white settee and gave him a small nod, “Can I expect to see you at the ceremony this evening?”
He bowed low, lifting his case as he rose again, “I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Thank you again,” I told him earnestly, running a hand over the satiny smooth fabric covering my lap, “It’s incredible. I’d like a room to match it, if that’s possible. All this white gives my head pains.”
“Poor taste, your late mother, I’m afraid,” he sighed, “If you’d like, I’ll collaborate with the royal decorator and see what we can come up with.”
I rose again to clasp Darius’ hand in my own, his were smooth, so much unlike the calloused hands of my sentries I’d become accustomed to, “I would like that.”
Without another word, Darius planted a quick kiss on the back of my hand and fled the chamber.
“You should be more careful what you say in front of mixed company,” Finn said, his tone clipped.
I motioned for the two males to sit, settling back onto the settee.
“Rin will taste the dishes before they leave the kitchens,” Alaric began.
“I’ll oversee it to ensure all the dishes, and the wine, are tasted,” Finn added.
“Who’s Rin?” Thana asked, coming into the parlor with a gaudy crown atop a deep purple velvet pillow. The ornate design shined with diamonds and other precious stones, the crest of the Night Court standing proudly in the front—a full moon made up of luminescent opal, with black diamond wings on either side. “And why is he tasting your food? Have you replaced the royal taster too?”
The three of us went silent before Alaric cleared his throat, “Selbi will be away attending to a family matter,” he lied, “Just a precaution in case she doesn’t return in time for the ceremony.”
Her raised brows, and paltry sigh told me she wouldn’t ask any more questions and was likely even more exhausted with court life than I was already. She dropped the pillow into my lap, “Better put that on. The emissary is waiting for you to receive him in the gardens. The ceremony will begin at dusk, so don’t dawdle.”
Chapter Ten
Kade and Alaric were tense the entire walk down to the palace gardens. Alaric muttered something about how he should’ve brought the two sentries the council selected by the royal chambers for my approval. I wondered who they’d selected, and truthfully, didn’t want an entourage beyond the three males who had already claimed—and earned, their places by my side.
