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20
LORELAI
Ican feel it, though I am deep into unconsciousness, the moment when Slyth pulls away from me, leaving me alone.
At first, I roll over in my sleep, panicking, heart thudding, pulse racing. Then I remember, in my dream-like state, that we are in bed together in the royal castle in Lodra.
The panic, provoked by Slyth’s departure from the bed we shared for the night, does not vanish. Panic crawls into my throat and enters my dreams. Even though by now I am more conscious than not, I remain trapped in the darkness of the unconscious realm.
And then I wake up.
Slyth walks into the massive room carrying a silver tray. I have yet to explore the rest of his chambers, but I have a feeling that it is as big as the bedroom we are in.
“Good morning.” He speaks sunnily and smiles at me before he walks over to his side of the bed, still carrying the tray. I expect him to get into the bed with me, but instead, he puts the tray down on his side of the bed and removes the silver cover.
“Good morning,” I murmur as Slyth leans down and brushes a kiss against my forehead. I shudder slightly, and the hair on the back of my neck rises.
Slyth doesn’t seem to notice my reaction and walks over to the windows. He pulls apart the heavy, silk curtains that kept the room in moderate darkness. Sunlight floods the room, and a lump grows in my throat as I stare out of the window, which gives me an excellent view of all of Lodra.
“It is so beautiful,” I murmur to Slyth, who looks proudly out at the kingdom, his home.
Then I look down at the meal on the silver tray, and it is a feast. A salty, fatty feast, filled with decadent, roasted dripir meat, fried burgona slices, fried Gallus eggs, baked bread topped with Capra, and a chunk of Taura cheese.
“This all looks wonderful.” I smile gratefully at Slyth and cut into the buttered bread, while my heart sinks.
You’re falling in love with him against your better judgment.
My hands shake slightly as Slyth talks, still seemingly unaware of the way the cutlery shakes in my hand and the way my breath escapes me in uncertain tremors.
“Once you’ve eaten, you can bathe, and I’ll send up some servants to get you dressed.” He speaks cheerfully as I drop my knife and fork onto the tray with a clatter.
“Why would I need servants to get dressed?” I ask him, dumbfounded.
“Because it’s their job. Besides, the clothes I ordered for you are slightly more complicated than what you’re used to wearing. You’ll need help getting in them.”
He walks over to the bed and leans down to kiss me again, before leaving the bedroom with a pep in his step that I can only attribute to his being home and my being here with him.
I try to continue eating, though the food tastes like sawdust as I think about everything that Slyth has done for me and continues to do for me.
“What about everything you’ve done for him?” I mutter angrily to myself and cut into the final slice of dripir meat so forcefully that I leave a deep mark on the delicate plate. When I am finished, I pile everything onto the tray and place it on a sideboard in the bedroom.
Then I walk over to the large, wide windows, and stare in awe at Lodra.
“This was never going to end well,” I murmur quietly to myself. I keep my body angled towards the door so that I am aware the minute anyone walks in. I need to talk to myself, to think through my logic, before I go insane.
“You were always going to do this. This is the only reason you agreed to come with him. You agreed because you wanted to kill Zalith. And killing Zalith will destroy Slyth. But it is the only way to do this.”
I cannot stand still any longer, so I walk over to the little side door to the right of the bedroom.
My breath catches in my throat in an overly dramatic gasp as the open door reveals the washroom bathed in a golden light. It was beautiful last night, but this morning, it strikes me all over again how incredibly wealthy and affluent this territory must be. For the gods’ sakes, this isn’t even the Prince’s personal washroom!
“Well.” I cannot help but speak out loud as I open the taps in the enormous bath. “This is a far cry from the rivers of Yadat.”
I burst into near-hysterical laughter, and I force myself to breathe through it as the tub fills with water. Experiencing this without Slyth’s presence looming over my shoulder allows me to really soak in the ingenuity of the washroom. I never realized how much I missed actual baths in all my time in the forest, but now that I’ve been presented with this beautiful room and the opportunity to use it whenever I like, I don’t know how I’ll ever go back.
I would like to stay in the bathtub for hours and hours. I would like to revel in the warm water and the beautiful potions and oils that I am sure Slyth provided especially for me.
But there is no time.
