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“Do I have time to wash?”

Telean nodded. “Make it quick.”

At some point, a maid knocked on the main door and offered to help me get ready for dinner. Telean sent Asinia out to tell her I didn’t need help, and I took a quick bath, piling my hair onto my head so it wouldn’t get wet.

The gown Telean had designed for dinner was a deep green. The bodice cut in at the waist, drawing attention to the curve of my hips, while intricate embroidery swept up from the bottom of the skirt to the bodice, resembling gold vines that twisted around my torso.

Like the first gown I’d worn, the skirt was also fashioned from layers of fine, diaphanous fabric, only there was no split, and the material seemed to whisper with each step I took. And just like the first gown, the bodice was stiff with Lorian’s armor.

Telean handed me an emerald necklace.

“Also from your prince.”

My heart tripped at the gleam of diamonds and gems, and I fastened it around my neck.

“And this.”

I swallowed at the sight of the matching diadem. Fashioned out of glimmering white gold, the band was shaped like intertwining vines, designed to rest upon my brow. The centerpiece was a large emerald that perfectly matched Lorian’s eyes. Along the band, meticulously placed diamonds glimmered, decorating the vine—staggered in size.

It was delicate, unique, and perfect. Telean gestured for me to lower my head. Carefully placing the diadem, she stepped back, admiring her work. “He convinced me you would need to work up to a crown.”

“He was right.”

Asinia stepped into the room and met my eyes in the mirror. “You look beautiful.”

I attempted a smile, and her eyes sharpened. Telean stepped into my line of sight.

“Take that heart of yours and turn it to stone,” she ordered me. “Tonight, you are not a woman whofeelsanything for the Bloodthirsty Prince. He is a tool you have chosen to wield, and you are a monarch who will do whatever it takes for your people.”

Telean waited until I’d nodded. Then she pressed a kiss to my forehead and walked out the door, closing it gently behind her.

Asinia blew out a breath. “Your aunt can be a little scary.”

“I know.”

Asinia frowned. “What’s wrong, Pris?”

I filled her in about my plan for Demos and Tibris.

“You’re worried.”

“Of course.”

She patted the bed next to her, and I sat down, careful not to wrinkle my dress.

“I won’t bother telling you they can look after themselves. But I will tell you they wouldn’t want you to worry about them.”

“I know. But I can’t help it. Are you sure you don’t want to come to this dinner?”

She immediately shook her head. “I’m going to eat with your aunt and Cavis, and then I’m going to beat Cavis at King’s Web. We’d be a distraction at dinner, and you’ve got this.” She studied my face, seeming to come to some decision. “I know you’re trying not to think about what will happen with you and Lorian, but…I wanted to let you know I like him.”

“You do?”

“I do. He’s short-tempered and brutal, but I’ve never seen a man look at a woman the way he looks at you. As if you’re his entire reason for breathing.”

I took a deep, shuddering breath. “The elders said I couldn’t keep him.”

“Why are you still thinking about anything they said?”