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“I mean after the wedding,” I said and shifted, my eyes searching the room. I don’t know what I was looking for.Somethingto make sure there was no one listening in. The thought that Nadine could be anywhere, watching us, was getting to me.

The feeling of being watched, whether it was true or not, caused my skin to crawl. All I could think about was keeping the princess safe. Getting us out of here.Anything.They were too close for comfort.

Atlas crossed my mind. The magical artifact was hidden away in my room, so if worse came to worst?—

“Are you asking me to run away with you?” she asked with a smile. When I met her gaze, she laughed and turned back to the mirror. “Father would be after us in an instant. Especially because he can’t afford for his property to fall into the wronghands. And don’t get me started on that crazy father of yours. You still have a job to do, don’t you remember?”

All too fucking well.

“Atlas, she has passage?—”

“Is there something I should be concerned about, Vesper?” She was facing the mirror, but her eyes were on me.

I swallowed thickly.Yes.But I didn’t want to burden her with it. I could handle it myself. I just needed time tothink.

“Has your stepmother stopped bothering you?” I asked, unable to come up with anything else.

She held my gaze for a moment longer before looking back at herself. A smile played on her lips.

“I haven’t had a chance tovisither yet,” she said. “Though I will soon. It had to be perfect, you see?—”

She was interrupted by a knock. Her eyes flitted to the door, and a smile spread across her face. “Oh, finally! Come in!”

And then, as if things couldn’t get worse, Nadine’s face peered into the room. My hand reached for the sword on my back. My body was tense.

“Sorry, miss, I just had to get oriented?—”

“After Father killed the last one,” Aurelia said, giving me a look. “I found myself in the market for another. She will be my new one, starting today. Came from Dalia’s family with glowing reviews?—”

I had to tune out her words, unable to keep my rage in check. Nadine stood there, her hands folded against her stomach, looking like a picture-perfect handmaiden for a princess like Aurelia.

You have a week,her smile said. Her eyes were on me the entire time while Aurelia introduced her.

I debated killing her right then and there. We were alone in the room with only Aurelia. At least there would be no witnesses.But there was always a chance that she could sneak past me and hurt Aurelia before I had a chance to kill her.

They are better prepared than I thought.I could see the strategy. They were trying to fuck with my head. Get me scared, so I’d either hurry up or fuck up.

And it’s working.

But if they thought I’d just let them interfere, they were fucking wrong.

“Get rid of her,” I ordered Aurelia, not even sparing her a glance. “You don’t need a handmaiden.”

“And what, haveyoutake over?” Aurelia asked with a scoff. The sound of her standing reached my ears, and her hand was on my shoulder in moments. “You can’t expect a spoiled princess like me to live without a handmaiden, can you?”

She was saying it to annoy me. To continue our playful game.

But I wasn’t playing anymore. Not when they were forcing my hand.

“Come help me with my hair. Father has guests today,” she said and motioned for Nadine to follow her back to the vanity.

I stood by, watching helplessly. When the princess wasn’t looking, Nadine sent me a wink. It took everything in me to stay planted.

I turned to watch them in the mirror as Aurelia explained how she wanted her hair. Nadine nodded along, her hands gently taking Aurelia’s long locks in her hands before she began twisting them away from her face.

Those hands were too close to Aurelia’s neck for me to relax. I had seen those same hands handle weapons, covered in the blood of our classmates. Her eyes met mine in the mirror, telling me she was remembering the same.

You have a week.