Page 74

Chapter Seventy-Three: Rhea

“Are you nervous about tonight?” Elora asks as she shelves a book in the history section of the palace library.

“What is there to be nervous about? It’s just dancing, right?”

I had spent the past week trading magic lessons in the evenings for dancing ones with Nox in preparation for the Autumnal Ball. While the ball is named after the fast-approaching season, we are still a few weeks away from the official start of it. The ball, Nox had told me as I tripped over my own two feet, is a way to honor the transition from summer to autumn, the withering of warmth and life before the death of winter and rebirth of spring.

“Yes, it’s dancing, but as long as you’re on Nox’s arm, the people who haven’t grown used to seeing you around the palace will find you quite fascinating to observe.”

I wrinkle my nose, giving her a book from her cart when she extends an empty hand out to me. “Why does that make it seem like I’m an animal on display?”

Elora snorts. “I suppose, in a way, you are. Not the animal part, but the display part.” Adjusting her glasses, she extends her hand out again for another book to shelve. “This is the first big public event since Nox has returned and announced your courtship. Even though you guys haven’t been shy about the fact that you’re together when you’re out and about, and for the record, you aren’t shy about it.” She looks over her shoulder at me and wiggles her eyebrows as a blush stains my cheeks. “There’s something fascinating about the story that the prince is dating someone supposedly not of noble birth.”

“If they only knew,” I joke under my breath.

“Have you heard anything recently from the council?” Elora asks.

I let out a resigned sigh. Nox had returned late on the third day from his trip to Polatos. He looked as if he’d been riding all day to get home as quickly as possible. Though my magic had shown its disdain for us being apart, writhing beneath my skin enough that I had to expel it more frequently than my usual daily practice sessions, our time apart had otherwise been fine. I trained with Daje, who stepped in for Cass—the latter having gone on the trip as Nox’s guard. I spent time with Elora and Nox’s parents. Elora and I visited Starla and the other children at the orphanage, much to the little girl’s disdain. Though it felt as if a piece of me was missing, I was proud of the fact that I didn’t completely crumple in on myself because of his absence. Nox held me tightly to him his entire first night back, and it took well into the next morning, after joining our bodies multiple times, before both of our magics finally settled.

Unfortunately, the council still seems unwavering in their disdain of me. “No. They have been keeping Nox busy from basically sunup to sundown. He’s studying laws and codes and shadowing his father. It’s almost as if…” I trail off, not wanting to give voice to the worry that’s been steadily building inside of me.

“Almost as if they are trying to keep you guys apart,” she guesses.

I nod my head. “They’ve even suggested moving me to the second floor, as it’s apparently improper for us to be sleeping in the same room.” Nox had met me out on the balcony on the lower level of the palace for tea right after the council suggested that to him. To say he had been frustrated would be an understatement. “I wish there was something more I could do. I offered to speak to the council again, but Nox said that when he brought it up, they declined.”

“Well, you said King Sadryn changed things, so the council has no say in your relationship, right? Maybe they will ease up with time. Seems like such a silly thing to harp on when, in the end, it won’t make a difference.”

I hum in agreement, reaching for the next book—a tome that necessitates two hands to pick it up. “Gods, why is a book labeled The Origins of The Albero Tree so large? Surely its roots don’t need this much explanation.”

Elora chuckles, reaching for the book only for it to topple out of both of our hands. Within a blink, pink magic surrounds the book, keeping it from smacking loudly into the cart. She huffs out a breath and guides the book to its place on the shelf, her magic as beautiful as a blooming blush rose. “That was close.”

When the rest of the books on the cart are put away, we bid Rayna farewell and make our way to the second floor of the palace. Elora links her arm with mine, her eyes taking in every detail of the autumnal decor that we pass. “Thank you for inviting me to get ready with you, Rhea. Normally, it’s my mother and I arguing about how to do my hair or which dress I should wear. Though she didn’t argue at all when I told her about my custom palace - made attire.”

I laugh, even as a small pang of longing at the thought of getting ready for something as monumental as my first ball without my mother constricts my throat. With only knowing mere facts about my mother, Luna, and only a handful at that, I think I would have liked her. Or maybe that’s just the wishful thoughts of a woman pining for something she’s never had before. While I didn’t have a traditional mother and father, or family really, I did have the memory of Alexi. Of Bella. I have Nox, Elora, and Cass. Even Daje, a man who is keeping my secret despite who his father is and the power he holds. There are Sadryn and Alexandria, Barron and Sarai, and the countless friendly mages I have encountered in my months here so far. Each of them has filled a part of me that I once thought might always be empty.

I may have lost the family I was born into, but I have made a new one right here. And I am happy for the first time in my life; I can say that with certainty. I am well and truly happy .

We pass a door with an image carved into the dark wood—a crescent moon on top of a flaring sun and surrounded by stars. Gold paint fills the carvings, making the symbol stand out.

A woman pops her head out from a doorway farther down, her eyes widening as she beckons her hand to us and shouts, “You’re here! Come, it’s time to get ready!” Elora yelps as more women appear, and she and I are whisked off to separate bathrooms within the suite.

“What is your name?” I ask the lady-in-waiting who starts the water for the tub.

“Elowen, My Lady,” she answers, dipping her chin as her dark blue eyes look up at me from under her lashes.

“Elowen, if it’s alright with you, I’d like to do the shower part myself.”

Sometimes, in my quiet moments while doing something as mundane as reading or going for a walk, the feeling of the night Alexi died would hit me as if I were back there once more. It always felt more visceral than a simple memory. I didn’t only see the blade going through his chest, but I could hear it—smell the iron in the air and feel the wood beneath my knees shake when his body collapsed to the ground. Once, in the shower, Nox was simply rubbing a cloth over my shoulder, and I was brought back to when Tienne and Erica had done the same. It had taken a long while to calm the tremors of my body, to then explain to Nox what had happened and watch his own guilt play out in his eyes. Maybe it was selfish, but I was looking forward to tonight, and I didn’t want it tainted by a nightmare from the past if I could help it.

“Of course, Lady Rhea, it is no trouble at all. I’ll be just outside the room when you’re ready.” Elowen bows, the act surprising me, before she leaves. Some of the palace staff treat me as if I am already a princess, an action that I am still unsure how to respond to. Others hardly regard me with more than an obligatory nod as they pass in the halls. Of all the things I had fantasized about happening if I left the tower, the politics of palace life when dating a royal was not one of them.

I take my time in the shower, reviewing the dance moves Nox taught me in the hope that it might distract me as well as improve my actual dancing tonight. Once I’m out, Elowen guides me to sit at a small vanity, Elora already seated at one to my right.

Elowen’s magic is a brilliant red, and she uses it to manipulate the air to dry my hair, gently guiding the element so that, when she’s done, there is a soft curl at my ends. Then she leaves the room, coming back with my dress in hand.

“It’s stunning,” I whisper in awe. I hadn’t seen it completely finished yet.

Elowen smiles widely before guiding me to a part of the room where a divider is set up, Elora getting the same treatment when her lady-in-waiting comes out with her own gown.

My dress is a rich, dark green with twin panels of soft pleated fabric coming up from the cinched waist to cover my breasts and attach to a cape at my shoulders. The cape flows down nearly to the floor, covering my otherwise exposed back. Though most of the middle of my chest and sternum are free of fabric, a thick embroidery of what looks like the bare branches of a tree dipped in silver starts on one side of the dress and stretches across my bare skin to the other side, offering a little more modesty. I wonder if it’s completely irrelevant, however, when twin slits split my dress all the way up to the top of my thigh.

Elowen shows me how to adjust the cape so that it can either come around my shoulders more or stay held back. “Come, you must see yourself.”

Walking out past the divider, I take in Elora from across the room, her beautiful russet-colored gown complimenting her fair skin and red hair and showing off her lovely curves. “Elora, you look beautiful,” I gasp out.

But she shakes her head while she walks towards me, her eyes glassy as she draws them over me. “Rhea, you are ethereal .”

Stepping up to a large gold-framed mirror propped up against the white stone wall, my hands tremble as I take in my reflection. My skin holds a slightly darker pigmentation, time spent training outside these past weeks having given it a kiss of a tan. It glows against the dark hue of the dress, my honey-blonde hair curled perfectly and hanging to just above my hips. I had chosen to keep the dragon necklace on, the black pendant shining between the panels of fabric against my chest. Elowen opted to keep my face bare of anything more than a light lip color, the soft pink brightening the green of my eyes. Swallowing, I wait for the familiar feelings of self-doubt to rise—the ones that whisper that I’m not worthy enough to wear something this lovely. But the longer I stare at my reflection, Elora smiling brilliantly at my side, the more that anticipation fades away until all I feel is simply beautiful .

“Nox is going to lose his mind when he sees you,” Elora cackles, smoothing a hand down the tulle of her own dress and causing the bits of gold to glitter under the light of the spelled flames as she does.

“And is there someone who is going to lose it when they see you ?” I ask, lifting a brow.

Elora snorts, twisting in front of the mirror to look at the back of her dress which dips low into a V-shape. “I’m sure there are a few who will be excited to see that I have crawled out of my cave of books. We’ll see if I decide any of them are worthy of a dance tonight.”

We laugh as Elowen walks over to the vanity I was seated at and carefully removes something from a satin pouch. “There is one more piece, Lady Rhea,” she says softly, returning to my side. She shows me a diadem made of silver and glittering diamonds, a large flaring sun set in its center while a crescent moon lays beneath it. Shining bursts of stars surround the celestial markers in different heights, making the piece look larger than it truly is. A design of swirling diamonds, like that of a misty sky or churning sea, makes up the bottom portion.

I shake my head, meeting her gaze. “There must be a mistake; I did not request this.”

“His Highness, Prince Nox, did,” she answers, her lips twitching as she does. She motions for me to face the mirror again, standing behind me as she carefully places the diadem on my head and weaves strands of hair around its sides to hold it in place.

When her hands leave the small crown, there is an abrupt and sharp tugging on my stomach, making me gasp as an image bursts to life in my mind:

A woman, her hair so blonde it’s nearly white and eyes a green that matches my own, adjusts the same diadem over her head. The woman hums as she smooths over her black and white silk dress with her hand. A dark-skinned man with black hair to his shoulders comes up behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist.

“Are you ready, my love?” he asks, kissing the shell of her ear. “We can’t be late for our very first ball.”

She laughs, turning her head to the side to meet his gaze. “I’m so very happy you are here with me. I do not think I could have done this—rule them—alone.”

They kiss, and my stomach is pulled on sharply again as the image fades and I find myself staring at my own reflection.

“Are you alright, Rhea?” Elora asks, her fingers gently touching my forearm with concern.

I shake my head, blinking in confusion. “Yes, I—” I’m thankfully interrupted when someone knocks on the door.

Elowen leaves my side to answer it, speaking in a low voice before gently shutting it. “His Highness is here to escort you, My Lady.”

I swallow, pushing the odd experience to the back of my mind for now. Elowen gathers the other ladies-in-waiting and heads for the door, Elora following behind them.

“I’ll give you guys some alone time so he can properly drool over you,” she teases, pushing her glasses farther up her nose. “But I’ll see you on the dance floor!”

I laugh as I wave goodbye, my smile growing wider when I hear her whistle and compliment Nox in the hallway. And then he steps into the room.

Air is pulled from my lungs at the sight of him, my body going both taut and loose at the same time. “Stars above,” I whisper, drinking every detail in with hungry eyes while he does the same to me. The onyx lapels of his jacket shine while beneath it, a deep blue button-up shirt—the top few buttons left undone—shows a hint of his light brown skin. Black trousers and finely made dress shoes of the same color complete the outfit; the entire ensemble is enough on its own to send my heartrate soaring. But it’s what rests on top of his wavy black hair, a few rogue strands hanging over his forehead, that leaves me surprisingly coiled with desire. A crown made of black metal, its short triangle-shaped spires inset with large diamonds, holds my attention even as he closes the door and begins to walk towards me. At its center is the same flaring sun as the one on my diadem—except that crescent moons flank either side, facing in opposite directions.

“In all my dreams, I could never have imagined anyone as absolutely perfect as you are, Rhea.” His gaze pores over me once more, unabashedly lingering on every dip and curve. I take a step towards him, revealing the slits that show an expanse of skin on both legs, and Nox’s eyes become a churning midnight storm, his hands flexing at his sides.

“The diadem was a surprise,” I tell him, sliding my hands up the firmness of his chest. Warmth from his fingers permeates my sides as they rest over the exposed skin there. Nox shrugs, as if dressing me in a crown in front of the kingdom—in front of the council —was nothing short of expected. “And it matches yours,” I add on with an arched brow. This time, the corner of his mouth lifts followed by a gentle squeeze of his hands.

“Is it a bad thing that I wanted everyone to know who you are to me? To this kingdom?”

My own smile wobbles as I search his gaze. “The council won’t like the message we’re sending.” Even if it is unintentional. Though I doubt very much Nox hadn’t already thought of any implications that might arise when I show up on his arm adorned in a Mage Kingdom crown.

“They’ll get over it,” he says much too confidently, then chuckles at the less than convinced look on my face. “It doesn’t matter, Rhea. As long as you’re mine, everyone else is going to have to get on board. Now, come on. We have two things we need to take care of.”

“Two?” I question, interlacing my fingers with his and walking at his side as we exit the room. I knew of one thing that Nox wanted— I wanted—to do before the ball tonight. One that I had spent time talking with him about ever since Selene brought it up on my last visit to the Middle.

“It’s a surprise.” His eyes sparkle, something knowing and excited gleaming in them. I expect to head to the first floor, but instead, we continue up the stairs to the third, my steps slowing when we come to his room. “Not here.” He gestures farther down the hall, where the secret door to the garden is. Nox turns us so that we are facing each other, the door like an ominous ghost hovering at our sides.

“I know you’ve tried going down alone, and unless you haven’t told me, I’m assuming that you haven’t made it to the bottom yet.” I shake my head as I hold his gaze. “I was hoping we could try again, together. If you want.”

I turn my gaze to the door, as if it will give me its opinion on the matter. But this decision, like all of the ones I’ve made while with Nox, lies solely with me. I could feel defeated that I hadn’t been able to conquer this on my own, or I could celebrate the fact that I wasn’t alone anymore. That I had someone who loved me unconditionally and who knew when to push and when to give me the time and space to figure things out on my own. Who knew me better than I sometimes knew myself, but who never forced me in a direction that I hadn’t chosen on my own.

Looking back to him, his face open and gaze soft, I smile and say, “Let’s go.”