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Snowbank? That would be uncomfortable, and cold.

“What? No.”

“None of it is true?” Jesta made a mock frown, though a twinkle shone in her blood-red eyes.

“Not…quite.”

“Pity.”

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Qiana said as Nerys began taking apart her napkin, “the R?ll will be arriving soon.”

“What?”

As if on cue, trumpets sounded. The royal family was here.

The hall paused and then stood en masse, Nerys lagging a moment behind Qiana’s practiced movements.

The R?ll and his two legitimate children entered, with the Kor’yitz immediately following the R?ll and dressed in an opulent red gown trimmed with black lace.

The R?ll himself was a walking jewel shop, covered in golden brocades and lace, and there was much about him that Nerys hoped was an unfortunate effect of the lighting.

The royal family’s faces were stoic and unreadable, and then they took their seats after engaging in a bizarre ritual of bowing and curtseying that made no sense.

180 Then, it was time for everyone to eat.

As for Adelyna, she sat with the rest of her family and proceeded to devour the first course—some sort of bright green soup with beef—without so much as a glance at the wider room.

When she finally looked up, Adelyna found Nerys and gave her a smile, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by her dinner companions.

“Do you know the Kor’yitz well?” An older man with yellow nails asked. He did not bother to introduce himself or say anything else in greeting. Was she supposed to wait for Qiana to speak or could she answer the bald turkey?

“Fairly well—considering that my dear ward arrived at court only a few days ago,” Qiana said, leaping to Nerys’s rescue. “Sword Man Callidora, this is Supreme Land Holder Flavis Detherin. 181 Supreme Land Holder Flavis, this is my ward, Sword Man Callidora.”

“Oh, we know,” a second man said. This one was near the same age as the first, with jowls and lace blocking sight of his neck. “We’ve heard more than a few rumors. Though I must say, none of them do her justice.”

Nerys blushed, more from discomfort than flattery. Not for the first time, she wished Idris could be with her to help with these interactions.

Qiana repeated the introductions again—the second man, Lord No-Neck, was actually Supreme Land Holder Celen Furilla. How was she supposed to remember these names? She would do what courtiers normally did—smile and nod. And let Qiana talk.

“And she’s from the country, too,” Lord Yellow Nails observed. “Why, practically an innocent.”

Nerys resisted the urge to squirm.

“Doesn’t she speak?” Lord No-Neck asked.

“I’m sure she would, but she’s mine for the evening,” Jesta said with a grin. Her companions watched the exchange with an indulgent smile, but kept speaking amongst each other with hushed tones. Probably on how they could ruin their own funerals.

The men huffed and pivoted to discussing an art shipment that was painfully delayed while Qiana discussed the staffing of her chambers with a woman who sat near her. Nerys let out a deep breath and turned to Jesta. “Thank you,” she said softly.

“Of course.” Jesta grinned. “We must do this more often. It’s easier to handle court when you realize how…impermanent everything is.”

“I can imagine that changes things.” Nerys was rewarded with a soft giggle.

Thanks to Jesta, the dinner wasn’t horrible.

That was the kindest thing that could be said about the event.

For a dead woman—or a live one, really—Jesta was a pleasant conversationalist. Unique, at the very least. And she did an excellent job of keeping away the old men—though all corpses likely had that effect on the aged.

After dinner, the royal messenger arrived.

It was time for the private audience. Nerys’s heart skipped.

This was it—she was going to meet the R?ll, the whole reason she was at court in the first place.

They left the table under the stares of curious eyes and followed the servant down a set of secluded halls.

The moment they were out of the court’s sight, it was palpable how much the air around them seemed to lighten.

How did people live their whole lives like this?

“These are the royal family’s quarters,” Qiana explained as they navigated the halls, keeping her voice low. “We are going to a place meant for private gatherings—the court is not invited to these, as they’re usually saved for meetings with diplomats and such.”

Nerys had nothing to say to that.

The servant led them to a relatively small room, which was decorated with the same white wooden paneling and gold paint as the rest of the palace. A plush maroon rug covered the floor, woven with flowers in such an intricate design it may as well have been painted. A room fit for a R?ll.

A R?ll who waited for them. A R?ll Nerys had to seduce—and then kill.

Adelyna stood from her cushioned seat next to the R?ll when they entered, a smile on her face. Not a servant or High Maid was in sight. This was private. “Sun Holder Qiana. Sword Man Callidora. Welcome.”

Qiana curtsied, as smooth and flawless as gentle ripples in a pond. When she rose, she said, “Highest. Your Ascendance.”

It was Nerys’s turn to greet the royals—time to execute the Grand Homage.

The contortionist curtsey. The bane of her training.

Nerys stepped forward, contorted her legs, and sunk to the ground without touching it.

And waited. And waited. Ten whole breaths she crouched, suspended in the air by the wavering strength of her thighs.

“Highest,” she said, forcing her voice even. “Your Ascendance.”

Then it was done. Nerys rose. Her limbs prevailed, despite trembling. Her ass remained upright and under skirts, not splayed on the ground.

“We are pleased to see you,” Adelyna said once Nerys rose.

“Your Ascendance,” Qiana said, “it is always a pleasure. Highest.” Qiana curtsied to the R?ll once more, and Nerys followed suit, this time with a more manageable curtsey.

When she rose, Nerys gripped her hands together to keep them from shaking. She had spent so much time preparing to seduce and kill the R?ll—and here he was, both greater and smaller than she imagined. How was she going to be able to do this? Kill someone who breathed before her ?

Remember what he did to Adilette, that’s how. She hadn’t seen her sister’s ghost in weeks, but that did nothing to dull the memory of her brutalized body. 182

“Apparently, I have your ward to thank for why my heir is in one piece,” the R?ll said, jolting Nerys back to the audience at hand. “A shame she was so unprotected.”

Adelyna blushed, though her expression remained the same. Pleasant. Stone.

“We’re always at the crown’s service, Lord,” Qiana said, bowing her head once more.

It occurred to Nerys that she should say something. “I’m grateful I was able to be of use to the Lady. 183 And of course, to you, Highest.”

The R?ll fixed his eyes on her, and Nerys finally took in the notorious man in person, beneath the layers of jewels and markers of rank.

And barely recognized him from his portraits.

This time, she couldn’t blame the lighting.

The R?ll’s unnaturally painted white face.

His breadstick fingers. Those bulbous eyes burrowed in a white round head, like a malformed snowman.

And she was expected to…do what …with… him ?

This creature was responsible for her sister’s death? For so much death.

Nerys bit her lip and kept her posture perfect.

Nope. The only touching the two of them would be doing was with a knife.

“The Lady has told me that you bear the sight,” the R?ll said, interrupting Nerys’s reverie of disgust. “When it’s time, I am always pleased to have another Sight Bearer at my court.”

“I think she will be ready for an official role by spring, Lord,” Qiana said.

“That long?”

“This has all been a great change for her, Lord,” Qiana said. “Until recently, her small village, Cow’s Fancy, was all she had known.”

“Give Sword Man Callidora time to be accustomed to court, Lord,” Adelyna said, her tone light.

Yes, let “Callidora” not have to worry about anything else. Please.

“Of course,” the R?ll said. “I only meant that if yesterday was any indication, she will have a long vocation ahead of her. She’ll have endless opportunities—especially with you to guide her, Your Brilliance.

” The R?ll’s eyes raked over Nerys’s body, not being subtle about what he meant by “endless opportunities.” Nerys shivered.

What did the R?ll look like naked? Probably as chalky as the rest of him.

Wait—she was supposed to be attracting the R?ll, not passing through this exchange unnoticed.

Nerys smiled and gave the R?ll what was hopefully a coy gaze.

Though while she did, there was Adelyna… Only Idris had looked at her like she was now, like she was the only person in the room that mattered. And unlike the R?ll, Adelyna’s body was probably perfect.

“Yes, she will do well,” Adelyna said, not taking her eyes off Nerys. “I’ll make sure of it.”