Page 20

Chapter

Sixteen

R ed is my color. It is bold, strong, and sexy.

I’m over blue and the simpering females who swoon at the sight of a flexed muscle or a cocky smirk.

Red says I am confident in my path, and if you want to be part of it, you have to ask politely.

Prove yourself worthy of being in my life, not the other way around.

My only makeup is the swipe of red on my lips that is a shade brighter than my dress.

Facing the mirror, I turn to the side and lean down to check that my boobs are safe in the daring, plunging neckline of this gown. No nip slips. All good here.

The mirror goes smokey, and my mirror man faces me. He blinks at my position, and for a hot tempo, I think I have miscalculated and he’s getting a look at some of my goods—again. But at least I’m not mid-pee flow this time.

“Fair Delilah, you are a vision in red,” he settles on.

I straighten and give him a quick twirl. The floor-length skirt flares out around me, the tiniest of gems shimmering like moving stars.

“Thank you. Is everything okay? I wasn’t expecting to see you until our return.”

“The genie informed us you would stay in this evening to snack on sausages provided by the knights.”

I bet all the goats in Far, Far Away that wasn’t what the genie said, but the mirror man has his own unique view of the realm, much like me, and no one should poop on someone’s view.

“If they are lucky, I’ll make snacks of their sausages,” I mutter. “Is my sister well?”

He nods. “She sends her sternest.”

Sternest? Odd word to send, yet it sounds like Gwyneth. “And Charming?”

“Is currently occupied with two of his younger brothers making a bid for the throne with their own Cinderellas.”

That should help keep Gwyneth safe, especially if one of them successfully takes the throne. Then Prince Poopfloof can go be a sad reject elsewhere, away from us and my sister’s floof.

“But she wants you to know your sword is glowing,” the mirror man declares.

“How?”

“That’s what she asked me to ask you.”

“I am not even in the same castle. How would I know?”

“It is your sword.”

“Barely. I haven’t had time to get acquainted with what makes the blade glow. Did anyone touch him? Maybe he’s lonely and needs a fondle to feel loved and wanted?”

Trust me to get a needy, judgy sword. If he wasn’t so judgy, I might have paid him more attention, but everyone knows you shouldn’t reward bad behavior. He would have to wait until I get back. “Tell him he is in a time out to think about his behavior and attitude,” I declare.

The mirror man tilts his head. “Does the sword speak?”

“No, he judges. You don’t need words for that.”

“Got it. I shall report back to Miss Geni.” The mirror man gets close to the surface and sweeps his gaze over me. “You are missing something.”

“Nope, I’m good. I just need to survive these feasts, get our answers, and be back at the Hallowed Palace by mid meal.”

“No, you are definitely missing something. Oh, I have it.”

He disappears, and I’m left staring dumbstruck at the now empty mirror. Maybe he was missing his memory and now he has it? Which is why he left—because he realized he had somewhere to be. Well, so do I.

I stride to the door and fling it open. A burst of glittering powder explodes in my face, making me sneeze. I stand completely still for a tempo as the fine particles swirl through the air. They look familiar. I’ve seen them before, but where? Oh no. No, no, nope. Not happening.

“Tell me I didn’t breathe in ground unicorn horn?” I beg whoever may be listening.

“I could, Calamity, but I don’t lie,” Hart drawls.

I waft the air, revealing Theo standing in front of me, blinking. He, too, is covered in the powder. Don’t care how shiny these people want to be, dick powder should not be a thing.

“It doesn’t wash off,” I growl out. “What possessed you to come at me with it?”

Theo shrugs. “The mirror man said you needed it.”

“Only to make you the most fair,” the mirror man declares as he appears in the oval mirror hung on the wall in the living area. “But now the knight is competing for the honor. I don’t like this. A man should not threaten your position. I vote we kill him.”

“Wow, that escalated quickly,” Malachi says from his grinning position on the sofa.

“Nobody is killing any of you,” I say, like my proclamation is law. It should be. I would make the realm far more interesting if they consulted me.

Theo places the empty glass container on the bookcase and grabs my hand to drag me into the center of the room. He twirls me around, the excess glitter creating a wispy, shimmering cloud around us.

“He’s still the most fair,” the mirror man grumbles. “I cannot remain. My world will not be right until I reinstate my maiden.” He disappears in a poof of smoke.

“You upset my mirror man,” I tell Theo.

He drops a soft kiss on my lips and grins. “He will recover once he understands nobody could ever rival your beauty, Daphne. I think the ocean made him extra nutty.”

“They smashed all the mirrors. That must be like witnessing the death and destruction of your race. It’s genocide.”

“Smashing mirrors doesn’t kill the people in them,” Nash adds as he stands from the sofa.

“Okay, so theoretical genocide,” I say. “But they don’t know that, which makes them extra guilty.”

“It’s the way she makes nonsense make sense,” Hart says. “It’s a skill.”

“I have many of them. Glad you are catching up.”

He shakes his head as he too stands, and suddenly I am surrounded by tall muscly knights dressed in their finest clothing.

Black pants, shiny black boots, pressed white shirts, and forest-green overcoats finished with shiny silver buttons.

I’ve never seen them this dressed up before, even at the balls back at the Hallowed Palace.

I suppose they are making an extra effort since this is their home, where the folks seem to crave the knights’ attention, not shy away from it.

“Game plan for tonight is to attend for the shortest time possible,” Nash informs us. “Enough so that Arthur will give us the answers he’s promised come morning, but not so long that we get into trouble.”

He means me. I am the trouble we can’t get into.

“Did Arthur go anywhere of note?” I ask, knowing they were keeping an eye on him.

Malachi shakes his head. “Not that we witnessed. Either he’s got nothing to hide, or he was aware of our scrutiny.”

“Definitely scrutiny,” Hart says. I agree. Their father is a bad sort. There’s no way these knights came from his loins.

“We should go. The quicker we arrive, the sooner we can leave,” Theo says. He’s so glittery that he is lighting up the room. I’m sure I look just as ridiculous.

“Indeed,” Malachi says as he opens the door out of their quarters. “Let’s take the glitter twins out for a show.”

I hold my head in the air and stride past Malachi. He wraps a hand around the back of my neck and drops a quick kiss on my lips with a grin. “You are still stunning, Daphne, even covered in ground unicorn di?—”

I slap my hand over his mouth. “Nope. This is the vegan version, made from flowers and grass.” He shakes his head as his eyes dance with mirth. Wonderful. He’s going to tease me non-stop now.

Nash herds us out of the room and into a chilly stone hallway lit with small flickering candles that make our shadows dance on the walls as we pass.

It takes five tempos of winding corridors before we arrive outside the familiar doors to the great hall. The clinking of glassware, the tittering of female laughter, and the low rumble of male voices spill from the gap under the door.

Two men stationed outside fling open the doors to reveal a crowded hall.

For once, I am not trying to poison or stab someone at a royal gathering.

It’s nice having a lack of purpose for the evening.

Hopefully, that means no mishaps. You can’t ruin a plan if there is no plan, proving again why my method of winging it is superior.

At least there is no grand announcement on our arrival. Regardless, everyone turns to stare at us. I try to pretend they don’t notice the extra sparkle Theo and I are rocking. They can’t handle us. It’s not their fault that we outshine them.

“Are you hungry?” Malachi asks in my ear as he links his arm through mine. A few scowls appear on the faces of the women in the room.

“Always, but have I earned it?” I mutter as I lean into his ear and graze my teeth along the lobe. My hair shields my scandalous actions, and I delight in the shudder that makes him tremble.

He twists his head so we are staring into each other’s eyes. “Let’s call it a down payment for future services. But not too far in the future. Tonight should suffice.”

I giggle and let him lead me to the enormous table filled with the most delightful food, and not a single fish egg in sight. Praise the Idols.

“I’ll go get us a drink. Don’t move,” Malachi says.

I take my time piling my plate high with a variety of food before turning around to find Hart standing only a few inches from me. He stares at my plate and raises a brow.

“You going for a real variety of food groups, Calamity?”

“Of course. We have deer, bunkum, and capon.”

“Those are all meat.”

“Different meat, different food group. Anyone would think you uncultured, Hart.”

He shakes his head as a delicate feminine hand wraps around his arm. He glances over his shoulder and turns, giving me his back, which is now ramrod straight.

“Felicity,” he says. It’s a gentle tone, one I’ve never been on the receiving end of. “How are you?”

“Aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend, Hart?” Her voice is like listening to sweet music; soft, lulling, dreamy. I want to kill her.