Page 30 of Wicked Prince of Frost

As we eat in companionable silence, I contemplate my new role.

There is so much I wish to say and know. Surely, I am not expected to keep from speaking unless addressed directly. Of course, I’ll treat him with respect, but demons help me, I will not cower before him or be treated as lesser.

If others are to believe this is real, wouldn’t they expect to see us talking to each other naturally?

“My… Prince?” I start, unable to keep from grimacing.

If I’m not mistaken, even he flinched.

Pushing aside my uncertainty, I straighten my shoulders and, in a casual tone, say, “Considering we will be bound this time tomorrow, is there perhaps another way I may address you when we are alone?”

I flick a glance to each side.

The prince lowers his hands to his lap as he mulls over the request. The warm fire at my back highlights the sharp yet graceful edges of his perfect features.

“You may call me Joon,” he says, then leans forward to add, “Do not be careless with it—we wouldn’t want anyone to misunderstand.”

“Joon,” I say quietly.

Despite his warning, the ghost of a smile, tinted with sorrow, touches his lips as if it has been a long time since he heard anyone else speak his name.

Exhaustion is a heavy weight pressing down on my body, as my consciousness struggles to break through to the waking world.

“My Lady, you must wake up now,” a gentle voice calls to me from a great distance.

Rustling fabric reaches my ears. Whispered words strip away the layers of sleep that cling to me.

“The seventh bride,” a woman’s soft voice says.

“It’s an auspicious number… perhaps the gods will keep her from the same fate as the others,” another adds.

“Silence. It is too soon to know. We must not say anything that might upset the saints,” yet another says. Her voice is deeper and scratchier with age.

“My Lady,” the first woman says again. Clearer and louder than before.

A heavy flutter of fabric brings warm light shining across my face that pierces my closed lids. When I finally open my eyes, I find a woman who only looks a few years older, leaning over me with a placid expression.

My head swims. Everything in sight is unfamiliar and strange. A jolt of panic rushes through my veins. I sit up and glance around, trying to make sense of everything through my disorientation.

A line of five women stands near the door. They all wear the same uniform, a simple light blue dress with wide sleeves that reach their elbows in the front, trailing down to their wrists at the back.

An older woman waits near the foot of my bed, her hands clasped before her. I get a vague impression of disapproval coming from her, though she tries to disguise it. Her uniform is a much darker blue, with a fuller skirt and longer sleeves. Her black hair with bright silver streaks running through it is pulled back into a knot at the nape of her neck.

A hand settles on my shoulder, pulling my attention. The one who woke me. Her black hair is pulled back in a braid that drapes over her shoulder.

She smiles warmly. “My Lady, you must get up now if we are to stay on schedule.” Her outfit is a variation of the others. The color and sleeve length are both somewhere in the middle. Their clothing seems to indicate different ranks.

Her calm demeanor helps me think clearly and remember where I am and why. I nod and push away the covers.

The older woman signals to the lined-up women. They bow before splitting into two groups. Three of them hurry through a side door while the other two exit through the main door.

“He said you might want to eat,” the one at my side says, guiding me over to a low table near the window.

He? Did the prince arrange this after last night?

Before I settle, two women reenter. Each carries a tray. One with food, the other with a teapot, a glass pitcher of water, and a cup for each. They place it all before me, then leave without acknowledgement. Considering the turnover rate for the prince’s wives, I might as well be nothing more than another decoration in the room. Temporary. A flower that will wilt and be replaced soon enough.

“Once you are finished eating, we will begin the preparations, starting with the bath. After that, we will dress you and do your hair and makeup,” the senior woman announces.