“Is something amiss?” the prince asked.
Sonah’s cheeks burned as she looked at the prince, then around the table. Some lords looked at her while others spoke amongst themselves, but it was enough to make Sonah want to vanish into themarble at her feet. She cursed inwardly, knowing the comments she’d get later from the other ladies.
“Your Highness?—”
“Lerek, for goodness’ sake, Sonah.”
The heat in her face threatened to make her faint. “Lerek,” she choked out, “I appreciate the kind invitation, but I?—”
“Not exactly an invitation, Sonah,” Prince Lerek said, arching a dark eyebrow at her. “I am going, so of course you must as well. I apologize for the late notice, but this is official Imperial business and when the emperor gives an order, by the gods, we all must jump.”
“Yes, of course. But, you see?—”
“She will be waiting in the courtyard, Your Highness,” Lady Maranou said, grabbing hold of Sonah’s arm and squeezing. “We will leave you, so we may pack.”
“Your Highness,” an Imperial Guard came in then and handed Lerek a note.
Lady Maranou paused and Sonah yanked her arm free. They waited in silence as Lerek smiled down at the missive before he folded it and slid it into the inside pocket of his coat.
“You’ve been given a reprieve, Lady Sleepy,” Lerek said with a glance at her. He picked at the food on his plate and added, “We now depart on the morrow.”
Sonah perked up. Maybe she’d be able to get those extra hours of sleep after all.
She’d barely smiled at the news before Lady Maranou grabbed her arm once more and led her from the room.
“Lady Maranou, please!”
“We have plenty of work to do before the morning,” the matron responded, her grip tightening.
“Yes, of course, but I had other things planned for the day, you know. Wait. How long am I going to be gone, exactly?”
“Your duty is to the prince.”
“But he never travels outside the empire,” Sonah whined. “Why now and who is this godsdamned new king, anyway?”
“You ask too many questions! And how many times have I warned you about your language!” Lady Maranou hissed at her, tugging her so close, some spittle hit Sonah’s cheek. “This is an important opportunity for you!”
Sonah wrenched her arm away and vigorously wiped at her cheek. She continued to stomp toward her chamber, huffing as she took the stairs with more than her usual vigor. “Perfect. Pray, enlighten me.”
“I’ve heard the emperor wishes Prince Lerek to marry from amongst the firstborn daughters of the realm. Since all of you ladies are already here in your capacity as Tasters to the firstborn lords—and prince, of course—you, being Prince Lerek’s Royal Taster, should be the one he chooses. And now you have significantly fewer competitors for who knows how many months!”
Sonah stopped so abruptly Lady Maranou slammed into her back with a squeak of surprise. Sonah turned around, gaping, and for once the color drained from her face to leave behind cold sweat.
“My nose!”
“What are you saying?” Sonah asked in horror.
Lady Maranou rubbed at her thick nose and glared up at Sonah on the step above. “My nose!”
“Oh, hang your nose, Sybil!” Sonah hissed, turning once more to stomp up the last few steps before turning toward her room. “I have no wish to marry Lerek, and I won’t be forced to perform any function other than that of Royal Taster, which is the only reason I am even here!”
Lady Maranou followed further behind, her voice nasally and muffled when she responded. “Well, I have already sent word to your father, so you’d better do all you can to gain the prince’s interest. You’ve seen how quickly the ladies are working to secure time with him. So if the Ladies Tollis and Merina are traveling with the prince’s retinue, you’d better believe they’re going to try to win his favor. And so shall you.”
Sonah stared at the matron as if she’d grown a third eye. “You wrote the—you wrote to my father? Already?”
“Of course,” Lady Maranou said with a sniff. She strode toward the trunk at the foot of the bed and rummaged until she found the buried riding habit Sonah hadn’t worn since the hunt last autumn.
“Oh, gods above, this is filthy!” Lady Maranou said and threw a nasty look at Sonah before bundling it up in her arms. Since riding wasn’t a particular favorite pastime of hers, Sonah had forgotten all about the mud caked on her riding outfit.
