This time, I was the one who said it “More.”
15
Paige
I stared at the mirror,blinking like my reflection might change if I focused hard enough.
The woman looking back at me wasn’t me. Not really. Sure, the green eyes and riot of curls were the same—well, not exactly the same. My hair was magically tamed into an intricate up-do, a crown of braids threaded with tiny golden chains and jewels that sparkled under the soft, golden lights of the room. The gown, too, didn’t belong to the me I’d been back on Earth. It was so far from my Trus-T-Kleen uniform it was laughable.
This was the queen’s uniform. Ha!
At least if I looked like this, maybe I could actually get inside Queen’s Castle and try to figure out who murdered my parents. I thought about what Addan’s parents had said. The others too. What they’d hinted at since they had no proof. On Earth, I’d have to sneak about, searching drawers and desks and even laptops for incriminating letters and emails.
I wasn’t a private investigator, and this was space. SPACE.
That meant fancy, complicated computers. Technology I couldn’t even imagine. I’d transported across the galaxy! There had to be some proof in the palace about my parents’ murder and the overthrowing of the royal family. Right?
If Queen Alienor really was guilty, then the information would be in her home. Queen’s Castle. The most protected place on the planet. Which meant the data was safe from people like me who wanted the truth.
I didn’t want to believe my own cousins were killers. I refused to believe it without proof. I needed access. Needed to snoop. Needed to know what happened. Desperately. And I wasn’t getting inside the palace wearing my hot pink work polo and threadbare khaki pants.
The skirt fanned out like something from an old fairy tale, layer upon layer of shimmering gold fabric swirling around me. Light as air and cool like the richest satin. The dark blue bodice was snug, the design simple yet commanding, with intricate, golden embroidery at the neckline. I had no idea my boobs could look so good. The shimmering accents caught the light as I turned slightly, reminding me of stars sparkling against a midnight blue sky.
I’d never, not once in my life, compared my clothes to… anything.
Behind me, Sorcha adjusted the hem of her dress. She was dressed in a deep black gown, fitted through the bodice and waist but with a cascade of gauzy, shimmering fabric that trailed behind her like liquid light. The silver of her hair, left loose to frame her delicate features, glittered with tiny star-shaped pins that matched the silver filigree of her necklace. It was obvious this was normal for her. She didn’t stare at herself as if she was on a makeover show or if someone was impersonating her.
Me? I felt like an impersonator. A very well dressed one.
“You look… incredible,” Sorcha said softly, stepping up beside me. Her smile was kind and open, not a hint of mean girl spirit where she’d tell me the color made me look sallow or it would look better on her. No, she was just downright nice. And she looked like her brother, which was a problem because I spent the night with him getting hard-core railed.
Naughty and nice. This planet was giving me whiplash. And amazing orgasms. And stunning clothes.
“She looks exactly like the queen,” Catriona added, her voice quieter, more wary.
Catriona, standing just behind Sorcha, wore a gown of rich emerald, its elegant lines emphasizing her statuesque frame. The neckline, subtly adorned with jewels, reflected the blue of her piercing eyes. Her silver-white hair was twisted into a sleek chignon, with a single emerald comb holding it in place. She stood with her arms crossed, a faintly guarded expression on her face.
She didn’t mean Queen Alienor. It seemed she meant the queen her entire family wished was still alive and still on the throne. The queen Addan had spent hours this very morning teaching me about. He’d brought me more books and spent hours answering every question I could think of, and some that hadn’t crossed my mind until he was already answering them. It was as if he could read my mind. With all the sex and orgasms he’d been giving me, maybe he could. He seemed to know exactly how to touch me to make me lose my mind.
I swallowed, not seeing any part of my former self in the reflection staring back at me. His sisters were right. I’d seen the portrait of my mother before Addan brought me to their home. I’d thought it was like looking at another person, someone unreachable and perfect. Now, standing here, I felt like I was staring at her ghost. Tears threatened as I felt close to her in this moment. That I was where she wanted me to be, even thoughshe’d sent me in an escape pod to a far-off planet. That I was in the role I was destined to have. To follow in her footsteps. To not only look like her but perhaps rule the planet with her gentle and ordered approach that had been revered and loved by all.
“Wow,” Sorcha said, stepping closer, her silvery hair swishing around her shoulders as she studied me. As if she, too, now truly believed I might be more than some random woman who’d accidentally arrived on her planet. “Paige, have you ever seen yourself like this?”
I shook my head and swallowed hard.
“Not even close,” I admitted. My voice wavered as the seamstress and the ladies responsible for my hair and makeup bowed deeply and left the room. They should be really dang proud of themselves for this transformation. To them, I was the ugly duckling they turned into a well-dressed swan.
Since this afternoon, when they’d led me into the bath, they’d all been bowing and acting like I was made from spun glass. They were afraid to meet my eyes or even talk in my presence. If it wouldn't have hurt their feelings, I’d have laughed at the absurdity.
They had no idea who I really was. None. I never felt fragile when I was scrubbing toilets or arguing with my landlord about the broken water heater. It probably took them twice as long as usual because of my rough hands, horrible nails and hair that never once had a hot oil treatment or quality cut.
Standing here looking like a Holiday Barbie didn’t magically turn me into one. Looking like a queen didn’t make me feel like royalty, either.
But none of them knew that. It was clear I was now a visible reminder of a political shift for the entire planet.
Me.
ME.
