Something lifted in my chest. “None of this bothered you?” I asked.
Kenna smiled and shook her head. “I knew his heart, and I never had plans to make a claim on it. We were just …” Her eyes watered then, but she blinked back her tears. “We were just trying to survive Glemaria.”
I knew what the men here were like. I knew how they treated women. The way his father treated his mother—the way Kenna had been treated in front of me already. And I knew far too well how they treated Rhyan. Imperator Hart wanted to hurt me. And he would expect others to do the same. Even if Kenna was meant to get my trust, andbetray me, he’d never come up with something like this. Something this selfless, this understanding. It wasn’t in his nature. It made me completely believe her.
“When I last saw him,” she continued, “I made him promise that he’d find the love he was always looking for. You. I’m glad he did. I risked a lot to save him that night. Because I wanted better for him.” She looked away, something in her aura shifting, then calmed. “He needed to be freed. For Glemaria. And so … here we are.”
I swallowed roughly, starting to like Kenna despite myself. “I believe you. And, I want to trust you.”
“Well, whether you trust me or not, we’re out of time. Let’s start by getting ready,” she said.
“I …” She’d been honest with me. “I’ll accept your help getting dressed. But you should know something. I find it … difficult for people to touch my clothing. I need …” I bit my lip, “I need to know what you’re doing. I need to know you’re not going to rip or take anything off … not that I think you would, but … I just,” my cheeks heated, “I need it all the same.”
Kenna tilted her head to the side, her eyes softening. “You have my word. I’ll show you to the shower. Then I promise, I will only be adding clothing to your person. I’ll keep you informed of what I’m doing as best I can so you’re comfortable.” Her mouth tightened. “But, if you are not dressed properly for dinner within an hour, I cannot promise that Rhyan will not pay for the insolence. And I will not allow him to be hurt any more than he is. Are we understood?”
I looked Kenna up and down, feeling the weight of her question. It wasn’t about getting dressed—but if we were going to be allies. I nodded.
“We’re understood,” I said, and stepped forward, taking her hand in mine. “Help me.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
LYRIANA
Sometime later, I stood before the mirror in Rhyan’s bedroom as Kenna finished lacing my gown. It looked a lot like hers. Glemarian green in color, with suffocatingly long sleeves that flowed past my fingertips, and an extremely tight bodice that flared at the waist. There were no slits below my hips to allow for movement, or the cooling breeze like we had back home, but rather extra layers built into the skirts to add warmth.
The sleeves were so tight against my arms, I’d moved my golden arm cuff to outside the dress. And to top it all off was my new Glemarian hairstyle, courtesy of Kenna. I washed my hair in the shower, feeling admittedly cleaner than I had in weeks. Then Kenna used her stave to summon heat to dry my waves. She pulled some of my front pieces back into a Glemarian styled braid that blended into the rest of my hair. It was … pretty. But not at all like me.
I supposed that was the point. I was supposed to be who Imperator Hart wanted me to be. And as much as I could stand it, I would. But only to get Rhyan and Meera out.
There was a loud knock at the door, and a soturion stepped inside.
“Your Grace,” he said, bowing before Kenna.
I’d turned my head as if he were addressing me, then froze. I had once again forgotten I no longer held that title.
“Lady Lyriana,” he grunted a moment later, “you’re to follow me.”
“Just a moment, soturion.” Kenna pulled my loose hair off my shoulder, and leaned close, whispering in my ear. “Don’t act unaffected by what he’s done. You need to put your pride aside. He sent you here to punish you. Hewantsa reaction. If he thinks it didn’t work, if he doesn’t get what he wants, he’ll do worse.” Her eyes moved pointedly to the bed in the mirror’s reflection. A reminder of my punishment. Of being forced into the same room as Rhyan’s old lover.
There were knots forming in my belly, but my eyes met hers, understanding her meaning.
It was the same advice Rhyan had given me.
Kenna took my hand and squeezed, then stepped back, her expression neutral with the indifference of nobility. Throat dry, I walked out, surrounded by five soturi, each giving me a harsh look. The soturi kept a brisk pace, one that normally would have been easy for me to match. But my legs felt stiff after hours in bed, and I wasn’t sure if the chills across my skin came from the coldness that seemed to seep through the stones of the fortress, or from knowing I was about to see Imperator Hart once more.
I didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t to be taken to a set of private stairs and led to one of the upper floors leading to the towers. When I’d been told dinner, I’d expected we’d be heading down towards the dining halls on the main level. I’d expected we’d be in public—and I’d have some safety granted from the eyes of others. But I was isolated and alone. My anxiety rose as we climbed higher and higher, going in circles as the stairs wound to the point of making me dizzy.
We stopped before a silver door, an emerald green gryphon carving in its center. A soturion knocked, and then announced me.
After experiencing the bleakness of the halls and the Seating Room, I nearly gasped as I was brought inside a shockingly elaborate dining room. Silver platters covered a white marble table in the center. Hundreds of crystals dangled, glowing, from the ceiling like stars. The amount of magic that would have been needed to sustain the lights inside each one would have been immense and had to have been the work of at least a dozen mages. Everywhere I looked, I noticed more details. Elaborate velvet tapestries, and carvings of gryphons within precious metals. Gemstones twinkling inside each corner.
I supposed opulence was reserved for only the Imperator’s private quarters. And the Imperator alone.
Well, he and whoever else he invited to dine with him.
The soturion on guard inside the room saluted the five sentries behind me, and then all at once they exited, closing and locking the door.
Shit. I was alone. No guards, no allies, and no way out. I rushed back to the door, and despite knowing my efforts were futile, I tried to open it. But the doorknob felt as if it had been magically sealed shut. There were no witnesses in the Seating Room. But at least then there’d been Rhyan. Even Kenna had been a comfort. Now? I’d be completely alone and helpless with Imperator Hart.
