Gingerly, I patted her back. I probably shouldn’t touch royalty, but I couldn’t push the poor kid away. (Wasshe the princess? I’d started to suspect she might be a body double because of her timidity.)
The carriage stopped a little ahead of us, then a man stepped out. He had short wavy hair so blond as to almost be white, bright green eyes, and the slightly pointed ears of a half-elf. Now I was quite convinced I had to be seeing things after hitting my head, because that man looked exactly like my ex-boyfriend, Falael.
A green velvet coat filled out his skinny arms. He wore so many golden chains around his neck that he clattered like dry bones. A pomander dangled from the longest chain, the perfumed ball smelling of ambergris and civet. He picked up the girl by the scruff of her neck. “Antonia, what are you doing, trying to run off? You should be more careful.” Despite his words, his tone showed no concern. He tossed Antonia—yes, that was the princess’s name—back into the carriage as if she’d been a package he didn’t care much about denting.
“Stop! She could be injured!” I cried. The carriage door slammed shut. “It wasn’t her fault. It sounded to me like someone pushed her.”
“Bora!” His eyes widened. “Fancy meeting you here. It’s been so long.” He extended his arms. “Come, give me a kiss.”
By the light of the Sun God, thiswasmy ex-boyfriend.
He had a lot of nerve greeting me warmly, given that we’d broken up after he’d cheated on me with my former best friend. You’d think that would be the worst thing he could do to me, but nope, he’d also stolen my savings. I’d desired to never see him again, and it only depressed me that he’d clearly done well for himself since we’d last met since he’d joined the escort of the princess. Rings gleamed on his fingers, his collar was made of snow-white fur, and he wore one of those extremely expensive blue triangular hats with an ostrich feather sticking out. Meanwhile, I had started to sweat and was bundled up in my dirty traveling clothes. Nothing worse than running into an ex when you look like shit.
To my horror, I realized he was attempting to kiss me on the lips, not the cheek. I pushed his forehead back with my palm before he could touch me. “Falael, let’s not play games. I don’t like you. We didn’t part on good terms. Get back in your carriage and comfort the princess.”
The crowd around us murmured. Although they gave more space to someone who looked like a nobleman, I could feel curious staresbeating into me. Just like Falael to always make a scene. Once upon a time, I’d believed his claims to be a victim of the constant drama going on around him. I’d been young and stupid back then, not realizing thathewas the drama.
Falael pouted. “I understand. I broke your heart.” He pulled my hand off his forehead and attempted to take off my mitten to kiss it.
I yanked my hand back, but he held on to my wrist. Who the hell had a broken heart? In retrospect, dumping me had been the best thing Falael had ever done for me. But I knew it would be pointless to tell him so. Falael lived in his own world, where he’d never done anything wrong in his entire life. I’d wasted enough of my time on him.
This walking ball of oil and perfume couldn’t be reasoned with. I only smiled and said, “Indeed, I pined so terribly for you that I developed a skin disease. Rare and highly contagious.”
Upper lip curling, Falael stared at me. He must have suspected I was bluffing, but rather than risk it, he finally released my hand.
A woman, perhaps a decade or two older than me, stepped out of the carriage. Long platinum-blonde hair fell over a shiny round face with two small blue eyes. Even without taking into account her pointy lace hat and heels, she towered over everyone else. Her puffy jet-black dress had been embroidered with thousands of black diamonds. Voluptuous curves nearly fell out of the silver-armored bodice. She was fat, and I could say that without judgment because I was, too. I’d spent years struggling with that word before deciding to embrace it. But I could still only aspire to carry myself with half of her style and magnificence. She wore several necklaces and multiple rings on each finger. Unlike Falael, she could pull off that much bling due to the confidence in her ramrod-straight posture. The single red ruby on her bodice gave away her identity: Duchess Hedri of Sherda, widely known as the Blood Duchess.
Officially, Hedri was called the Blood Duchess because of her ruby, a national treasure said to have once been part of a dragon’s hoard. Unofficially, people whispered that she murdered maids and bathed in their blood. The baths were an old wives’ tale, the dead servants sadly a fact.
People whispered and started backing away from me. Duchess Hedri fixed her beady gaze on my face. “Who is this woman, Falael?” She spat outwomanin a tone most people reserved for words like cockroach.
Falael beamed that oblivious smile a much younger me had found charming. “This is Bora, an old lover of mine.”
She glared at him. “You’re cheating on me yet again?” Her bosom heaved like a ship in a storm. A crimson color filled her face.
I rapidly shook my head. “Whoa, no, no cheating going on here. Not even so much as a flirtation.”
Falael tossed back his hair. “Can I help it if I’m irresistible?”
“I’m extremely resistant,” I growled. “He cheated on you, too? You have my sympathies. He went after my best friend—my only friend at the time, sadly.” I attempted a weak smile. My knees shook. I didn’t like the hard twist in the Blood Duchess’s mouth. “We should support each other. Sisterhood of women, am I right?”
Without looking at me, Duchess Hedri said, “Kill her.” To Falael, she said, “Let that be a lesson to you.”
My head felt light. She couldn’t possibly mean it. The Blood Duchess was notorious for killing anyone who displeased her, but this wasn’t her country. She couldn’t just stroll into Arahasnor and start murdering citizens.
A single tear trickled down Falael’s cheek. He clasped his hands together. “No! Darling, you know whatever my body might do, my heart always belongs to you. Please don’t be angry at me.” He hastened after the duchess as she headed for the carriage, clutching at her dress.
His melodramatic tone almost convinced me this was all an unfunny joke. Unfortunately, I knew Falael well enough to absolutely believe that he would try to kiss me in front of his extremely jealous and powerful lover, then make my imminent demise all about him.
I had to get out of there. I barreled toward the retreating crowd, hoping to lose myself among the people.
I’d barely taken two steps before my body froze. The coachman stared me down, his eyes glowing. He must have a paralyzing stare gift.
Falael clutched the duchess’s arm. “She threw herself at me and tried to kiss me! Please believe me, darling.”
Although I tried to object, only a strangled moan emerged from my frozen lips.
Duchess Hedri’s stern look softened. “Of course I believe you, my love.” She bent down and kissed him. The two of them seemed to be trying to rip each other’s tonsils out with their tongues. Loud smacking sounds filled the air.
