I return my attention to the crowd and shake my head. “No, I’ll wait here.”
I don’t want to take another step.
I don’t want to wait among those people.
Already a few have taken notice of me and their eyes and faces lift with delight. What they see and the truth I know couldn’t be further apart.
“As you wish, Your Majesty,” Raevi returns quietly.
Raevi and the two others lay out the train of my dress, unnecessarily careful of its placement. It streams over the white marble landing like a dark river behind me. With quick curtsies they retreat up the stairs, likely to help Oraphia with moving.
I’m going to have to mentally brace myself for a day filled with random people addressing me the same way. I heave a small sigh. Right now, these are my last few moments of anonymity and I’m going to relish them. The whole of Erus doesn’t know who I am.
That changes after today.
And I need to be ready for that.
The people below, for the time being, are too enamored by their surroundings, savoring their glasses of bubbling wine, and involved in their conversations to notice the demon perched above.
“Waiting here sounds good to me,” Eve says as she unwinds her arm from my grasp and pitches herself onto the banister, leaning on her forearms. “I recognize a lot of these people. Doubt they’d recognize me though.”
Glancing at Eve, a wry smile spreads on her face but her eyes remain forward.
“Do you miss it?” I ask, keeping my voice low.
She lived for nearly a century as a thief. The last decade of temple life must have been a drastic change—safer and slower paced, I’d imagine.
An ice blue eye slides in my direction.
“Yes… and no.” She mulls over her answer. “I miss the sense of belonging that came with the guild. They became my family. I don’t miss Tiarsus or the games he played.”
She stops herself and with a tight sigh, pulls herself upright. There’s more she wants to say, but doesn’t. Turning, she leans a hip against the banister and folds her arms across her chest.
“Today isn’t about me,” she says in Malbolge. “I should be asking you questions. Like… are you ready for all this?” she swings her head toward the open foyer.
I scoff a dry laugh. “Yes… and no,” I answer in kind.
She flattens her lips in a tight line as she nods, but it quickly becomes a playful smile. “You could always run,” she teases. “The doors are wide open. Not a soul would notice you slipping through the crowd. As long as you change first.”
My laughter grows. “I don’t want to run.”
Her brows fly high. “Is that a demon speaking truth?”
“A rare occurrence, but it does happen,” I laugh.
“And look where it landed her,” she counters, grinning. “Sovereign fucking Queen.”
I can’t help but smile in return.
“Not at all how I saw my escape from the hells going,” I muse.
She barks a sharp ‘ha’. “Yeah, your life wouldn’t be as interesting if you didn’t have me.”
“I’m glad you’re prideful enough for the both of us,” I retort, laughing.
A chord of horns calls attention below and the conversations fall silent. A herald calls out, instructing guests to move into the throne room, and I heave a long,longsigh.
“Time’s up,” Eve says, pulling herself from the banister. “The window to escape your Fate is quickly closing.”
