Edgardo introduced meto the handmaids in charge of my suite, three encanto girls who were a little older than me. The one in charge and the eldest was Clarissa.
Clarissa wore her blond hair in a braid running down the length of her back. She barely spoke while she led us through the great house, taking Nix and me to our rooms. The great house was in actuality several houses connected to one another by covered walkways, sheltered on either side by the lush rattans and curling vines. No wonder royals before me came here for rest and relaxation. I was starting to feel better already. Around seemingly every corner was a new thing to take my breath away. It was as if the building had grown out of the jungle itself. Hundreds—maybe thousands—of butterflies hung from the rafters in a reading room; in another room, a waterfall flowed down from a hole in the ceiling to create an indoor pool; another room was completely made of salt, lit only by sunlight that filtered through the thin places carved out of the rock in intricate, swirling designs.
Everything was so amazing, I almost forgot what we’d come here to do. Nix, too, seemed enraptured by the house; all the worry that had creased her brow these past few days had disappeared.
“Do you like it?” I asked Nix.
She looked at me, her eyes huge. “Like it? Can we live here forever?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “How was your ride with Amador?”
Nix craned her neck to look around the corner at the dining room, already being prepped for dinner. “It was great.”
“Really? I half expected you to throw yourself out of the calesa rather than be stuck with her all day.”
Nix blinked rapidly and fumbled over her words. “Right! She was motion-sick most of the ride, so she didn’t talk too much. She barely acknowledged my existence, so I’ll take what I can get. It’s the little victories, right?” She smiled a little too tightly.
“Your room, Princess Nix,” Clarissa said, gesturing to a door at the end of one of the covered walkways.
“Thank you!” Nix said, and dashed for the door. “I’m totally beat. I think I’m going to skip dinner and go to bed early if that’s okay. Maybe being around Amador took more out of me than I realized.”
“You don’t have to ask me for permission,” I said. “You can do whatever you want here.”
Nix nodded. “You should get some rest, too.”
I desperately wished I could. My eyes felt puffy, and all I wanted was to close them and bury myself under a pile of blankets, but I just smiled and said, “I’ve got some things to do first. See you later.”
Clarissa continued leading me deeper into the house, but I felt Nix’s eyes still on me as I followed. When I heard her door close, I let out a breath of relief. I hoped she didn’t sense my nerves.Maybe the energy I was giving off seemed more like exhaustion than anxiety. I just had to get through tonight.
My room was on the top floor, the farthest away from everyone else’s, which was yet another relief. Everything in my chamber was mostly wood, from the floor to the ceiling, and it was furnished with rattan chairs and a large four-poster bed draped with a mosquito net. A huge tree trunk grew straight through the middle of the room and into the ceiling, exactly the kind of tree house I had dreamt about having when I was a kid. Moving around so much with my mom meant that was impossible, but being in one now made my heart leap with joy.
My things had already been delivered to the master suite, stacked neatly near a wardrobe and privacy screen. The balcony in my room overlooked the hot spring, and beyond that, I had a spectacular view of the waterfall and the surrounding rainforest. Separating us from the rest of the mountain was a fluffy white cloud that moved like waves. In the distance, I could see the ocean. It felt like a world away.
“Thank you, Clarissa,” I said to her as she waited patiently by the door.
She bowed. “Shall I collect you for dinner, Your Majesty?”
“No,” I said, trying to smile. “I’ll see myself down. I want this trip to be as casual as possible. No schedules, no formality.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I’m serious about the formality thing. I’m never formal with my ladies-in-waiting. You can start calling me MJ.” Clarissa winced, and I added, “Unless that makes you uncomfortable.”
“It may be a hard habit to break, Your Majesty. If you are interested in health and restorative programs, I can arrange for a number of massages and skin routines to ensure you have the most relaxing and pleasurable time here. Or I can request a spiritual healing and a guided meditation, if that is what you need.”
I perked up. “A spiritual healing?”
“Yes, but…these healers aren’t exactly…” She trailed off, trying to find the right words. “They’re called manghuhulas—spiritual healers whose practices aren’t always understood. Some deal in spirit magic, exorcisms, even necromancy, but some have been known to be curse breakers.”
My eyes widened. Would that help me? Maybe they would know how to fix me, but would I want to risk letting a stranger know about what was happening? But Clarissa must have mistaken my silence for disapproval.
“Please forgive me,” she said. “They are distantly related to mambabarangs. I understand the crown has exiled their kind ever since your father’s assassination, but—”
“No! It’s okay!” I said, easing her with an outstretched hand. “I truly don’t mind. I didn’t know such a job existed. So, yes! Please! That would be amazing. A meeting with a manghuhula sounds like I could right some wrongs on that front as well.”
Clarissa’s smile twitched, but she seemed relieved that I wasn’t mad. “Okay, I’ll see to it.”
“Thank you.” I ached all over. While I had the meeting with the manghuhula to look forward to, the talks with Qian still loomed like a shadow over my mind, but I knew that if I didn’t get ready for tonight, I might regret it later. “I’m a little tired, though,Clarissa. So I think I, too, will go to sleep early. I would request not to be disturbed at all while the door is closed, please. And don’t worry about waking me up tomorrow. I’ll manage on my own.”
