I stared at him. “You?”
“Of course, me.” He struck a pose. “I’m what we call afoilynre ey bateromont. Loosely translated, it means ‘spoils of war.’”
“You’re a spoil of war?”
“That’s right. My herd was foolish and stubborn enough to go to war with the Kingdom of the Crystal Gardens many years ago. We lost, and as part of the ceasefire negotiations, my family had to offer up a sacrifice to enter into the Royal Family’s service.”
I gasped softly. “They gave you up? As a sacrifice?”
“I volunteered, actually,” he said, a little snippily. “Back then, I would have done anything to get away from that herd of stuck-up arrogant assholes. I’m a bit of a black sheep, if I’m being honest, Chosen. An outsider. A lone wolf.”
“You are? Is it… is it because you’re short?”
He gasped. “No, you bitch. It’s because I have two horns. The rest of my herd are standard unicorns. I’m too extra for the rest of those losers.”
Behind him, Donovan shook his head.Because he’s short, he mouthed.
“And because I have two horns, I’m blessed with extra magical abilities,” Cecil went on, oblivious. “I’ve always had an affinity for working with Domiciles, so I would credit most of Violet House’s magnificence to my presence.”
Donovan shook his head again.
“But most of my talent is in ambience. I can make anything beautiful. Including you.” He pointed a hoof at me. “Please, put that dress on now, Chosen. We’re running out of time.”
Dutifully, I unzipped the red dress and stepped into it. I hadn’t felt embarrassed about standing around in my underwear, firstly because Cecil had already supplied me with the most exquisite lacy black shapewear, which covered all the bits that needed to be covered, pushed my breasts up and out proudly, sucked in my tummy, and slimmed my hips. I’d lost most of my pride when I was incarcerated, and when you spent twenty-three months of your life in either orange jumpsuits or hospital-issued pajamas, you tended to want to show off when you could.
The shapewear was amazing. I hadn’t looked this good in years.
“Unfortunately for me, my raison d’etre doesn’t quite vibe with the rest of my herd,” Cecil went on, adjusting the red dress as it fell around me. “Making things beautiful is an act of service to society at large, and unicorns don’t do service. They are proud and haughty creatures. None of them liked me changing the wallpaper in their stables.They get really snippy when you put foil highlights in their manes while they're sleeping.”
“Ungrateful fools,” I said, carefully draping the gown’s straps over my shoulders.
“Yes! Exactly!Thankyou, Chosen.” Cecil huffed out a sigh. “I have a talent that cannot be held in. I must work my magic, or I will explode.”
“That’s why you volunteered as a spoil of war?”
“Yes. I figured that at the very least, I’d be doing what I loved—making things beautiful. Of course, if I had known that the Queen would mothball me for years, I might have just put up with living with my herd. I realized quite quickly she was hoarding me with the intention of gifting me to someone worthy of me. I have his Highness to thank for liberating me and bonding me to you.”
I frowned. “We’re bonded?”
“Of course!”
“How so?”
“Well, it’s like a marriage...”
“It’s not like a marriage,” Donovan rumbled from the corner. “It’s a magical contract. He isfoilynre ey bateromont.Cecil has been gifted to you from the Royal Family. He belongs to you now. He’s your servant, and you’re his mistress.”
Cecil gasped, offended, but he closed his mouth, and didn’t say anything else.
I didn’t want his feelings to be hurt, so I patted his mane gently, only for him to whip around and bite at me with his horsey teeth.
Ooh, he was pissed. I didn’t really blame him for snapping. “So, er,you’rethe very valuable thing I should be thankful for, Cecil.”
He eyed me suspiciously. “I am.”
“Far more valuable than a multi-million-dollar building. More valuable than a magical sentient house.”
“Yes.”
