The purple swept a low curtsey. “Tewewh, Mate-Intended. I am the head designer of the royal morning wear collection.”
“So you design loincloths for morning time?” I asked.
She cocked a brow. “That is the trend.”
I tossed her the dress. “That is not the trend for a queen, and the queen will set the trend for all. Are you prepared for battle?”
She exchanged a look with Yiti, who had not spoken once and hardly looked up.
Tewewh clutched the dress tight and nodded several times. “Yes, my queen. Mate-Intended, I mean.”
“Present me with designs in three days’ time. Make sure the designs are in this strain. Your sole task is to clothe me now, so if it clashes with your other roles, you will need to give them up.”
I turned and left as they hastened to curtsey.
This queen gig was a stroll in the park. Gratia joined me as I ambled down the hall, marking the areas where a door to the lower levels was present. They were almost in the same places as the doors on the level above, though I could tell this level was narrower than the top one.
Gratia murmured, “What’s next?”
I glanced at her. “Are you getting me into trouble, Gratia?”
“You’re doing that yourself.”
True enough.“What else could a queen possibly be in charge of. I’ll be quite overwhelmed with setting the trend and arranging banal festivities.”
“You’ll meet with the head servants each week to make various decisions for the week ahead, whether guest arrangements or menus for banquets. You will need to issue periodic invitations to various reds and purples in the larger realm in order to keep up appearances and connections. This must also be done with those within the fortress, the females in particular, and through them, their mates, male relatives, and their children. In time, you must have a connection to everyone.”
That was exactly what I needed to do, and yet that seemed a monumental task and one I really did not wish to spend any time on. “You will include me in any meetings and network processes from now on. I will spend time with you at the banquets from now on too.”
Gratia did not answer aside from a slow nod.
“Anything else while we’re on the subject?”
She pulled a face. “A lot of minor tasks. You are in charge of the fortress’s appearance and of changing that. Carmine wouldn’t allow me to touch things.”
Hmm.Was that so?
“And a queen also holds an army position, though I don’t know which. The position is only decorative, and Carmine didn’t see a need for me to uphold that.”
Consider me intrigued.
I’d dismissed queenly duties, but Carmine was almost dangling everything I needed before my very eyes.
Which meant he was doing so on purpose, whether to feel me out or to convince me of my power in the fortress.
Ah, Carmine. Your arrogance will be your undoing.
“Let’s redecorate now,” I told Gratia.
Her eyes widened as she hastened after me. “Redecorate?”
“Redecorate,” I said gravely. “Where’s the paint?”
13
I’d started by renovating Carmine’s room.
And I’d stopped after that, my renovations complete and perfect.
