“Alright, enough!” someone yells.
They all grow silent, and an older woman pushes through the group. “Give her room. She’s had a long journey, and I’m sure she wants to clean up and rest.” She drops into a curtsy. “Welcome, Your Highness.”
The other ladies are quick to drop into curtsies of their own before backing away. They line up and hastily smooth their skirts and fix smiles on their faces while their keen eyes watch my every move.
“I am Marian, the head lady,” the woman says. “I know you weren’t allowed ladies from your home, but we will do our best to serve you with loyalty and honor.”
The others continue to smile at me, and I remind myself that there is no way any of them would be loyal to me. They are Pendralian. They are loyal to their emperor above all. To them, I’m a lamb sent to the wolves.
“It’s lovely to meet you all,” I say.
“The bathing chamber is through here.” Marian gestures to an arched doorway. “Would you like assistance?”
“No, thank you. I am quite used to bathing alone,” I reply.
Marian’s smile doesn’t falter, but some of the others don’t mask their confusion. Perhaps royals in Pendralia don’t know how to bathe themselves.
I lift my heavy skirts and walk into the large bathing chamber. The floors are shimmering black tile, the counters black marble streaked with gray. Even the faucets are black. The only splash of color comes from the copper tub set near the back of the room.
“We will prepare your dinner attire, Your Highness. Enjoy your bath.” Marian closes the door, and I’m alone again.
I sink to the floor and take a few deep breaths. My hands shake and my head spins. Everything that I’d held in threatens to come out.
I breathe through the anxiety and regret and fear until all that’s left is anger. My hands steady, my pulse evens. I lift my head and hold my chin high.
I know why I’m here. I know I made the right choice. And while I almost let fear get to me, it won’t win. I knew what coming here meant, and I did it, anyway.
Everyone expects Princess Sabina Volkov to marry the prince. To finalize the treaty and create an alliance between the Pendralian Empire and Iskvaland. An unstoppable force that will dominate the entire world.
The only thing is that I don’t plan to follow through with the marriage because I’m not Sabina Volkov.
The princess is dead.
And I am the angel of death who took her place.
Two
The heat is long gonefrom the bath, but I linger. I’m not eager to return to the simpering women in the ornate room behind the door.
Someone knocks. “Your Highness? Do you need assistance?”
“I’ll be right out.” I press my hand against the jagged scar that runs across my abdomen from my belly button to my side. The last thing I want is their coming in here to help me out of the bath. Princesses should not have scars like this.
I step out and wrap myself in one of the black cloths I took from the table near the tub. Of course it’s black. They take the royal color to the extreme here.
My hair drips, and I’m leaving wet footprints on the stone. I use another cloth to squeeze out as much water as possible, then cross to the door.
When I open it, Marian waits with an open dressing gown and averted eyes. I turn and slide my arms into it, careful to keep the cloth over my stomach until I can close it around me and tie the belt.
“I dismissed the others for now,” Marian says. “If you’d prefer me to call them back, I will.”
“No, thank you. I could use the quiet.”
She gestures for me to follow her to a stool situated in front of a gray wooden vanity with a large oval mirror. I sit on the gray cushion and find myself in the reflection. It’s eerie how much I look like the dead princess. When they came to me asking me to take her place, I thought them insane. I wasn’t a spy or an assassin. But I want the emperor dead. I want all of them dead.
“Your hair is so beautiful,” Marian says as she begins to brush the wet strands. “It’s so rare to see anyone with fair hair around here.”
“Because your people used to kill them when they were born.” I’ve spent my life with my head covered in scarves. Aside from my family, my best friend, and my ex, nobody knew what my hair looked like.
