“Will I get to meet him soon?” I ask.
“I’m not sure. He rarely sees anyone. Though, I thought he would wish to greet the woman he felt was worth a treaty.” He yanks out a chair on the right of his, then gestures to it.
“I can tell you don’t feel the same,” I say as I sit.
“I must admit, you are beautiful.” He returns to his seat at the head of the table. “But I can get all the beautiful women I want.”
“Is this supposed to impress me? You, bragging about the women you bed?”
“It’s supposed to show you that you’re only here because my father thinks you useful. If you prove otherwise, I will not hesitate to ensure that you befall one of the many tragedies that are possible in this empire, and I will send your beautiful corpse back to your empire with my condolences and a bouquet of black roses.”
“You make it seem as if I am to fear death,” I reply as I pick up my wineglass.
“Do you not?”
I take a sip, then set the glass down, staring at him for a long moment before I answer. “I have seen Death. And she is beautiful.”
He smirks. “Perhaps you’ll enter her embrace soon, another raven in her coven of soul collectors.”
I smile at the thought of becoming one of Death’s helpers. She can’t be everywhere at once, so her most devout followers become ravens after they pass from this world. They collect the souls she can’t. “Is that your plan? To kill me to end this alliance?”
“What do you know of our alliance, little raven?”
“Only that I’m to seal it, or rather that our children would,” I say.
He takes a sip of his own wine, then leans back in his chair. “My father intends to imbue the Iskvalandian soldiers with magic, then send them with ours to the Shatterlands. The alliance would mean the end of the independent city-states on that gods-forsaken continent.”
“Isn’t that what you want?” I ask.
His brow furrows just enough for me to know he’s thinking about how to answer, but a door opens in the center of the summer mural. Several servants emerge, carrying platters of food.
The scent of delicacies fills the air, and my stomach rumbles. It’s been over a day since I last ate, but I am used to being hungry.
The servants wear gray, the same color as the stone on the walls. It has to be intentional, to help them blend in, which brings a fresh wave of rage that heats my face. Some of the people who work here are fourth or fifth generation. It’s almost impossible to leave a position at the castle.
They quietly set the platters on the table in front of us, and I watch the prince, forcing myself to mirror his reactions.
He looks bored and anxious at the same time. As if he’s both impatient for his food and irritated that he has to wait. Or perhaps it’s that he doesn’t like the servants being around. A woman in a gray dress serves the prince while another woman does the same for me. I bite back my urge to thank her while roasted potatoes, greens, herbed chicken, and soft white bread are added to my plate.
As soon as the hidden door closes behind the servants, I’m hit with the realization that we’re alone. And not yet wed. I may not have been raised noble or royal, but I know that it’s unusual.
“Nobody else will join us?” I ask.
“I don’t feel like sharing you with the rest of the court just yet.” He takes a bite of his food.
“Isn’t that going to cause a scandal? The two of us alone?”
“Please. We both know that neither of us is exactly a blushing virgin. I didn’t agree to marry you for your piety.”
That’s news. I lift a brow, curious. “You had a say in this? You aren’t just going along with what your father wanted?”
I wonder if the rumors are true. That the emperor is already dead. I can’t leave here until I’m certain. And I can’t kill the prince without taking down the emperor first. The emperor’s reign must end.
“It is what he wanted,” he says. “But after I heard about your exploits, I must admit that I was rather intrigued.”
Fuck. My pulse races. What exploits? I got about an hour of rapid-fire information about what to expect and how to blend in with the royal family while being shoved into a dead woman’s gown. I am making this up as I go and don’t know anything about the real princess. We all assumed the prince didn’t know anything about her aside from her appearance.
I might be dead sooner than I realized.
