“I’m not here about that,” Luna hissed as she stepped over the threshold and silently closed the door behind her. “But since we are talking about it, I hope you know I have no interest in Prince Kieran.”
“I know exactly who has your interest,” Emily said as she moved to sit in one of the two green velvet chairs positioned on either side of her window. Soft light flickered up the wall from the candle sconces, casting a relaxing glow over her. “And my statement still stands. Ifanyoneis intrigued by you, it’s only because you’re sick.”
Luna joined her, sitting in the opposite chair, and with a lighthearted tone, said, “I believe the word you used was ‘exotic.’”
Emily frowned. “I apologize for that.”
“Believe me, I wish I was exotic”—Luna waved her hand in the air—“like a phoenix, so that when I do succumb to this sickness, I can rise from my ashes.”
Emily scoffed. “You won’t die from being sick.”
If only she were as confident as Emily. “Not with all the rules I have to follow. The king has made sure of that.”
“Right . . .” Emily bit down on her thumb nail. “I’ve always thought it was odd how invested he is in your well-being. He’s a king. You’d think he’d have better things to do than control every aspect of one noblewoman’s life.”
Unsure what to say, Luna shrugged. Their father’s position in court was highly favoured, it made sense the king would want to keep him happy, didn’t it?
Emily covered a yawn with her hand. “As much as I love this midnight visit, I’m tired. If you didn’t come here to talk about that, why are you here?”
“I was thinking about what mom said this morning . . .” Luna inhaled deep, summoning the courage to say what she wanted. “About how I wasn’t allowed to go to the marketplace with you.”
“That’s nothing new. You’ve never been allowed off the palace grounds.”
The words from the note bounced around Luna’s mind. She breathed in again, gathering her nerves before confessing her heart. “I think I want to go.”
Emily’s mouth hung open in surprise. Luna may have huffed and puffed about the restrictions in the past, but this was the first time she’d admitted to not wanting to follow the rules. When Emily replied, she did so slowly, each word a question on its own. “Does Mom or Dad know?”
“You saw Mom’s reaction yesterday. There’s no way they would entertain the idea of me going.”
Emily maintained a neutral expression as she said, “No . . . I suppose not.”
“So, you’ll help me sneak out?”
Emily’s fingers traced the hem of her nightgown, her eyes unfocused as she stared blankly at the floor. When she spoke again, her voice was soft with concern. “The kingdom outside the palace grounds is far more dangerous than I think you realize. You won’t have your guard to protect you.” She paused for a moment, adding, “I don’t think a trip to the marketplace is worth disrupting your entire life.”
“I do,” Luna quipped. “I don’t want to live my life constantly worried about my illness. I want to experience things. To have a memory where I get to live as freely as you do.”
Emily pursed her lips. “If you sneak out, you know you will be on your own. You can’t go to the dress fitting with me. Mom and Dad would find out.”
A hopeful smile spread across Luna’s features. “Does that mean you’ll help?”
There was a long pause, during which Luna thought she was going to be turned down, but then Emily cleared her throat and said, “I’ll help, but I have two conditions. One, I get to wear your ruby necklace whenever I want. And two, if things go poorly, you keep my name out of your mouth.”
Luna nodded. “Deal!”
Chapter 5
Encounter
It was only with Clyde that Luna risked challenging the rules imposed on her life. She was nervous to rebel, but she was also excited. She and her sister had spent most of the night finalizing their plans, and now as she lay in bed waiting for morning light, she mentally went through every single detail looking for loopholes.
The clothes Emily borrowed from the servants’ quarters hours ago sat neatly folded on the wooden table beside Luna’s bed. The plan was for Luna to pretend to be a servant helping Emily run an early morning errand. Once they were close enough to the walls surrounding the palace grounds, Emily would create a diversion to distract the guards so Luna could climb over them and escape.
Although it would have been easier to use the palace gates, they decided to avoid them; less of a risk, even one person recognizing Luna would ruin the whole day.
Beams of sunlight filtered from the window into her room, and finally, it was time. She rolled out of bed and slipped on the servant clothes; which consisted of a plain floor-length brown skirt, an apron that wrapped around her waist, and a simple beige long-sleeve button-up shirt. To avoid being recognized, Luna decided to wrap her hair in a scarf.
Luna’s fingers lingered on the delicate chain of her necklace, tracing its familiar contours for a moment before she tucked it under her shirt. It was far too precious to leave behind. Angie had given it to her when she was just a little girl. It was tradition to pass it down to the firstborn daughter; Luna knew wearing it was an honour. The necklace had become a constant source of comfort and served as a reminder that she belonged in this family, regardless of blood.
