The stables were still full of horses and mules, the training grounds covered in tents belonging to the guests from yesterday’s open court. By lunchtime, the entire castle grounds would be bustling with activity because the day after the last spring open court always marked the celebration of the coming summer. There would be a feast, music, dancing, and games for the children. The aristocracy and commoners would mix to share food and merriment.
After finishing breakfast, we moved back inside, and Catrin fussed with my hair. Her nimble hands plaited sections of it back from my face then twisted the strands into a coronet that coiled around the crown of my head. She then tucked small pink flowers into the front of the braid, making a springtime crown for Darreth’s visiting diplomat.
“Got the bones for a queen,” she whispered, mostly to herself, as she pulled the last pin free from her teeth and secured the style in place. “High cheeks. A proud brow. Your nose helps.”
I snorted. “My nose?” No one had commented on my nose in my entire life. Mine was rather plain, not too big nor too small, just…there.
“It’s the kind that’ll be remembered on coins.”
I turned my face up to her then, catching her eye in the bronze mirror. “Catrin, you have some wild ideas.”
“Stranger things have happened,” she said with a glint of mischief in her gaze.
“Well, you did a wonderful job pinning up my hair. Thank you!”
Catrin dusted my cheeks with crushed madder root for color and painted a small dot of it on the center of my lips before rubbing it in with her thumb. “There,” she said, stepping back. “Next, the dress!”
The gown she’d laid out for me was lighter than the extravagant pink frock she’d stuffed me into for the open court yesterday. I’d seen fabric like this one but had never touched it. It was smooth, so smooth it felt like glass and light melded together.
It was a dazzling white with gold accents that seemed to dance in the light, reminding me of sunlight sparkling on snow. The neckline dipped even lower than the dark blue gown she’d suggested I wear to the dinner with Owain. It was almost scandalous how it revealed the gentle rise of my breasts.
I’d filled out over the weeks in Tir Darreth, with regular meals and someone—Catrin—always watching to make sure I finished every bite. The fabric hugged my waist and hips before falling in elegant folds to the floor. When I moved, I felt extravagant. “What is this material?”
“It’s an enchanted type of silk traded from the east. It should be more comfortable than wool for a sunny day outdoors like today. Very expensive.”
I was suddenly nervous. Catrin had never spoken about the cost ofanything. And this dress waswhite. What if I dropped food on it? Or wine? Gods, I’d be afraid to do anything in it.
My despair must’ve shown on my face, because she clicked her tongue. “I know what you’re thinking. This dress is yours, Lady Isca—a gift. So don’t worry about the expense.” Catrin cleared her throat and added, “Sorry for mentioning it. I didn’t mean to make you nervous.”
“A gift?”
“Aye, from Prince Nisien shortly after your arrival.”
“Oh,” I said, my voice catching in surprise.
“He is a generous, thoughtful man, even if he is occasionally infuriating.” The minx smirked. “But that’s not the only gift you’ll need to wear today.”
I didn’t know whether my heart could take much more. Catrin opened a drawer at the dressing table, and a faint scent of lavender wafted out as she retrieved a square box.
For some reason, she was more excited about whatever was in that box than the fortune of silk she’d just wrapped me up in. The lid came off, followed by a few sprigs of lavender. Beneath that, a pair of delicate gold earrings sparkled with a single diamond that danced with the light. Catrin’s steady fingers pulled out a matching gold necklace next.
“Prince Emrys thought it was a crime that you only had your mage’s pendant for jewelry.”
I almost spat out the water I’d been drinking. “PrinceEmryssaidthat?”
Catrin grinned. “I think the quote was something more along the lines of—” She deepened her voice in a poor mimicry of his baritone. “I don’t want to see the bloody Assembly’s mark on her ever again.This was his mother’s.”
It wasn’t the ostentatious sort of thing I would’ve expected a queen to wear, but it was all the more special for how personal it was. Emrys knew where I came from. He’d seen me in rags. And yet he’d entrusted me with something priceless that had belonged to his mother.
Coming from him, this wasn’t a political gesture. It probably wasn’t even a kindness. It was trust. I was on the verge of tears until Catrin’s sharp voice cut through the air, warning me not to ruin my makeup.
I made up my mind instantly. I wouldn’t wear such a thoughtful present alongside the Assembly's collar. The pendant was off my neck by my next breath.
I already felt lighter.
Catrin carefully placed the necklace around my neck, and I fumbled with the earrings. I’d only had one set of earrings growing up, made of the simplest metal, but I’d sold them years ago. It was a bit painful, but I managed to get them in. Looking at myself in the mirror, I’d never felt lovelier.
As we walked together out of the castle, I braced myself to reenter public life. With first Nisien and now Catrin mentioning me associated with a leadership role, I keenly felt the pressure to be the high lady everyone expected. I wondered if the people would seeme, not the illusion I’d spun in the throne room yesterday.
