“Too many questions!” shouts Podaxis, snapping his pincers.
“He’s right,” she says. “Enough about me. Go stand before the mirror and put on the shoes.”
“Why? What significance do they have?” I can’t see how a pair of fancy shoes is supposed to help my predicament.
“Just do it.” She gives me a light shove toward the full-length mirror propped next to a dressing screen. I take in my reflection, startled by what I find. I almost forgot I’m outfitted in my beautiful ballgown, and seeing all the stains and tears it has gathered during my trip out the window brings a pang of regret. My gaze leaves the dress to my face, where I find my eyes rimmed red, cheeks flushed, hair in as much disarray as the princess’ pink strands—which have already begun to fall out from under her cap. She comes up beside me and raises her brows, arms folded. “The shoes. Put on the shoes. I don’t have all night.”
While her voice isn’t unkind, it snaps me into action. I place the elegant, heeled slippers on the floor before me and step out of my shoes. Then I slide my feet into the new pair.
“Do they fit?” she asks.
I shift my weight from side to side. “They’re only a little loose, but it isn’t too bad.” I lift my eyes to catch her satisfied smile in the mirror but jump back at my reflection. Gone is my teal hair, my pale complexion. I still wear my ballgown, but my skin is a warm tan, my hair pale pink and neatly styled in a formal updo. My ears are pointed and bejeweled with pearls. My cheeks are lightly rouged, my lashes long and black.
The shoes…they hold a glamour.
I bring a hand to my glamoured hair, surprised when it feels exactly like my own. Patting all around it, I find no evidence of my true hair, which I know should be fanned out around my shoulders in disarray by now. I turn my face to the side, studying angles that aren’t my own, touching my rounded jawline, my pointed ear. Everything about the glamour feels real. I blink, and my eyes obey. I force a smile, and my lips turn up. I pull a strand of perfectly curled pink hair off my forehead, and it responds as if it were my own.
Whirling toward the princess, I say, “Why do you have a glamour that looks exactly like you?”
“Exactlylike me?” She scoffs. “Look again.”
I return my gaze to the mirror. The glamour I wear is most certainly designed to mimic the girl next to me. The only differences are the addition of mild cosmetics to cover her heavily freckled skin, the rounded jaw, the pearl earrings, the perfect coiffure. Oh, and perhaps our height. She’s at least two inches taller. On further inspection, our eyes are different too. Mine retain their bold turquoise hue, while hers are bright blue. It seems the glamour only impacts my skin and hair.
She flips off her cap and gestures to her body from head to toe. “Thisis what I look like. I mean, I don’t normally wear clothes I’ve stolen from my brothers, but do you honestly think I can impress the vain Prince Franco looking the way I do? I’m not like the pretty females he’s used to courting. At first, I thought this glamour would be enough, and it’s come in handy twice already. The first time, I donned the shoes but forgot I was wearing trousers. I had to cover myself with a blanket before he could see. Thank the shells I had the foresight to put them on when he came to the door just now.”
I whirl around to face her. “The prince was at the door?”
“Yes, he’s the one who came knocking when you tumbled through my door.”
“Did he see me? Did he know—”
“No,” she says. “I covered for you without lying, but the exchange was enough to convince me I can’t remain. He’s probably already thinking of excuses to shorten my visit.”
“So…you want to stay, but you don’t want to stay.”
“It’s complicated,” she snaps. “I can’t talk about it. Just know that I need to get as far away from the sea as I can. That’s where you come in. You’re going to help me.”
“How so?”
She points at the shoes. “You’re going to impersonate me, which will give me the head start I need to disappear.”
Her words fill my chest with a hollow dread. I narrow my eyes. “Why do I get the feeling you’re in danger?”
She stares back, saying nothing.
I fold my arms. “If you are, I’ll only be inviting the same danger to myself, won’t I?”
“So long as you have the prince’s favor, you’ll be safe,” she says, which isn’t entirely comforting. “All you have to do to is continue to court him in my stead. Since you can lie, you should be able to do what I could not—convince him you like him enough to keep his attention. As soon as our bargain is fulfilled, you’re free to do as you please and leave my sudden disappearance a mystery.”
“Why would I agree to this? It’s madness. I can’t even imagine the punishment if I’m caught.”
She shrugs. “Could it be worse than the alternative?”
I nibble a corner of my lip. She has a point. I can’t imagine any punishment worse than being forced to marry a man like Marus.
“This bargain would serve you too,” she says. “Who would think to look for youhere? Who would second guess a princess on a royal visit? If you do this for me, you’ll be given the perfect subterfuge to wait out the end of your bargain with your stepmother. You’ll be under her roof, just like your bargain requires. And we can word our bargain in a way that affirms you’ll be obeying her as well.”
I consider her words, pulse racing. Her plan is reckless, dangerous for us both.
