I shake the thoughts from my head and don a reassuring smile. “I do! Mr. Blackwood told me as much.”
She pulls her head back in surprise. “Did he? Well, it’s true. But if we hope to stop relying on my…methods…then we must improve our reputation first. If we can secure the love and respect of our people, just like King Franco has, we will be as untouchable as he’s become. Our rivals will be less determined to dethrone us, and the few who do will meet the scorn of our loyal subjects.”
“And my marriage to Monty Phillips will help with that?” I try to keep the apprehension out of my voice. We turn down a smaller hall where the bright orb lights give way to smaller sconces lining the walls.
Mother’s expression brightens. “Oh, indeed it will! Marriage is currency for respect when it comes to humans. Speaking of currency, that is another benefit. Your marriage will come with funds. Daughter, believe me when I tell you it is expensive to buy loyalty when one’s reputation is in a ditch. Night above, we need that money and fast.” She mutters the last part under her breath, then resumes her fast-paced speech. “Aside from that, your marriage will give us allies from the Earthen Court.Humanallies. Irrefutable proof that we truly care about humans. Can you believe we’ve been accused of the contrary? And having allies in the Earthen Court will grow our societal influence across borders.”
“But why me? Is there no one else in our family who could be married off in my place? Do I not have siblings?”
Her expression falls. “Dearest, you are our only child. In fact, you’re the only child that has been born in our clan in decades. Pureblood fae don’t conceive as quickly or as often as humans do.”
“Oh.” My heart sinks a little to hear I have no siblings. “What about my older relatives? Marriageable cousins?”
She shakes her head. “As a princess, you hold a title that makes you a prize for a husband, something your cousins and other relatives can’t offer. And your fiancé is an equal treasure! His status will provide us a place of honor in society, even if we one day lose the throne. Night, we’re so lucky to have secured the marriage. It’s a miracle we did. Mr. Phillips is incredibly popular. His father, Lord Phillips, is Earthen Court’s Human Representative, and the rest of his family deals in trade in every court. They might as well be nobility for the influence they have in society.”
That’s about as much as Thorne told me and still does nothing to paint a picture of the man I am to marry. I suppose that matters little when I’ll be leaving to meet him tomorrow. Another spark of anger burns my blood.
My mother stops before a closed door. “We’re here. Our bedroom is just at the end of the hall, so Father and I will be close to you tonight. It’s a shame you’ll only have one night to sleep here, as I’ve been eager to see you occupy this room for the last twenty years. It has always been set aside for you.”
She pushes open the door to reveal a large space with pink moonstone walls and white marble floors. An enormous bed with posts of gold rests beneath a blue velvet canopy embroidered with silver stars.
My mouth falls open. It’s ten times the size of my room at the convent and more elegant than anything I’ve seen.
The patter of feet reaches my ears, and a second later, the two bow tie-clad foxes race inside the room, my garment bag balanced across both their backs. They shrug off their burden at the foot of my bed, bow to me and my mother, and then scamper off as quickly as they came.
Mother guides me inside the room, her arm still linked through mine. “I hope you like it. I’ve redecorated it almost every year since you left, to accommodate your changing age. I’ve always hoped you’d be able to come home, and now you’re finally here! Warm wash water is on your dressing table, and your wardrobe is there. I’ve stocked it with gowns mostly in the fae style, since they are less restrictive than human fashions. I would have had more modern gowns made for you, but I didn’t know your size. The changeling we’ve had acting as your decoy in the tower the last two decades could only guess your frame so far.”
“A changeling?”
“Yes, but don’t worry. She’s gone now and no longer wears your face, so we don’t have to worry about that.”
I was more worried that someone has been stuck in a tower all these years, but Mother speaks again before I can question her about it.
“I do hope something fits. We can’t have you dressed likethatto meet your fiancé. Oh! But for tonight, please don’t feel you must get all dressed up after the long day you’ve had. It’s better that you don’t because the maid I’ve assigned to you won’t be here until morning. After your bath, dress in whatever feels most comfortable. Like I said, tonight is just for family. A simple affair.”
The ivory ballgown she wears says otherwise, but I’m comforted by her inability to lie. If nothing in the wardrobe fits, I’ll have to wear one of my plain gray dresses from the convent.
Mother finally unlinks her arm from mine and faces me fully. She releases a slow sigh as she studies my face, her eyes glazing with tears. “You are so beautiful, Rosaline. I wish I could spend more time with you before you leave tomorrow. At least let me take a memory.”
Before I can ask what she means, she steps back, lifts her hands, and forms a triangle with her fingers and thumbs.
She blinks.
Drops her hands.
“There. Now I can dream of you whenever I wish.”
A shudder ripples through me, one of shock mingling with awe.
Mother’s expression falls. “What’s wrong, dear? Did you not want me to take a memory—oh! You might not know about my magic! That’s how I—”
“I know it,” I say, “because…because I do that too.” I lift my hands to form my rectangular frame but find my arms trembling. All this time, I’ve known nothing about my magic. Everything I’ve learned has either been through instinct or accident. Little did I know, my mother does the very same thing I do.
“Oh, Rosaline,” Mother says, voice choked with emotion. “This is the best thing I could have hoped for. You’re a succubus like me!”
11
BRIONY
