“Is it?” She turned to him. “The entire castle is talking about it. How the king keeps a human girl in his chambers. How she comes and goes at all hours. What else are we to think?” She looked back at me. “Tell me, do you warm his bed? Is that your purpose? To provide entertainment until he chooses a proper queen?”
The water left the pitcher before I’d consciously decided to throw it. The arc was perfect. I’d spent enough time serving drinks this week to know exactly how to aim. The water hit Amaia directly in the face, drenching her elaborately styled hair and running down her low-cut dress in rivers. She gasped and sputtered, her hands flying up too late to block the deluge.
The pitcher followed a second later. I’d had enough self-control not to aim it at her head, but I let it slip from my fingers to clatter onto the table in front of her, splashing more water across her dress and the nobles sitting nearby.
For a heartbeat, the entire room was frozen. Water dripped from Amaia’s hair onto her shoulders. Her makeup was running. Her dress was soaked through. She looked like a drowned cat.
Then she started shrieking, high-pitched and overly dramatic, playing up the offense for maximum effect.
“You dare-”
“Yeah, I dare.” I took a step toward her. “Say that again. I dare you.”
Aurion was there in an instant. Grabbed my arm. “I just remembered I need to speak with the chef about tomorrow’s menu. Wen, would you accompany me to the kitchens?”
“I’m not done-”
“How dare you lay hands on me!” Amaia was shrieking louder now, standing up and wringing water from her hair with theatrical gestures. “I am a lady of this court! You are nothing! A human plaything! When Malachar and I are wed, you will be thrown from this castle!”
I lunged for her. Aurion’s grip tightened and he physically dragged me backward.
“You will answer for this!” Amaia called after us. “I will make sure the king knows how you assaulted me! You will be punished!”
“Looking forward to it!” I snarled back.
Aurion pulled me into the corridor. The door closed behind us, muffling Amaia’s continued shrieking.
We faced each other. I was breathing hard. Fury coursing through my veins. My hands were still clenched into fists.
Aurion looked at me and grimaced. “Gwendolyn. That was unwise.”
“I don’t care.”
“She will tell the council. She will make this into a situation.”
“Good. Let her. Maybe then Mal will finally tell her to back off.”
“You know he cannot do that. Not yet. Not until we have evidence against Andreas.” Aurion studied my face. “Though I must say, I have never seen someone throw water with such accuracy. You soaked her completely.”
Despite my rage, I felt a small surge of satisfaction. “She deserved it.”
“She did.” He paused, then grinned. “Come on, Gwendolyn. Let us use that murderous energy for something productive.”
He led me through the corridors. Away from the dining room. Away from the nobles who were probably all talking about what had just happened. We went down a set of stairs I’d never used before. Through a heavy door. Into a large room that smelled of sweat and leather.
Mats covered the floor in sections. Dummies lined the walls at regular intervals. Weapons hung on racks in organized rows.
“Training room,” Aurion announced. “If you are going to assault nobles, you should at least know how to do it properly.”
I laughed despite myself. “Are you seriously offering to teach me how to fight?”
“I am seriously offering to teach you how to defend yourself. Which may occasionally involve offensive maneuvers.” He moved to the center of the room and gestured for me to follow.“Besides, you clearly need an outlet for your frustration. Better to hit dummies than duchesses.”
“She’s a duchess?”
“Close enough. Noble family. Connections to the council. Delusions of grandeur.” He showed me a basic stance. “Now, when someone insults you, the proper response is not to throw water. The proper response is to strike here-” He tapped his own throat. “Windpipe. Or here-” He pointed to his ribs. “Kidneys. Much more effective.”
I was still laughing when Mal’s voice erupted in my mind.
