“A gift from the High King,” he sighed, shaking his head. “There are two envelopes inside the basket, one with instructions for today, and the other with instructions for the next trial.”
“Okay.” I drew the word out as I stepped closer to the mysterious basket.
“Gift and message officially delivered.” Alfrikr rolled his eyes before stepping back out to his post at my door, probably anxious to be back among his fellow guards so they could complain about all of the uppity ladies they were being forced to protect.
I rolled my own eyes, even though he couldn’t see me any longer, but the basket quickly grabbed my attention again. I unwrapped the fabric surrounding it and blinked in surprise as it revealed two very different outfits inside. My fingers itched to inspect them, but I figured it was probably better to read the letters from the king first, since they’d likely answer any questions I had.
Taking the first envelope withLady Jacinth Tawnyinscribed on the outside, I unfolded the heavy diamond-dusted silver paper to read what he’d written in an elegant, looping script.
Dear Lady Jacinth (Mini-Dite),
Congratulations on winning the favor of both the crowd and me with your impressive show of talent. It is difficult to get to know someone in the short bursts this competition has us interacting in, but I do believe that discovering what it is someone enjoys doing with their time allows one to gain a bit more insight into them.
Since this first competition had no elimination, I thought the additional time with me as a reward was a good trade-off. Though I’m sure you’d say that was merely my ego talking. I would like to get to know everyone better as we head into elimination rounds, and this will give me a chance to know more of you before that time comes.
I thought we could visit one of my favorite spots together for a picnic. A bit cliché, I know, however, I wanted an activity that would allow us to actually speak with one another.
I’ve included an outfit for you that will be appropriate for where we’re going. I look forward to the opportunity for us to speak again.
Yours (for today),
His Royal Majesty
High King Azurill Kyanite Alankar
aka Veri Full of Himself
I tried to stop the smile that lifted my lips at his farewell address, but it was somewhat impossible.Murderer, I reminded myself. A murderer I plan tokill. I sighed heavily, closing my eyes for a moment. At times, this utterly overwhelming experience could almost lull one into thinking this a fairytale, but in reality, it was a tale of cold, hard revenge.
I picked up the second letter, which merely readRuby Court Competitoron it, and was considerably less personal.
“Dear Diamond Queen Competitor,
The first trial was a mere practice run, but now we’re getting to the good stuff. Tomorrow, the firstrealchallenge will begin. You’re to wear the outfit enclosed, with only the accessories provided. No additional weapons or magic are allowed and are grounds for disqualification.
Your guards will take you to the location of the competition at ten sharp, so be ready to go by then. I’m anxious to see how you all fare tomorrow. May the gods shine upon you.
His Royal Majesty
High King Azurill Kyanite Alankar”
I dove into the outfits immediately to see what hints I could get. Thankfully, they’d been helpfully labeled. The first garment bag had “Today” written on the tag attached to it. Opening it up, I found a beautiful day dress with pearly-pink skirts and a cream bodice with pink embroidery on it. The sweetheart neckline and cap sleeves were perfect for a picnic. Azurill, or one of his staff, had helpfully included accessories as well.
There were sturdy slippers in the same pink as the skirts, along with a simple diamond lariat necklace, a matching pair of earrings, and a bracelet. I noticed he hadn’t included any red, which mademe more than a bit anxious. I had to hope the colors were chosen because of my hair and not that he had any suspicions about the truth. I shook my head at the silly thought, I wouldn’t have survived this long if Azurill had figured me out.
But just in case, I needed to be incredibly careful.
Opening the second garment bag, my eyes widened to find an outfit remarkably similar to the one I usually wore. There were black leather pants, a black top with a leather corset that buckled over it, black knee-high boots, and a matching fitted jacket. They’d even included accessories with this outfit, but instead of jewelry, there were shoulder pauldrons and a jeweled dagger. It had a ruby set into the pommel, but diamond and kyanite had been worked in a swirling pattern down the hilt.
Interesting.
Were we going to be stealing or fighting, or some combination perhaps? I was too curious and would certainly be questioning Azurill about it today. If he were smart, he wouldn’t have given any hints about the upcoming trial before our little date.
Blech. Just thinking that word in association with him made me want to throw up.
Checking the time, I decided I'd better head to breakfast and worry about this later. I made my way back to my bedroom, and knowing it was likely to be a full hall, I changed into a red and white off-the-shoulder gown. It dipped down from the shoulders to between my breasts in a gentle slope, where the fabric then twisted together, merging the white on top with the red below. Diaphanous bell sleeves paired wonderfully with the high-low skirt that looked like it had been dipped in diamonds around its edges.
I made my way out of the suite and raised my eyebrows expectantly at Alfrikr. He grunted and began following me after offering a nod to the few guards remaining in the hall. Most of the ladies seemed to already be up and out for the day.
