She smiled widely, exposing all her teeth, even as she trembled slightly from the sheer force of her rage, her emerald-green eyes burning with hatred. “You can kiss any far-fetched dreams of being the Diamond Queen goodbye.”
If I had any dreams of such to begin with, maybe I would be worried, but as it stood, my only concern was this damn woman getting in the way of me gaining the trust Ineededto win to achieve my real goal.
Chapter Thirteen
Azurill
“What was that?” I asked angrily, dragging my brother by the arm into the workroom of his Gemlab.
I’d set aside this space for Ruri the first time he came home on break and expressed his interest in specializing in the alchemy of gem magic. Now in his third year of study at Ceridwen Academy, he always managed to disappear into this room for hours at a time whenever he was home. The Gemlab had everything he could possibly need, from overflowing piles of gems to extra potion bottles for brewing up his concoctions.
“What was what?” he asked innocently, making me scowl at him until he rolled his eyes and cracked. “We know we can’t trust Carnelian, right?”
“Right,” I drew out slowly, raising an expectant brow.
“Then we can’t trust this Lady Jacinth either,” he stated, like he was explaining something to a child.
I crossed my arms and glared at him slightly, “I’m more than aware of this, but we also don’t want to tip her off that we’re suspicious of her.”
“Are you sure about that?” he asked in return, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned against his workbench.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked irritably. I was already holding this stupid competition against my wishes, and being quizzed about my interactions with our suspicious competitor wasn’t helping my mood, to say the least.
“I mean that you seemed awfully taken with her at the ball.” Ruri countered, and I rolled my eyes.
“Appreciating her attitude doesn’t mean I’mtakenwith her, Ruri,” I told him tiredly, sinking into a chair and putting my elbows on my knees as I leaned over, narrowing my eyes at him.
“We both know if there is anything afoot, Carnelian is a likely culprit. Getting to know her will help me determine if she’s in on it or an unwilling accomplice to his plans,” I explained, looking up at him.
“So you’re telling me you’re not attracted to her at all?” He pressed, clearly skeptical, and I found myself wishing we were still kids who could get away with smacking each other around in the halls. Finding the high king wrestling with his brother over a girl probably wouldn’t end well.
“She’s obviously attractive, okay?” I snapped, shaking my head. “But that doesn’t matter, they’re all attractive!”
Ruri snorted, tipping his head in acknowledgment that I was right, but then let out a deep sigh, sinking into the chair at his workstation. “I’m just worried. I’ve been watching Carnelian, but he makes it hard to have an actual conversation with him. And every other lord I try to talk to just wants to talk themselves up.”
I laughed, shaking my head at his naivety, remembering how young he truly was. It was my responsibility to take care of him. Even with mother here to help…our father was gone, and I was king—I knew it was on me. Not to mention that Mother wouldn’t even leave her room at this point, too grief-stricken over the loss of her son.
“Go talk to Mother.” I smiled slightly, my tone warmer now that the argument had died down. “She’s been working this court long before any of us were born. Plus, women tend to talk among their own circles; she might be able to help.”
Ruri’s head fell forward, his hair obscuring his face as he admitted, “I just can’t lose you, too, Az.”
His voice broke, and my heart broke along with it. I slung my arm around his shoulder, pulling him into my side so I could reassure him. “You won’t, okay? I’ve got Balthazar watching my every move, and guards watching the ladies all day, every day. With you getting in amongst the lords and heirs, we’ll find something before long. If there is indeed anything to be found.”
“Do you really doubt there is?” he asked, slow and unsure. For all that he was technically an adult, he was still extremely young compared to my one hundred and twenty-six years. I didn’t even become king until I was over one hundred, our father having passed when I was a decade in.
“I have a feeling there’s more to this than we know,” I admitted with a deliberately casual shrug. “There are always plots circulating among the court,” I told him ruefully, but my voice deepened with raw anger as I continued. “I promise you this, though. If I find out that any of that plotting led to our brother’s death, I will bring the fury of the gods down on whoever’s responsible.”
I raised a hand to my neck, reassuring myself as I traced the lines of my tattoo. I would be ready to wield whatever was necessary when the time came. And despite what I said to Ruri, I had a feeling it wouldn’t it long before it did.
Gettingready to meet Lady Jacinth, I found myself deliberating between two outfits. I needed to get close to her to see if she was involved in any of Carnelian’s plots or if she was entirely innocent. The tone I set for this would either help or hurt that goal, but I didn’t know if the proper court attire or the more casual outfit would help in this case.
I’d given her a day dress that would work for an outdoor picnic. I didn’t want her to looktoogood, and for me to forget why I was there. For all I’d brushed off my brother’s questions, therewassomething different about her that pulled me in every time I was in her vicinity.
But equal to the strange magnetism she radiated was the haunted feeling that rose up and repelled me. Her coloring was a constant reminder of sins of the past I wanted to forget.Neededto forget, especially if I were to face Lady Sania, as well. My guilt over House Marit meant facing her was a challenge, but at least she was a distant relation. Her orange hair didn’t summon the same images as Jacinth’s candy-pink locks. I could almost imagine the daughter of House Marit when I looked in her eyes, the image a terrible vision of what could have been.
With that thought in mind, I went for the more casual outfit. The teal button-down was embroidered slightly with silver along the collar, and I decided to leave it open down to the top of my chest. With the buttons undone my tattoo was more visible, starting with the diamond on my neck and swirling down to each gem in turn. All the court’s gems were represented across my neck, shoulder, chest—a reminder of my commitment to the realm, a fact repeated to anyone who asked, and ensuring no other questions arose.
A knock on the door heralded the basket containing our lunch, and left me with no choice but to get on with it. Resentment for this entire fiasco rosewithin me once more. A picnic with a beautiful woman should have been an appealing idea, but knowing it was fraught with potential treason and definite gold-digging made it hard to see the bright side.
