“Yes.” His red eyes flared, making me swallow. “Whether that be with the women you’ve surrounded yourself with or the man you’ve come to kill.”
The words were more honest than I’d expected of him, and I could only imagine he hoped to test me for some reaction. I kept my face blank, thankful I’d practiced taking on my acts as if they were authentic, that veil of truth never failing me.
“Never.” I swore—lied. “These relationships are merely tools to help me with my mission.”
“How so?” he questioned, cocking his head and making a waterfall of ruby-red locks fall over his shoulder. He leaned forward, his elbows braced on his knees as he faced me, red eyes staring a burning hole into my pink ones. Like if he looked hard enough, the truth of my soul would be revealed to him.
“Having the ladies around me not only helps to sell the lie that I’m a noble lady, but they’ve helped me in the trials,” I explained, working hard to keep my fingers and feet from twitching as my nerves rose.
“And Azurill?” Carnelian asked, a snake-like whisper that invited only damnation.
My eyes narrowed back at him, “If I want to win, so that I can pullyourplanoff—I need to make him want me. And he’ll only want me enough to pick me over all the other ladies, if I show him that I desire him too. Regardless of my real feelings.”
“Hmm.” The lord hummed, but whatever he was about to say was cut off, as the door opened and my heart dropped.
Casaan.
The image of him sliding his dagger into my father, laughing in his face as he all but promised to kill me, flashed across my vision, making me see nothing butred.
The red of my parents’ blood.
The red of his eyes.
The red of his hair, his coat, his entirebeing.
The red I promised myself I would spill from him before this was over.
Both of them.
“Ah, Jacinth,” he purred, making me want to puke as he collapsed onto the sofa beside me, putting his arm around my shoulder. “I didn’t know you were visiting.”
“We were just discussing her strategy for winning the competition,” Carnelian told his son sternly, making Casaan sigh and shake his head.
“Never any fun,” he muttered, rolling his eyes toward me as if I’d commiserate with him.
“You can be assured that I will do everything I can to win,” I swore, looking deep into Carnelian’s eyes, making myself a promise in that moment as I spoke nothing but the truth. “I will not stop until I have taken vengeance. No matter the cost.”
Carnelian’s lip curled up, “Good.”
I’d ensure he ate that godsdamned word before this was through.
Chapter Thirty-seven
Jacinth
Making my way to the ball that night, I felt conflicted. My dress was designed to incorporate as much of Pearl Court into it as I thought I could get away with, the color shifting from red to pink to white. The red bodice looked like it had been dipped in pink, and was decorated in rubies and pearls that created stunning swirling motifs. Diamonds crafted similar patterns along the bottom of the pink and white skirt, bringing together bits of all three of the courts that dominated my mind.
Walking into the ballroom, I felt the heavy blanket of stares as every eye fell on me. As one of only four competitors left, I knew that those eyes would follow me all night.
Another part of the test.
After all, queens always had eyes on them as well, and they had to work around it to discover all the gossip and intrigues swirling around the court.
I knew my mission for the night, so I took note of where Opal Court’s members were standing. The lord and lady were off to the left, speaking with Safira’s parents. While Allirea was next to her brother,my target, Laxus. My eyes slid right over where Carnelian stood nearby, zeroing in on the man he was speaking with, Lord Darcel Helmi of Pearl Court.
I’d barely seen my cousins, outside of Sania, since arriving, and seeing Darcel’s face caught me so by surprise that I had to pause and collect myself. His chin. His nose. Those were my father’s, and it felt like a dagger straight through the chest to see it.
I couldn’t deny that I’d seen similarities between Sania and myself, but nothing on this scale. Seeing parts of my father’s face on the stranger whoreplaced him made something burn inside me. Darcel and my father may not have been close, but seeing him laughing with the man responsible for his own blood’s death was disgusting.
