All I wanted was for Ula to be safe and the king to get what he deserved, but I knew both depended upon the outcome of this competition. I was determined to find a way to win, even if I had to lie, cheat, and steal my way to it. Which is what I knew Carnelian was banking on.
“Ugh, will you pay attention!” Sienna snapped, making me wince. She shook her head at me derisively, “Fine, go see your little friend.”
I practically ran for the door, but unfortunately, I wasn’t quite fast enough.
“Jacinth!” she called, and I froze in place at the name, my hand mid-twist on the doorknob. “Remember, her life depends on this. Go see her and clear your mind, but tomorrow, I expect you to be here bright and early, ready to absorb every single thing I teach you. Understand?”
The threats never stopped with these two. They were truly a match made by Erodite.
How could my goddess do such a thing to me as to pit these two against me?
“Perfectly.” I reluctantly answered with absolutely zero venom in my voice. The emotionless courtly tone that wouldn’t give anything away wasn’t far from what I’d used as a thief. I could go toe-to-toe with the best of the nobles when it came to hiding what I truly thought. A skill I’d had to use more in the last week than I’d had to since I first found myself living on the streets.
I ducked out the door and hurried along the corridor, hoping Ula didn’t kill me the moment I walked in. I wouldn’t blame her if she did. She’d lived by her own merits for years, and now she was finding herself a “guest” of the Lord of Ruby.
A knife was all but hanging over her head, thanks to me.
I’d set out to help her and somehow only managed to make things worse. She’d told me the job was too risky, with Carnelian overly paranoid and the castle too protected, but I’d been desperate to find a way to help her. I knew she wasn’t going to last much longer, no matter what she claimed.
“Ah, Jacinth.” I winced, coming to a stop as the heir to Ruby Court sauntered down the hall from the other direction. “On your wayto see that street urchin friend of yours?” He sneered, red eyes flaring as they looked me up and down.
I bowed my head placidly, biting my lip hard before I answered, “Lord Casaan.”
He sniffed, probably insulted that I wasn’t clamoring for his attention. “You know, there’s no need to play coy. If you’d like a step up from your pauper's quarters, my bed is always open.”
I struggled to keep my face blank this time. Since I’d arrived, he’d vacillated between disgust and lust every time he looked at me, seemingly unable to make up his mind.
I knew that, objectively, I was attractive, but my circumstances meant that I never much thought about it, at least outside of using it to charm people out of their coin and gems. But dropped into the world of courts and nobles, my looks suddenly became a focus in a whole new way. How attractive the high king would find me. How attractive the heir of Ruby found me. I felt like livestock being weighed and measured.
“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, my Lord,” I replied, keeping my eyes firmly on the ornate rug lining the halls. On the gold embroidery over the deep ruby red color. On the slight texture that helped shape the patterns within it. Anything but looking up and catching his eye.
Casaan scoffed, leaning into my space as I willed every muscle in my body not to twitch away. “I know my father is a punishing taskmaster, and my mother puts him even him to shame.”
He laughed like he’d made a grand joke, while I stood silently, letting him carry on a conversation by himself.
“I’m sure you could use a release after all that,” he purred into my ear. “And I could certainly use some careless fun before I’m yoked into a marriage. Despite your low status, you are quite beautiful. I’ve never seen hair such a vibrant pink before.” He reached up to play with a lock of my hair, twirling it around his finger.
Interesting. I hadn’t heard anything in the grapevine about a prospective marriage for the Ruby heir.
“You’re too kind, my Lord,” I replied blandly, wishing I could rip my hair out of his hand. “But I’m afraid your mother wears me out entirely. I just crash into bed at the end of the day. Besides, I’m certainly too lowly a beggar for you to bother yourself with.”
Casaan’s lip curled as he pulled back, finally releasing my hair before straightening his jacket. It was a shame he was such a horrendous dick, because he had all his father’s good looks and none of the terrifying intensity. His short red hair was slicked back, just a few pieces falling onto his forehead strategically, leaving his long, pointed ears fully exposed. It was a surprisingly boyish hairstyle, but it was offset by his regal attire.
The collar of his black and red jacket flared out high on his neck, and the chain connecting the two flaps of the jacket at the top of his chest was crested with a giant ruby. The shoulders of the jacket had a red quilted pattern that continued down the sleeves, while below that was a vertical pattern that blended nicely. The primarily black fabric was accented with rows of gold embroidery and numerous red rubies—an outfit fit for a prince, let alone the heir to a lordship.
One that I could probably sell for enough coin to feed us for a year.
“That is true,” he mused aloud, and I’d never wanted to roll my eyes so badly. “Well, you know where I am should you change your mind. We can keep it just between us.” He winked before resuming his walk down the hall.
I shook my head the moment he was out of sight. Even if I wasn’t technically his father’s captive, his personality was off-putting enough that I would be staying well away. I suppose I should count myself lucky that I would never be forced to marry one of these pompous lords.
But I would have put up with literally any marriage if it meant my parents were here to arrange it. Had the gods given me the chance to fix what happened, I would even marry Carnelian himself in trade.
I brushed the encounter off and continued my rush down the hall until I reached the room Ula was to be staying in. I paused outside of it, taking a deep breath and preparing myself for the worst. I knocked once and then slowly opened the door.
My heart kicked hard in my chest, and a fear I rarely felt made my hands shake slightly as I took in the sickly pallor of Ula’s normally bronze skin. Her light, mint-green hair was matted with sweat and stuck to her neck. It was so much worse than I expected.
I rushed to her bed, kneeling beside it, and taking her hand. “Ula?”
