“Sin will be back tomorrow,” Cam said. “I would not be in a hurry to meet him, though. He is a little… prickly. Has been for about the past forty years.”
Note to self, avoid the grumpy old commander.
“Thanks for the warning,” I told the twins, before turning back to Dey. “So if they’re generals, what do you normally do?”
“He mostly charms the ladies,” Ram chimed in.
“Please feel free to ignore him,” Dey said, leading me a few steps away. “The filter between his brain and tongue rarely works.”
Ram shrugged, not even looking affronted at the comment.
“You didn’t answer my question, though,” I pointed out. “What do you do around here?” I wandered over to the closest tree and picked a piece of the pink fruit. “Is this okay to eat?”
“Of course,” Dey replied, showing me how to peel the thick skin back. “These are kinna fruits. We would not have anything on the castle grounds that could harm you.”
I thought about the murder koi in the moat but didn’t mention it.
“As for what I do here,” Dey continued, “I am the king's Foster. It is tradition that a child from a strong magic line is selected to be raised by the royal family as a precaution in case the king is delayed in producing a male heir. Because Vitaeans are so long lived, kings must abdicate their throne after a time, passing the title on to their son. Or their daughter so long as she is wedded. If the king has no male child at the end of his reign, the Foster steps in to rule temporarily. The majority of my day is spent observing and learning from your father.”
I bit back my comment about garbage sexist policies since I had zero interest in who was on the throne. “So, you’re like a back-up kid?” I asked instead. “Does that mean you didn’t get tosee your family growing up?” I felt a sudden pang of sympathy for Dey. Maybe we had more in common than I thought.
He shook his head. “No. I was brought to the palace at the age of two. My family was well compensated, and all ties were severed.”
My mouth dropped open. “Are you saying your parents sold you to the king?”
Growing up, I always thought being abandoned was the worst possible thing, but at least I could tell myself maybe they had a good reason. Parents selling their child was barbaric.
“It is a great honor to be selected,” Dey boasted, “and I was gifted a life much better than my parents could have provided for me. Is that not the best thing any parent could do for their child? Offer them the best life possible?”
“I guess,” I said reluctantly. Though I wasn’t sure I agreed. I thought the best thing a parent could do for their kid was to be there for them. Hold them when they got scared and nurse them back to health when they were sick. Basically, just love them.
“Do not feel bad for me. I had a wonderful childhood in the palace,” Dey said, taking my hand in his and leading me back toward the castle. “Now come. I have a surprise for you.”
I let him pull me away from the cottage and the twins, but not before I shouted over my shoulder, “Thanks for the drink, guys!”
“Anytime, Princess!” they called out in unison.
“And don’t call me princess!”
They chuckled and I had a feeling it was a useless mission to get people to call me Rain.
Chapter thirteen
I followed Dey back to the castle, and we passed through four long corridors and three flights of stairs before I recognized my surroundings.
“Are we going back to my room?”
Dey flashed a grin at me over his shoulder. “Do not worry, Rain, my intentions are purely honorable.” He pushed open the door, pausing at the threshold. “In case you were wondering, my chamber is the one at the end of the hall on the right. Should you find yourself in need of… anything.”
I swallowed. I was definitely not memorizing that factoid and tucking it away safely for later.
Once inside, Dey marched over to the wardrobe in the corner of the room and threw open the double doors. “For you, Princess,” he announced, stepping aside to reveal the numerous dresses that threatened to explode out into a pile of colorful lace and fabric.
Each dress was a similar style to the ones I saw on the courtiers earlier, if not a bit more elaborate. I pulled out a greenone with a corset top and a silvery ribbon looping through at least twenty eyelets. It was sleeveless except for two fabric cuffs with organza attached that would loop around my upper arms in flowing waves. Small diamonds sewn into the sheer material glittered in the light.
I felt Jenn’s absence strongly as I ran my hand over the delicate fabric. She would have absolutely loved these. They were exquisite. They were flawless. They were… not me at all.
I put the dress back and shut the doors. “Thanks, but I can’t wear these.”
