“Sorry for?”
Flustered, she steps over the bench, “sorry to the bench.”
I roll my lips together, smothering my snort, “you’re apologizing to the bench?”
Millie whines at me, jerking her hands towards the girl in the grip of my tendrils. “Forget about the bench! This is insane.”
I sit into my hip, and use my tendril to push Pruella forward. She stumbles at the force of my magic, placing herself between Millie and me. “Just… fix… this.”
“I— mm.” She starts, circling us until she’s shoulder to shoulder with me, where we stare with a mixture of disgust and disdain. Pruella’s hair is matted against her scalp, the pale hue of her skin appears sickly, and she keeps her shoulders turned in, pronouncing the shape of her spine.
“Must you two stare at me like I’m some animal?” She hisses, her voice like nails on stone.
“Oh, so she does speak. Pity I was so worried you’d gone mute.” I droll, my eyes rolling back. “If it were up to me, I wouldn’t be staring at you at all. But,Rorinhas decided we’re all playing house.”Millie quietly mouths an ‘ah’, the understanding coming together quickly. “I wouldn’t usually ask but—“
She raises her hand to me, cutting my sentence short. “I’ll fix it.”
I nod, mouthing a quick ‘thank you’ before leaving the two of them be. The door clicks shut and loudly echoes in the otherwise empty hallway. My head drops gently against the wood as I take in a deep and shaky breath. Her room is at the end of my hall, and from here I can see the alcove where Max and Orem’s room is.
A twinge twists in my chest when I pass it, heading for my room. We still haven’t spoken since we returned, neither of us knowing what to say. In fact, I’d hardly seen anything of Armond either, now that he’s taken on more with Matthis in my absence. He waited outside my doors until I woke up, but as soon as I was conscious again, he disappeared back to the barracks for training.
That decision led to my two new squires. My two infantile squires. “Boys,” I say loudly, their fear hitting me staunchly. They're drowning in their armor, the metal clanking loudly as they scramble to dip their chins.
The one now taking Axel’s post hobbles over in an effort to grab the handle, but I make it there first and lean in to the quivering soldier. "Merrit," His brown eyes dart up, "get this fitted. You're very noisy." I tap the top of his helmet, and his visor clatters closed.
"She knows your name?!" The other squire squeals, his panicked voice amplified by the helmet surrounding his head.
A smile twitches at the corner of my mouth while I click the doors shut and press my mouth to the seam between the doors."I know everything, Knowles." He gasps at my voice, and I laugh, hearing their armored bodies clamor back to their designated spots.
I trudge forward and collapse on top of my bed, the plushness of it puffing up around me. I breathe in the blankets, and the faint smell of Rorin accosts my senses.
Rolling over, I huff and stare at the billowing fabric of my canopy. "It's decided. This is all his fault." I say to the ceiling, I'd been living so comfortably andquietlybeforehim.My hand flies out, and I grab onto a pillow, slamming it down over my face. The scream of sheer frustration that tears its way out of my throat is muffled by fabric and feathers, probably best considering the men outside? The ones who are meant to keep me safe? They look to be about twelve.
I lay there a minute longer, the heat of my breath becoming suffocating, before I lifted the pillow off my face and scraped myself off the mattress. “Dinner. Getting ready for dinner andpeople.” I sneer, strolling into the bathroom.
Someonethought it would be a good idea for the council to have dinner. That someone was the ever level-headed Felix.
I resent him for it.
There are only a few things I hate so much that I actively and routinelyavoidthem. One of those is having any sort of meals with my council members. While some of them aren't too bad, most of them are stuffy aristocrats whose patience for me exists purely on their love for my parents. But the more time passes, the more their love wanes.
Apparently, everyone is forgettable — even their noble and selfless sovereigns.
My fingers thump across the tabletop as I wait for everyone to settle down, and I feel the soft brush of fingers smooth down the back of my hair.
I pitch my chin up to see Felix smiling at me, sliding down into the chair adjacent to me. Armond and Felix are the first, both of them walking over to me. “Why are you sitting over there?" I ask, my eyes bouncing over to the chair directly beside me.
"That's no longer the place for me." He says quietly while everyone finds their spots.
Max, Bennett, and Mousy are the last three to file in, looking stiff and uncomfortable.That makes all four of us. I grumble inside my head. Looking through each of the chattering patrons, I notice one distinct face missing.
“Where–”
"Eveera." His gruff voice interrupts, the buzzing conversation coming to a halt as he marches his way to the empty seat.
I angle my head and give him a forced smile. "Parasite." He doesn’t acknowledge the jab, his eyes landing on the still-empty seats. I can see he wants to ask who they’re for, but I wave at the staff to begin our dinner, and count the seconds until I see Millie.
She turns into the room, Pruella on her heels, the clatter of a few utensils hitting their plates mixes with the conversation, a wave of satisfaction rolling through me at the disruption.
