I grunted a reply. He turned, and they walked arm in arm from the room, both guards following at a respectable distance. Clement glared at me over his shoulder whenever I tried to sneak past and catch up. I rolled my eyes and stomped along behind him, studying the walls for new holes as I went.
The prince kissed Lilyanna’s hand when we stood outside the door to her chambers. “You will join me tomorrow for dinner, my love?” His eyes were green today, but they had been brown before. Perhaps the tunic he wore altered the color? “I have a wonderful surprise for you.”
“Of course. It would be my pleasure.” Her smile seemed genuine. Small creases formed beside her full lips and wrinkled the skin beside her eyes, but tension coated her face. Maybe just from the lack of sleep or the constant paranoia from noises and eerie breaths in the castle?
He held the door open, and she passed inside. I moved to follow, but he reached for my arm to draw me back. Once again, Clement got in the way.
Prince Bellinor gave a low chuckle. “I only wanted a word. You may stand between us if you must.”
Clement’s jaw flexed, but he remained there like a barrier. Goddess, he was infuriating.
“I will be sending Lady Lilyanna and yourself a little gift tomorrow. I would like you both to wear them to the dinner.”
“Am I invited then?”
He chuckled. “You will be present, yes. You are practically family to her, and I’m sure a close confidante by now.”
A cool breeze swept through the corridor, raising the hairs on my arm as if a tarantula were tiptoeing up my skin. Clement nudged me toward the door, keeping himself angled between us.
“Until tomorrow, Tam,” the prince said. “Take good care of my dear Lilyanna. She is priceless.”
The door snapped shut behind, and my breath left my body in a gust. I turned to the hearth to check if the fire was stoked and gave the ceiling a cursory scan. Lilyanna hovered in the doorway to her bedchamber and tilted her head for me to follow.
Her bedroom was as large as the sitting room. A huge four-poster bed with a carved wooden frame was pushed against the stone wall. White silk sheets were pulled taut, the diamond-encrusted edges glittering in the low light from the wall sconces. Tapestries covered the walls, their thick weave muffling all sound. Whenever I entered, I was torn between feeling comforted and trapped.
“Lilyanna, I think you should leave.”
“Shhh.” She pressed the bedroom door tightly shut and pulled me over to the dresser. She sat atop the velvet-lined stool and gazed ahead.
I stood behind her and slowly unbraided her hair. “You know it’s not right here,” I whispered, eyes meeting hers in the mirror.
“It’s my duty.”
“Duty. Goddess, do I hate that word now.” I ran the comb through her hair, loose coils transforming into a gentle wave.
“Tam,” she chided, “language. Don’t forsake the Goddess’s name, it’s bad luck.”
I grunted, narrowly avoiding rolling my eyes.
“You do know why I was invited here? To be his match?”
“Something about gold.”
“Diamond controls the whole country. It’s the purest gemstone ever born from the Earth and only here, inside Bellinor’s walls, can it be mined. The legends say there’s an infinite supply gifted directly by the Goddess to the prince. That’s why he’s so generous, spreading the wealth throughout the city.”
My hands stilled, but she gently touched the comb for me to continue.
“Legend also says the prince has a heart of pure diamond and that’s how he keeps replenishing. He spreads himself to the population when they need it.”
She shrugged. “Either way, diamond controls everything. It sets the price for gold, silver, or iron. Provinces that join his see the price of their resources skyrocket. Combining say, diamond and gold, would ensure my town in the West was always provided for.”
“There are other ways to make deals rather than marrying someone.”
“It is an honor,” she said, too loudly.
I put the brush down.
“Keep going. You can practice your braid for tomorrow’s big dinner.” She scooped up a handful of razor-sharp diamond-encrusted pins from the top drawer. “Matron left these after she’d cleaned the room. Said they were a gift from the prince.”
