“Does she have to?” I asked, but before the question even left my lips, Icarius had grabbed my face again. This time, his touch was harsher, nails biting into my cheeks.
“You will speak when spoken to, slave.”
His grip hurt, making hot tears sting along the bridge of my nose, blurring my vision.
Icarius rippled with disgust. “Stop that.”
But the tears would not stop; they fell thick and fast as a sob swelled in my throat.
Icarius let out a frustrated growl, releasing me.
“I saidstop that, or I’ll give you a real reason to cry—”
“Father.” Penelope’s voice cut smoothly between us. She motioned to the table behind her. “We were in the middle of a game. May we resume?”
“I said you are dismissed, Penelope.”
“But our game is unfinished.”
“Do you think because we are on Spartan soil, you can behave like one?” he snapped over his shoulder. “You are a princess of Acarnania, and Acarnanian women obey.”
Penelope bowed her head. “Of course, Father. My apologies. I am merely surprised that you would accept defeat so readily.”
Icarius turned the full weight of his attention to his daughter.While he was distracted, I quickly rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands, furious at myself. I did not even know why I was crying. I was no baby.
“You thought you were going to win?” he asked slowly.
“Yes, I believe the game was quite clearly mine,” she said.
Icarius’s eyes flared, then he glanced back at me for a moment, considering.
“I will indulge you this once, Penelope, but only because I wish to teach you a lesson in hubris. Understood?”
“Of course, Father. I always enjoy your lessons.”
A jeweled finger jabbed into my face. “You. Wait.”
I shrank against the wall as Icarius strode toward his daughter, taking the stool opposite her.
“It is your turn,” Penelope told him, her eyes flicking briefly to mine.
I did not know what game they played; I had never seen the likes of it before. A wooden board was set between them, divided into squares. They took turns tossing a small, dotted cube, then moving stone pieces around those squares. It seemed dreadfully dull to me, yet I found I could not look away, my eyes continually wandering back to Penelope’s face.
They did not speak as they played, save for the occasional grunt from Penelope’s father. Their silence felt stiff and uncomfortable, yet they seemed indifferent to it.
“An unwise move, daughter,” Icarius finally announced. “Look here. Do you see your mistake?”
Penelope considered his move before making one of her own. She sat back, allowing her father to inspect the board. Something glowed inside me as I watched the smile fall from his lips.
“Does that mean I’ve won, Father?”
“Again,” Icarius demanded, rearranging the pieces on the board.
“As you wish,” she said, retrieving an elaborately decorated jug set between them and refilling his wine.
Icarius snatched the cup and drank deeply, then motioned forPenelope to refill it again.
“You.” He clicked his fingers at me. “Go wash and wait for me in my bedchamber.”
