I’m more than taken aback by her proposal. It seems too easy. Here I am preparing myself for her rejection, and what she’s offering me is true friendship. Something I’ve only known once before. I would be a fool not to grasp onto the offer despite the bitterness that comes with my acceptance. Though she will never know it until it’s too late, it will never be real in any meaningful sense of the word. I’ll use her and kill her king. Her friend.
“That’s a deal I would like to make,” I agree with the warmest smile I can muster, shoving thoughts of my looming betrayal deep into the back of my mind.
“Ladies!” Felias beams, bursting into the room in a tailored suit of purple velvet that I’m sure he changed into after Enrik warned him about our impromptu guest. “How wonderful it will be to have not one, but two, lovely young ladies to keep me company this evening. I hope you areabsolutely famished.”
He links his elbow with Awri’s, leading her toward the dining room.
“By happenstance, the cook has been working on a new masterpiece, and I must have your opinion on the dish,” he whispers into her ear.
Awri offers me a wry smile, and I follow close behind. I’m sure neither of us have any doubts that the chef was working on no such thing until he’d been made aware of our arrival.
The dinner is delicious, but I’m not one to complain about the quality of a hot meal. Felias’s cheeks dimple when Awri expresses her pleasure upon tasting every dish he presents, and I can’t help but wonder if she’s just being polite.
I’m surprised when, after dinner, Awri accepts an invitation to sit by the fire and join us for an evening cup of tea. I’m taking mental notes on what I assume is the accepted regimen of invitations, offerings, and appropriate replies, as Felias dotes and fawns over her.
How Leanna ever expected to pass me off as a lady with so many holes in my education is beyond me. But I suppose no one intended for me to remain in A’kori for this long. If the king had been present upon my arrival, he would already be dead, and I would have returned home. The thought of my inevitable return to La’tari is enough to make me savor the warm cup of spiced tea in my hands.
“How are your plans coming for the masque?” Felias asks over a steamy cup.
“Much slower than I anticipated,” she sighs exaggeratedly. “I would have liked more time to make everything perfect for our king. There is simply too much to do.”
Her eyelashes flutter, and she offers him a sad smile. I have to stop myself from rolling the tension out of my shoulders. I feel as though I’m watching a dance I’ve never seen, and despite my not knowing the steps I am somehow mixed up in the rhythm.
“I for one, have no doubts about your abilities,” Felias says with a flourish of his wrist. “And if I can be of assistance in any way, you have only to speak the word. If it is within my power, I would be honored to grant you your request.”
The man sounds like he’s swearing fealty to a lord and my stomach knots when I see the satisfied look on my friend’s face. I don’t know Awri to be a malicious female but every fiber of my being rebels against the idea of giving someone that much power.
Awri’s mouth quirks up behind her teacup and her eyes shine a little brighter. I know that look, she knows she’s won. She settles her features, tilting her head to the side thoughtfully, as if something just occurred to her.
“I’ve just had a wonderful idea,” she says, eyes gleaming.
There is no doubt in my mind this is something she’s been planning, and now her sudden request to remain for supper is becoming clearer.
“It is my intent to take up a temporary residence at the palace in order to facilitate the preparations. What if your niece were to join me? Just until the masque.”
I see the moment Felias realizes his mistake in offering her so much, though he hides it rather well.
“She’s been such a help in preparing for the event,” she says, leaning toward him to rest her hand upon his, “I am sure that with Shivaria by my side, I could accomplish a month of planning in the next week alone. It would be such a relief.”
She seems so bright and optimistic I’m not sure how Felias doesn’t immediately grant every request as it tumbles from her rose-colored lips.
“I can’t say that I won’t suffer the loss of my niece, but if Shivaria is agreeable, I would be happy to send her to assist you in your endeavor.”
They both look to me, waiting in silence for my reply. If Felias thinks he’s left the decision in my hands, he has no idea of the tactical mastery this female possesses. She has offered me a friendship I’d been eager to accept and in the same night asked a favor of me that I have no reason to refuse. How can I possibly decline without it seeming an outright rejection of that bond?
So, I give them the only answer I can, the answer she’s placed on my lips.
“I would be happy to.”
“Wonderful.” She smiles. “Then let’s leave your uncle to the rest of his evening and I can get you settled in.”
I nearly choke on a lungful of hot tea, as I sputter, “Tonight?”
It’s the only word I can force out around the liquid being expelling from my chest.
“Only if you’re agreeable,” she says, tipping her head to the side expectantly, “This way we can get an early start in the morning.”
I’m no longer sure that she’s really asking, this seems like an expectation. I have a feeling she had her mind made up about how this evening would play out long before she stepped foot inside the manor tonight. I wonder if the price of this female’s friendship is entirely too high.
