“But—”
Elodie links her arm through mine and tugs me down the corridor, in the opposite direction of my room and the carvings. We bustle through another, more crowded wing of the palace and into a room with shockingly green marble pillars. No fewer than ten mirrored vanities stand along the back wall, and I choke on a cloud of cloying oleander perfume as Elodie positions me in front of one. With her fingers tapping her chin, she circles me three times, her frown deepening with each revolution.
Then, without a word of warning, she yanks on my belt buckle so hard, my pants nearly come off with it.
“What are you doing?” I grapple for the waistband.
Elodie gives me a wry look in the mirror, then firmly shakes her braids. “You can’t wear this to the queen’s salon.”
“Thequeen’s salon?” I repeat, unable to keep the horror from my voice. “Why would I go there?”
“Because that’s whereeveryonepasses the day.”
“Not me.”
“Rowenna never missed a salon,” Elodie says with hushed reverence. “She said they reminded her of the many lavish teas and soirees she hosted in Tashir.”
While I stutter with surprise, Elodie deftly tugs my arms out of my tunic and forces me into a tub full of fragrant, soapy water.
The closest thing we’ve ever had to a soiree was Rowenna’s funeral. Our celebrations are always about the harvest and the land itself. About coming together and sharing Earth Mother’s bounty with all, not a selectfew nobles in a gilded parlor. Ro would have hated being stuffed into a flashy gown and made to chat with pompous courtiers. She hardly interacted with our own nobility, aside from accepting their thanks. They would praise her beauty and admire her cunning and strength, and she would share her plans to bring even more prosperity to Tashir, but they were hardlyfriendly. Which is further proof Elodie is lying. She didn’t know my sister at all.
“What else did Ro tell you about Tashir?” I ask as Elodie scrubs my skin raw.
“Oh, not much. She rarely mentioned your country. She was eager to leave the dull, dirty fields behind. She said she felt like she could finally breathe up here in the dazzling mountain air, surrounded by finer people and amenities.”
Even though I know it isn’t true, the words still land like a gut punch.
When I suck in a painful breath, Elodie’s hand flies to her mouth, and she looks down sheepishly. “Oh, I didn’t mean—I’m sorry if that’s difficult to hear. Ro missedyouterribly, of course. You were the bright spot amidst the doldrums of such asimplelife.”
I nod my head and dredge up a small smile, but inside, my mind is spinning. Rowenna loved Tashir. I know it as surely as I know she loved me. She must have used these false declarations to ingratiate herself with the Vanzadorians. She needed to gain their trust in order to uncover their weaknesses.
Exactly, Ro whispers with approval.It was all a part of my plan.
“Tell me more about Ro’s time in the Fortress,” I say as Elodie towels me off and tugs a shift over my head.
“Oh, Rowenna was an absolute delight! She was so good at matching the perfect skirt with the perfect bodice. And she could make anyone’s eyes look twice as large with that pot of sandalwood ash she brought from Tashir. What’s it called? Kohl?”
Once again, I can’t breathe, and it has nothing to do with Elodiecinching the stays of my dress. “Rowenna did yourmakeup? And consulted on your dresses?”
Not once in my entire life did my sister apply kohl to her own eyes. She would hardly sit still for Mother’s maids to paint her face on her wedding day. And she didn’t evenowna proper gown in Tashir, yet I’m supposed to believe she willingly played dress-up with girls like Elodie?
“And she wassucha splendid dancer,” Elodie prattles on, oblivious. “And a magnificent hostess. Her luncheons were second to none. Never have you seen such darling finger sandwiches!”
Every painfully wrong word jabs my flesh like a beesting. Rowenna could be charming when she needed to be, but she was never a social butterfly by nature. She preferred to earn the admiration and respect of our people through her work not her parties. Could she really have carried out such an elaborate act the entire time she was in Vanzador?
Elodie clears her throat. “Prince Alaric will be at the salon too,” she says with a mischievous grin.
“All the more reason not to go,” I say firmly.
“But don’t you need to speak with him? I found you banging on his chamber door. It sounded urgent.” She gazes at me with exaggerated concern, clearly waiting for me to divulge my secrets. When I don’t, she lowers her voice, even though we’re alone in this room. “Are you having a lovers’ quarrel already?”
A sharp laugh escapes me. “That would require being in love in the first place.”
Elodie joins in laughing and smacks my shoulder again with her fan. “There’s no need to be bashful. Every eligible girl on this mountain is in love with Prince Alaric. It’s impossiblenotto be smitten by that handsome face. Plus have you caught a glimpse when his jacket falls open?” Elodie mimes fanning herself. “You should have seen how Rowenna giggled and swooned over him. She and I would often stay up late dissecting their every interaction.”
“No,” I blurt.
Just one word, but it echoes around us like thunder.
