She gawks, then tilts her head. “You…kissed?”
“Yes. Is…that a problem?”
“No,” she scoffs and straightens. “Not at all. I don’t think he’s kissed any of the other women. I imagine this is a good sign for us.”
“Isn’t that something you can find out during your…” I wave my fingers in the air, “spy meetings with him? Can you find out how he really feels, and if I have much competition?”
“Maybe. Though, is it something you really wish to know?”
“It would make me feel better if I was the only one he’s kissed, yes. Absolutely.”
“Cyrus isn’t a rake,” she whispers. “He’s not the kind of person that shares his affections easily.”
A wide smile burns my cheeks that I have to look down at my hands.
“You’re falling in love with him…aren’t you?” she asks.
I snap my attention back to her for such a direct question. “I…perhaps? Every time I’m with him, I feel like I’m discovering a new layer. But…” Sighing, I shake my head and look away.
“But what?” she presses.
“I worry if he or anyone else finds out I’m a Seer it may disqualify me.”
“Nonsense,” she huffs. “A Seer Queen? Do you notseehow valuable that would be?”
I snort a laugh. “Marcella Briarstone, are you speaking in puns?” When she rolls her eyes with the hint of a smile, my humor fades as I murmur, “I can’t help remembering my mother told me to never marry, and especially to never bear children.”
“Because she knew what you were. A Seer’s power is passed down through the generations. She didn’t want your children to be gifted it as well. Many people fear what they don’t understand. It takes years to hone the magic. Being a Seer is having power—perhaps even more so than being a Queen.”
I raise my eyebrows at her. “In that case it would also make me a big target.”
“Exactly. And that’s also why you cannot let anyone else know. And why this,” she points at the vial hidden beneath my collar, “is important to keep on you at all times. If you feel yourself slipping, surrounded by the other women, you need to take it immediately.”
Sighing, I look down and fiddle with the vial. Shaking my head, I whisper, “I feel awful for not being truthful with Cyrus about it.”
She rests a hand on my shoulder. A softness in her voice. “Don’t. In due time you can tell him, and he’ll be understanding. But it’s best we keep it quiet for now.”
“What if Devin says something first?” I murmur, recalling him bursting into the dining room earlier tonight. “He mentioned we had some sort of agreement, and that’s why he was keeping quiet.”
Her hand slides off my shoulder. “You may have an agreement with Devin, and you’rejustnow telling me this?”
“I-I wasn’t sure what to make of it, and we didn’t get much time to speak.”
“Then he must know you’re a Seer. He has to, if he’s keeping it a secret. Especially from Cyrus.”
“But why would he keep it a secret?”
“I don’t know,” she admits.
“What if Cyrus already knows?”
She blows out a long breath in thought. “He can’t. If he did, he would have told me about it by now.”
“Are you sure?” I ask quietly.
The hard blink of her thick lashes, then the way her brown eyes fall to the floor, is enough for me to know there’s doubt. Despite it, she responds. “Yes. I think so.”
I stand up, looking back at the window and the placement of the moon. “If the bell rings tonight, we don’t have much time left.”
