“Maybe you just haven’t?—”
“Oh, we would know.” Her smile took on a wicked edge. “Nothing happens here that isn’t known.”
The gossip was strong with this one.
“Right. Well. Um, as attractive as your prince is, I really don’t think I’m the one for him. Temporarily or otherwise.” I looked to the doorway he’d fled through. “Pretty sure he hates me more than anything else.”
“Hate is such a strong emotion, though,” Giselle said with that smile. “Fiery even. Most men only seem to inspire boredom.”
“Or disdain,” another man said. The man beside him patted his arm in what looked like sympathy.
This conversation was insane. “I doubt he’s going to thinkI’mworthy if he doesn’t think any ofyouare.”
The poor guy gave me a look that said he didn’t agree.
Giselle clasped her hands in front of herself and did a little wiggle that made her frost-covered maroon skirtswing back and forth. “You were practicallysparringwith each other.”
It sounded like she thought we’d been flirting. I was rapidly becoming done with the direction they were heading here.
Smiling at them, I said, “Since His Highness didn’t order me back to the dungeon, might it be possible for me to get some warm clothes and a meal? A hot bath would be great, too.”
Without hesitation, Badru stepped forward. “Yes, of course. I believe there’s an empty suite just down from mine. We can install you there.”
I was getting installed? Whatever. The day had only just begun and I was already exhausted by this place. I followed Badru across the room and out into the hall, listening in as he asked several staff members to prepare a suite for me, fill the tub for a bath, and… Crap. To include me in the midday meal with all of them and the prince.
Groaning inside, I followed Badru down halls and up staircases until we reached a door that he flung open with enthusiasm. He seemed to want me happy, so I thanked him and shook his hand. He left while staff were still fluffing pillows and dusting tables, but I didn’t mind because there was an enormous ensuite with a big brass tub slowly filling with steaming water.
“We’ll be done in just a moment, sir,” one of the workers said as she zipped by me.
“Don’t worry about it. Take your time.” I selected an apple from a bowl of fruit. “I’m going to bathe in there, so do whatever you need to out here.”
“Very good, sir.”
I closed the door between us and got undressed in record time. Easing into the hot water, I sighed and closed my eyes. The apple helped my hunger, but the soak was letting my mind chill for a while. I did my best to let the rest of this strange world fall away.
Chapter 4
Isoaked in the tub until I got all pruned and the water started to cool. I’d looked around the whole time, just marveling at the gilded, fancy-ass bathroom that was crusted with snow and ice. Weird snow and ice again because it didn’t melt, didn’t really feel cold, and came right back when I brushed it away. I had to wonder if the stuff outside was normal frozen water, while what was inside was some strange kind of decorative version. There was still a chill in the air either way, and I dried off quickly.
Peeking into the rest of the suite, I discovered that everyone was gone now. I went in wearing only a towel and was glad to find a full set of clothes on the bed and a fire in the fireplace. They’d guessed at my sizes and come close enough since I was meant to layer anyway. The clothes were soft and silky like maybe I was important but not advisor-level important. There was no ridiculous collar—thank god—but there was a smaller one attached to the shirt. Hose with garters and black pantsthat stopped at my knees. Undershirt, blousy white shirt, green velvet vest, dark green suit coat that I hoped wasn’t meant to be buttoned because I couldn’t. Frilly cuffs that I really didn’t want to accidentally dip into my food were at both wrists.
The shoes were a bit big and the gayest footwear I’d ever worn since they were bejeweled with dark stones and had two-inch heels. My calves looked cut and my ass stuck out—not a bad look, just awkward. I practiced walking back and forth for a few minutes, trying not to twist an ankle. I had my hiking boots, but they would stand out horribly from this gaudy outfit. Hopefully, I wouldn’t break a leg during lunch.
Looking in the mirror, I felt like an extra in a Shakespearean play. I looked okay, but definitely not like myself.
And then while I watched with wide eyes, a dusting of snow grew on my shoulders like some kind of fungus. I brushed at it out of instinct, trying to get it off of me. It came right back. Looking over the rest of me, I now had a splash of “snow” on my left pant leg and on the toes of both shoes. It was almost decorative. Again, I had to wonder if that was the curse settling on me, or just regular old Winter Court normalcy.
A knock at the door nearly gave me a heart attack. I answered it to find a staff member ready to escort me to lunch. I’d managed to ignore my hunger for a while after the apple, but now I was ravenous.
Would lunch be a huge feast as befitting the royalty in my imagination? Or something more humble given how everyone struggled to have enough during anendless winter? I could see it going either way with grouchy little Flurry.
My escort left me at the doorway into exactly the kind of expansive dining hall I’d expected we would be eating in. The table in the center of the room probably could’ve sat sixty people easily, but the twenty of us were down on one end. Interestingly, it was also a buffet, with a sideboard filled with steaming dishes and folks filling their own plates.
Lunch seemed less formal than my interrogation. Partly because of the buffet but also because those big collars were gone, and the women’s wide dresses were more normal-shaped now. Had they dressed up for the questioning, but now they were chill since I wasn’t a threat?
Badru stopped beside me as I waited in line, his plate full of meat, vegetables, and something that looked like a pink jello salad. “How are the clothes, Mister Hawkins?”
“Oh, they’re great. Thanks.” I smiled. “Much warmer than what I had before.”
