“I know just the person to help.”
***
IT WASN’T LONG BEFOREthe night came. A pair of guards escorted Lady Vanessa and I to the auditorium where King Maximus and Bennett already stood in our box. Father was stationed outside with a couple of other guards, their uniforms matching the deep purple carpeting.
He beamed when he saw us. “My dear, you look divine.”
Lady Vanessa was swathed in a luxurious gown of soft periwinkle chiffon. The color livened her complexion. Giselle had certainly outdone herself in such a short amount of time.
“I’ll have to thank Narcissa for inviting me and lending me her dressmaker,” Lady Vanessa said with a smile.
Father raised his eyebrows, pleased.
King Maximus welcomed my stepmother when we entered the box. I stood back with Bennett.
“I presume His Majesty didn’t change his mind?” I whispered.
“No.” Bennett sighed. His lapels was uncharacteristically lopsided, though he didn’t seem to notice.
I reached over to straighten them. “Is he always like this?”
Bennett’s expression softened. “For all my life.” He smiled sadly.
I looked down. How wrong I was when I assumed Bennett didn’t understand my relationship with Mother. King Maximus was the same sort of parent. Rigid. Demanding. He expected great things from Bennett yet wouldn’t let him go beyond his control. I wondered what nuggets of affection the king would give him to show that he loved him in spite of everything.
“Recently he has been more...paranoid,” Bennett said quietly. “He’s threatened by the riots and his policies being disliked. Ash and I think his age is making it worse.”
I couldn’t find the words to comfort him, so I squeezed his hand instead.
“Hopefully nothing too disastrous happens tonight,” I said, peering over the crowded auditorium. There was no saying if the rioters would decide to take the chaos here.
“Hopefully.” Bennett exhaled and gave me a small smile. “You look beautiful.”
I still hadn’t gotten used to his compliments. I ducked my chin. “As do you.”
He looked as if he wanted to say something more, but King Maximus cleared his throat. I pulled my hand away.
“Bennett, Narcissa. No reason to lurk in the shadows like criminals,” he said gruffly.
So he wasn’t entirely cured of his sour mood. Bennett turned stone-faced and sat next to his father. The king sighed.
The chatter quieted as the lights dimmed. Once again, the curtains lifted to reveal Celeste in all her glory. She caught my gaze and smiled. I wondered how she could see me in the dark, but I gave her a nod.
Then she started singing. Nothing had changed, yet somehow I found her dulcet voice grating, like sandpaper against skin. I sat, entranced, unable to move as the opera progressed. A dull pain pulsed at the base of my head. It spread up my scalp, tingling and burning its way to my ears and then shooting to my throat. I coughed.
Lady Vanessa’s concerned expression floated at my periphery. I blinked, eyes watering.
“I think I need some air,” I whispered to her. She nodded and moved aside so I could leave the box.
Father stood on the other side of the curtains, the hallway dazzling compared to the darkness inside.
“Are you ill, Cissa?” he asked, frowning. I must have looked as pale as I felt.
“I just need some air,” I said, rubbing my throat. The tingling subsided. I excused myself to the washroom, not wanting to disturb Father while he was on duty.
When I exited, the hallway was sprinkled with audience members. Was it intermission already? I returned to the box, feeling faint. I was surprised to see Celeste there, still in her stage costume, conversing with King Maximus.
“....to say, Your Majesty, that I greatly respect what you have been doing for Olderea,” Celeste said in her soft, husky voice. “Your perseverance in helping those poor witches is admirable.”
