The guards flew through the door while the assistants ran off, carrying the black dress.
“How DARE you destroy my creation?” Gabrielle screeched.
Simon moved in front of Gabrielle to block her. Rory pushed Evelyn into the bathroom before he went to help Simon. Gabrielle’s shrieks weren’t coming out as words anymore. Evelyn put on a robe in case she needed to run.
A whoosh, a sizzle, a cry of outrage, and the slam of a door were Evelyn’s only clues as to what transpired in her room.
Rory knocked. “Princess?”
She opened the bathroom door a crack. “You vanquished the monster?”
He snorted unprofessionally. “She has retreated to her lair.”
Evelyn stepped out of the bathroom. “What did you do?”
“She started sparking again, so I doused her with water. That made her mad and she left.”
“More importantly, what didyoudo?” Simon asked.
Evelyn winced. “I burned the gown she made me for the ball.”
“Shit, really? You’re lucky to bealive, Princess.”
“Yeah, I got that impression, too,” she deadpanned.
In the early afternoon, Damien knocked on her door. “Princess?”
“Come in!” Evelyn called, setting her book down with its cover hidden.
He doesn’t need to know about my Energy magic yet.
Damien strolled in. “I heard there was an incident with Gabrielle earlier?”
“It’s possible she wants me dead,” Evelyn mused. “Her plan didn’t seem well thought out.”
“Is there any particular reason for her sudden bloodlust?”
“…Maybe.”
Damien crossed his arms. “What did you do?”
Evelyn bit her lip. “You remember that dress I wore to the ball?”
“The one Gabrielle spentdaysmaking? The one you claimed she would stab me for if I ruined it?”
“That one,” Evelyn confirmed.
“What about it?”
“I… burned it.”
Damien blinked at her. “What the fuck, Evelyn? Why?”
“It was right after I talked to Leo and found out he’d been lying to me. I burned everything I was wearing, except the queen’s tiara and that bracelet you gave me.”
“Is that what the scorch mark on the carpet was from?” Damien remembered.
Evelyn nodded. Palace staff had repaired the damage the next day.
