Beyond my forbidden desire for him, I thought we’d found a kinship beneath our hostility: an understanding, an acceptance of one another. But all of that had vanished, dissolved by his piercing indifference.
In the weeks that followed, the servants grew bolder with their gossiping. Some maids called mecursed, others called me a fraud. The guards, at least, had more tact to keep their thoughts to themselves.
All the while Raithe met my stiff greetings with detachment colder than the frigid tundra of Pisces. Even Felaf detected a shift in his demeanor.
“Did Mercury retrograde your attitude lately?” She’d pestered him one evening when he came to relieve her of her post as I stepped outside my chamber. “You’re moodier than usual. And for you that’s saying something.”
I concealed my snort with a forced cough into my shoulder. It was the one time I thought hemighthave looked right at me, but I was only imagining it.
“Sleep well, Felaf.”
She flashed a smile at me, followed by a wary glance at Raithe, before disappearing around the corner.
I cleared my throat. “I’m heading to the dining hall.” The kitchens with Nio were too reminiscent of our recent evenings together.
“Maryn is there at present.”
I stiffened at his first words to me. My gaze slid up his broad chest. It aggravated me how good he looked by simply standing there. “Wonderful,” I said tersely. “Off we go.”
“After you.”
“Fine.” I brushed past him. He trailed after me in silence, leaving me to my noisy thoughts.
These past weeks I’d diverted my attention to my studies instead of letting myself sulk. The men in my life had dictated my self-worth for too long.
Admittedly, I didn’t mind the dancing portion of my lessons. Each territory had its own style of music and subsequent dance etiquette that I was expected to perform following my trial at my coronation ball with the other royals. What I’d dreamt about all my life was coming to fruition—in ways I never could have imagined. More pressingly, I had to master Scorpio’s dances before the upcoming ball for the barons.
When the pressure built and my emotions became too much, I relied on Raithe’s grounding technique. It didn’t have nearly the same effect without the deepness of his voice or pinning fervency of his eyes.
Stars, Iwastoo dependent on others.
I reached the dining hall and found Maryn seated at the head of the round table large enough for nearly thirty individuals. Barto and Chessah stood along the wall, their faces smug. I glowered in Chessah’s direction, making my loathing known before shifting my anger to Maryn. She sat poised in her chair, dressed in a shimmering black gown, her sleeves once again mirroring the glyphs Chosens bore. Behind her, the wall gave way to a balcony with plants and a waterfall that spewed over the edge where the sun loomed on the horizon.
The hall was gorgeous, with its dramatic stonework and black and crimson decor. The stone walls bore hundreds of years of secrets from every conversation that once took place in this room. I tried to believe I was worthy of existing in such a sacred space.
I approached the onyx table, opting for a seat as far from Maryn as possible. We’d exchanged a handful of words since my intervention in the training yard. Maryn’s silverware clinked in ignorance of my presence, plucking at the delectable feast sprawled between us. I was relieved to learn that no untouched leftovers went to waste. Instead, they were distributed amongst the staff.
Awkward tension permeated the air as a member from the kitchens set my area of the table with dishes and appropriate silverware. The woman poured water from a pitcher into one glass and a generous amount of red wine into another.
“Queen Regent,” I greeted finally. One of us had to break the ice.
“The ball for the barons is next week.” Maryn’s voice serrated the tension and grated my ears. “The advisors tell me you still don’t have the names of the barons and their family members memorized.”
“Yes, but Ihavememorized the dances.”
The servant decorated my plates with roasted carrots, buttered salmon, steaming bread rolls, golden potatoes, and a nutty green slice of cake. “Thank you,” I whispered to the woman. She averted her eyes to Maryn before walking away.
“Dancing is not the only impression you need to be making on your nobles,” Maryn said. “The barons are representatives of the people. They govern regions of the queendom in the absence of the queen regent, ensuring taxes are collected and carrying out my orders.”
“The queen’s orders,” I clarified. “And isn’t a queen’s authority absolute compared to theirs?”
Her eyes narrowed. “They represent the reigning sovereign’s interests, overseeing the people the way I tell them to. And if they don’t respect their reigning sovereign, the result is calamitous mutiny.”
“I see,” I said, leaning back into my seat. “I learned it today during my lessons, which you were noticeably absent from. Again.”
Maryn’s smile was chilling. “Do tell what you learned,nomad. How to read?”
“Ireadthe Treaty of the Twelve crafted by the very first Chosens. Chosens must adhere to all twelve decrees, yet it’s the barons and baronesses who hold their territory’s court accountable to them. The Treaty states any violations of it can be punishable by death, but any death of a Chosen must first be voted unanimously on by their barons. Same for regent replacements. From there, the congregation of all twelve courts is called to also vote?—”
