A Court This Cruel & Lovely (Kingdom of Lies, #1) (126)

I would make this up to her somehow. When I’d first decided I could free the prisoners, I hadn’t even thought of the women who woke me each morning. Who picked out my dresses and did my hair. Of course they would be targeted by the king. The thought made me nauseated once more.

“Don’t you dare,” Daselis snarled at me. “If I have to slap you to put some color back in your face, I will.”

I stared at her. And burst out laughing. Her lips trembled, but she ruthlessly firmed them.

“Time to meet the queen.”

I followed Daselis to the queen’s chambers, where the other women were gathered. Madinia’s expression was a cold mask of amusement, which she turned on me when I arrived. I was so anxious, my tongue had begun to itch, and she looked calm, relaxed, and haughty as always.

“I like your dress,” she said. The first nice thing she’d ever said to me. She’d have to be careful, or the queen’s ladies would become suspicious just from that.

“Thank you.”

Madinia’s dress was crimson, cut off her shoulders and low enough to bare the top of her breasts. She looked like exactly what she was pretending to be—a confident, beautiful woman without a care in the world.

The queen perused me. “Very nice. My seamstress has always done good work, but she has outdone herself for us tonight.”

Just hearing her talk about my aunt in that proprietary tone made me want to punch her, but I forced myself to smile, bowing my head.

She was wearing a deep-blue gown cut in layers and sparkling with jewels of the same color. Her lips were painted the color of blood, while a diamond and sapphire necklace encircled her neck—matching the crown on her head.

We all filed down to the ballroom. Since the queen enjoyed making an entrance, the ball was already underway. The marble floors had been polished until they gleamed, reflecting the glow of thousands of candles. The king had chosen a forest theme—likely a mockery of the fae and their love of the wild. Ivy draped from the roof in long strands, with maroon and gold baubles hanging from it. The chandeliers reflected off their glassy surfaces, bathing everything in warm light. My hands began to tingle, my heart tripped, my mouth turned dry. This was it.

The music stopped, and everyone bowed to the queen. She made them wait, the hint of a smile on her face. Finally, she nodded, and the dancing resumed once more.

Marth was just foot-spans away, flirting with a courier. Lorian stood to the side, and his eyes met mine, cool and steady. I took a deep breath, and a strange calm filled me.

We could do this.

“Where is His Majesty?” I muttered to Madinia.

“The queen said he’s feeling unwell and will be here later.”

A shiver of apprehension made its way up my spine. I turned to find the king’s assessor watching us walk in, the High Priestess next to him. I gave them a nod, quickly glancing away as something cold and oily settled in my stomach. The king was evil, but the assessors were just as bad. And this assessor—

“There’s Davis,” Madinia announced airily. “We may take a walk in the moonlight later.”

Her tone made it clear what exactly she meant by that. Pelopia sent her a grin. “I do so love the moonlight.”

Lorian was striding toward us. “You look lovely as always, Your Majesty,” he purred, and the queen put her hand in his.

“As do you, Prince Rekja,” she said. “That color suits you.”

While she saw red hair and pale skin, she still wasn’t wrong. Lorian had always suited black.

“You’re too kind.”

The queen merely nodded, slipped her hand from his, and strolled away. Lorian turned to me.

“Will you dance with me…Setella?”

I nodded, heart in my throat as I took his arm and allowed him to lead me to the center of the ballroom.

“You look delicious.”

“Would you be serious? We’re about to—”

He slid his hand up to the bottom of my ribs, his thumb caressing just beneath my breast. I shivered, and his eyes heated. “So responsive,” he murmured. “I know what we’re about to do. It doesn’t change the fact that I want to strip that dress off you and see what I find beneath it.”

“You’ll find knives,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

His smile was dark—almost feral. “Wicked women are my weakness.”

I couldn’t help but grin up at him.

He squeezed my other hand lightly, and his expression turned serious. “Are you ready?”

“Of course.”

I glanced at Madinia, who was smiling coyly at Davis across the ballroom. She murmured something to him, and he took her hand, leading her out of the ballroom and into the gardens outside. Good.

Tibris would be in place near the cellar. Vicer… Gods, I hoped he’d managed to sneak in.

It all came down to this. Everything rested on how well I could hold time stagnant. And for how long.

I sucked in a deep, steadying breath.

And grabbed my power with everything I had.

The music stopped. Everyone froze. Relief flashed through me, but we didn’t have time for me to reflect on it.

Across the room, Marth continued moving, already heading toward the door. Lorian did the same, dragging me with him. But first, he reached out and unhooked the queen’s necklace with those quick hands. It was around my own neck before I realized he’d moved.