Court of Winter (Fae of Snow & Ice, #1)(70)

“I think so too,” the prince replied, his voice so quiet that I almost didn’t hear him.

When I shifted my tear-filled eyes to his, his comment pierced my soul, and the emotion strumming through me caught in my chest.

Not because he agreed with me that the cave’s sight was extraordinary, but because when he said it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, he hadn’t been looking at the cave.

He’d been looking at me.





CHAPTER 22





Daiseeum held up a floor-length royal blue gown that looked to be made of the finest silk and was encrusted with thousands of tiny gems. It glittered and shimmered when she swayed it in the light.

The lady’s servant gave a wistful sigh. “’Tis lovely, is it not?”

I eyed the silky material with the plunging neckline, cinched waist, and nearly bare back. The bareness would have suited any female with wings, but since I didn’t have wings, my naked flesh would be exposed for all to see.

“It is beautiful,” I agreed, even though my hands were clammy and my entire body stiff.

All day I’d been thinking about what the prince and I had experienced together yesterday, and it’d been hard to focus, even more so when Sandus had popped his head into my chambers a few hours ago with a ledger from the court’s bank. More rulibs than I’d ever owned in my entire life had been transferred into my name in a newly opened account. It seemed as though the prince hadn’t been jesting when he’d said that he would pay me for my time. Even though I hadn’t accomplished anything aside from the flourishing garden in the courtyard, he’d still paid me for each day I’d been at court.

Daiseeum’s smile grew. “Shall we put it on you?”

I began picking at my fingernails. I still couldn’t believe I was going to the ball or that I was going to meet the king, but now that Lord Crimsonale was telling everyone of my existence and the prince’s interest in me, the entire court knew of my month-long stay in his wing.

It didn’t help that, apparently, the prince’s behavior toward me was unusual. According to Daiseeum, no other female had ever captured his interest like I had.

I snorted at that thought. I supposed having the ability to save our continent would garner that kind of attention, even from a prince.

“Well?” Daiseeum asked with raised eyebrows when I remained quiet.

I plastered a smile on my face. “Um, I guess so?”

She tsked. “Your head’s been in the clouds all day. Now, come, we must get you ready.” She beckoned me forward and sighed in contentment. “I shall finally be able to dress you as a lady should.”

After I slipped into the gown, which fell over my body like liquid silk, she smiled.

“Beautiful, just beautiful. Now, have a seat.” She patted the stool in front of her. “My affinity shall have you ready in no time.”

The minute I propped myself on the stool’s plump cushion, she set to work on my hair and makeup.

The lady servant’s affinity, as I’d come to learn in the previous weeks, was that of beauty. She could make anything look beautiful, whether that be a decorative array of flowers in a vase, an arrangement of pillows on a bed, or the styling of one’s hair and makeup.

Some fae considered superficial affinities such as Daiseeum’s to be inadequate, since her magic didn’t hold anything mighty or powerful, but I’d come to see just how talented she was. The lady’s servant had a gift of making any fairy look their best, and for the first time since I’d met her, I didn’t try to restrain her from wielding her magic.

I was meeting the king after all.

“Daiseeum?” I said as she twirled a hot iron through my hair. Strands of silver fell around me. The prince hadn’t shattered his illusion again, not since he’d revealed to his brother what I was. “Do you know Lord Crimsonale?”

Daiseeum’s fingers faltered, just for a moment, before she steadied her hand, and a soft curl twirled from the iron. “I know of him, my lady.”

“Can you tell me what you know?”

Her lips pursed. “He’s a very powerful lord from Osaravee Territory. He’s the territory’s archon, so he sits on the king’s council. His father only stepped down from his title perhaps five winters ago, which allowed Lord Crimsonale to ascend, so he’s a somewhat new ruler in his area. I’ve heard that he’s very ambitious and is looking to stamp his mark. I also heard—” Her lips clamped closed.

“What else did you hear?”

“I shouldn’t speak so.”

“Please? I feel like I’m being thrown to the wolves tonight. I know nothing of the court.”

Her fingers continued to move assuredly through my hair as she clucked her tongue. “Very well. I heard that he can also be cruel. Trillis, a servant who works in the kitchens, told me that he purposefully burned one of the young males who had tripped while helping the lord dress. The lord’s shirt ripped, and Lord Crimsonale became angry.”

“Burned him how?”

“With his magic. Lord Crimsonale’s affinity is an element—fire. When he’s displeased, it’s been said he burns those who anger him.”

I made a disgusted face. “That’s horrible. Was the young male badly injured?”