Thorns of Frost (Fae of Snow & Ice, #2)(7)

Her forehead scrunched up as I shimmied out of my nightclothes, then pulled on my underthings. Smoothing her forehead, she did a once-over on me. “You’ve gained weight.”

I shrugged. “And you will too. They have far too much food in this castle while everyone else on the continent is starving.”

She looked down at her thin limbs and hollow stomach, then seemed to remember what we’d been discussing and snapped her head up. “And what was with that weird argument between you two? What happened on a balcony?”

“You heard that?”

“It was kind of hard not to. You two were practically shouting at each other.”

A flush worked up my neck as I slipped the tunic over my head. It didn’t fit quite as snuggly as it had before, which told me Daiseeum had made good on her promise to have the tailor return and let out my clothes now that I wasn’t skin and bones. I smoothed the fabric over my waist and hips. It fit perfectly.

“Well? What happened?”

“I don’t know,” I finally said when Cailis began to tap her foot.

“Yes, you do.”

I spun away from her and grabbed a pair of black leggings. “He’s insane. That’s all you need to know.”

“Well, obviously he’s demented, but you don’t actually want to win this ridiculous Trial. Right?”

I hated the hint of doubt that crept into her tone. I hated that she truly thought I was capable of having feelings for a male who’d done what he had to not only our family but to countless others. But then something the prince had once told me flashed through my mind, about how he didn’t enjoy killing fae but did what was necessary.

But is that even true? He certainly looked delighted at the thought of murdering Vorl.

I finished dressing—pulling on a pair of supple leather boots before grabbing the fur-lined purple gloves the prince had purchased for me in Pentlebim’s market.

I snuck a peek at my sister before mumbling, “For what it’s worth, he may be horrible, but he’s not quite as evil as we both thought he was.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “What does that mean?”

“I’m just saying that he’s not purely evil, not as we always assumed. I have seen some good in him. He won’t hurt me or you. I’m sure of that.” I cringed. “In all honesty, I have found myself enjoying his company on occasion.”

A flash of betrayal pierced her eyes.

“Cailis, I’m sorry.” I quickly grabbed her hands and squeezed. “I know what he did. It’s atrocious that I don’t despise him even more now that I’ve met him, but—” I didn’t know how to explain it. There was something about the prince, something I’d seen hints of that told me there was more to his story than I was aware of. He wasn’t purely evil. Capable of doing evil things, yes, but I didn’t think he enjoyed it. Well, maybe he would enjoy it with Vorl . . .

Cailis’s lips thinned as she ripped her hands free and gripped my shoulders. “He just talked about torturing a male, Ilara. Have you lost your mind?”

“You don’t even want to know how many times I’ve asked myself that very same question.”

She shook her head. “What’s gotten into you? Have they influenced you? Poisoned you? Blessed Mother, have they cast a love potion on you?”

“A love potion?” I snorted. “Are you serious? I don’t love him. I’m just saying he’s not as horrible as we thought.” I waved my hand at the Exorbiant Chamber. “He’s not keeping me in the dungeons, is he? And he let me write to you. Don’t you see what I’m saying? He’s not purely evil.”

She crossed her arms, then arched an eyebrow. “He murdered our parents, Lara. He murdered Tormesh. Why do I need to remind you of that?” Disgust rolled across her features, and for the first time in our lives, something else did too. Disappointment.

Burning shame swept through me like crashing waves on the Tala Sea. I lowered my gaze to my toes. “I know. Honestly, I know. Don’t worry. I would never forget that.”

“You better not.”

My stomach clenched. “Anyway, I need to get going. The prince and I have been working on a field in Harrivee Territory. He’s taking me there again today.”

“Can I come with you?”

She asked the question too quickly, and the look in her eyes told me why she really wanted to join us.

She didn’t trust me.

My sister truly felt I was falling under some ridiculous spell the prince was weaving over me, and she probably saw it as her duty to free me from it.

“I’ll be fine, Cailis.”

Her lips pursed, reminding me of Daiseeum, my lady’s servant. “See to it that you are, Ilara Seary.”

Her meaning smacked me in the face. She’d just addressed me as our mother had when we roamed too late in the fields or were getting into mischief with Birnee and Finley.

Keep your distance from the prince. Don’t fall any further for him. Don’t betray me.

Her unspoken words made an ache form in my gut, but Cailis was right. Even if I had reluctant feelings for the prince, I wouldn’t act on them.

I slipped my hands into my gloves, my thoughts finally aligning with hers. “You need to stop worrying. I won’t do anything stupid with the prince, and you’re right about what you said earlier. We should find a way to escape. But we have to be smart about it. We’ll have to plan wisely.”