“I’ll pick your dress,” Erea whispered. “You better go clean up. Daselis can be…difficult.”
Even though I’d planned this for a larger reason, guilt burrowed into my gut when I walked in to find Daselis casting a longing look at my bath.
“Remove your jewelry,” she said.
My hand immediately clutched at the charmed necklace. “I’d rather not. It’s okay, I can get it wet.”
“Suit yourself. In,” she said, and I began to strip. She stalked away, returning with several scented oils, which she poured into the water. “Take the pins out of your hair,” she instructed, and I began to slide them out.
“Wet your hair,” she barked when I’d let it down.
Leaning back, I complied. The water turned murky around me, and my cheeks heated.
She just sighed, but some of the rancor had left her expression. “I’ll help you wash it.”
It would be the first time my hair had been washed since I’d dyed it. But I’d been assured the color wouldn’t wash out. “Thank you.” I met her eyes. “I really appreciate it.”
She just nodded, pouring soap into my hair.
In the end, she washed it three times, until it was as clean as it had ever been. The water left in the tub was gray with dirt when I stood up, and Daselis insisted on sending Erea for a bucket of clean water to rinse me off while I attempted to cover myself and shivered.
Finally, she allowed me to dry myself. But if I’d hoped to dress alone, those hopes were quickly crushed.
The dress was a dark gray, embroidered with intricate silver swirls. It was cut in such a way that it would cling to my body.
I stared at it. I’d thought the wool of my maroon dress had been fine. It had certainly been the warmest material I’d ever worn—other than Galon’s cloak. For a moment, his put-upon expression danced across my mind, and my heart twisted.
Where were they now?
“We don’t have time for your daydreaming,” Daselis snapped.
I jolted. She’d been waiting for me to lift my arms, and I threw them into the air, almost hitting her in the face.
Erea muffled a laugh, which was quickly quashed at a glare from Daselis. I slid Erea a tiny smile, and she flashed that crooked tooth at me.
“Ouch,” I winced as Daselis began lacing the dress.
“You have a tiny waist,” she muttered. “The dress was cut to show it off.”
I had a tiny waist because we hadn’t had enough food in my village, and then I’d barely eaten before I’d found the mercenaries in the forest. While Rythos’s cooking had helped me put on some of the weight I’d lost, as soon as I’d heard about Asinia, my stomach had twisted most of the time when I’d attempted to eat.
Daselis went silent, and I realized I’d been scowling. “I didn’t mean to offend,” she said carefully. The closest I’d get to an apology.
“No, it’s okay. It’s just… We didn’t have much food where I grew up.”
Understanding flickered in her eyes. “I know what that is like.”
“How did you come to work in the castle?”
Her mouth clamped shut, her expression turning blank. “We need to get you back to the queen. Erea, you can do her hair while I find shoes that will fit.”
Erea smiled at me. “Come sit down.”
I met my eyes in the mirror. Likely, the charmed necklace would begin to fail soon, and with maids paying close attention to how I looked, that could be a fatal mistake. I’d need to reach out to Vicer. If he couldn’t help, I’d find a way to source my own necklace.
We were both quiet as Erea wound my hair into a complicated, braided updo. Finally, she stepped back, a pleased smile on her face.
I’d gotten used to not recognizing myself, with my hair and eyes being so different. But I took a moment to smile at Erea, grateful for freshly washed hair and my clean dress. “You did a wonderful job,” I murmured.
She flushed. “I enjoy it.”
“Time to go,” Daselis said, dropping the heels to the floor in front of me. I slipped them on and stood while she cast a critical look over my form. With a nod, she turned and stalked out the door.
I followed her unsteadily in the heels, my palms sweating.
Being close to the queen would mean I was watched more closely, but I would also have many more opportunities to figure out how to get Asinia out of the dungeon.
Three of the queen’s ladies were daughters of nobles. And two of their fathers were trusted advisers to the king. It was likely the men would often speak of important matters in front of women, assuming they were either too stupid to understand or bored by political talk. Those same women would gossip about it later.