His laugh made her stomach flip. “Yeah. Fine. Goodbye, princess.”
Lilah threw her phone onto the bed and planted her hands on her hips. She stared at the ocean and she wished, more than anything, that she was across it, faraway, somewhere she could be herself.
Somewhere she could say how she felt and be honest with Will, and also her brother. She thought of Abi downstairs and her sense of loneliness only increased. Jalilah didn’t have close friends, but now she had a sister. A beautiful, sweet woman who she wanted to get to know better but who was clearly going through her own heartbreak and turmoil despite her recent wedding.
Lilah looked up when the door clicked open. Her attendants were there, standing with faces wiped of any emotion as they swept into the room and began to neaten and tidy. Thalia, her maid, lifted the outfit that had been prepared for Jalilah the night before, from a hanger.
“It’s fine,” Lilah said in her own tongue. “I’m dressed.”
Thalia turned, scanning Lilah’s ensemble with obvious doubt. The black dress was simple and casual; hardly fitting for a princess. “I’m not going anywhere today,” Lilah said softly. “Nor seeing anyone beyond my sister and nephew. I need not wear that.” She nodded towards the beige, jeweled gown and turned. On automatic pilot, she took the seat at the dressing table and waited while two of Thalia’s assistants began to style her hair and place the minimum of make up on her face. It was a ritual that she was used to and yet it increasingly angered her.
Lilah, a twenty four year old woman, was perfectly capable of doing her own hair and make up. Did she really need to be pandered over like some hopeless, pathetic moron? Ditto choosing what clothes she was going to wear. Surely she was capable of consulting her diary and selecting appropriate attire for whichever events she had scheduled?
A spark of frustration began to build into a bonfire. She needed to speak to Kiral. The doting and servitude of so many attendants had to cease. Lilah deserved a say in her own life. She deserved to make choices about how she existed. Why hadn’t she ever felt that before? Why had she been so happy to fall in with every little thing that was suggested of her?
She stared at herself in the mirror as three women tended to her, a spirit of angry defiance settling around her shoulders.
It wasn’t just about having a say in her life. She wanted her own life. A real life! Sure, she was a princess, and she knew that there were obligations and responsibilities inherent to that station.
She heard the royal helicopter as it flew over the city and she knew Kiral would be on board. She fixed Thalia with a smile and nodded. “That’s fine. That will do. Thank you.”
“But your shoes …”
“I can get my own shoes,” she muttered, pinning the smile more firmly in place. “And Thalia? I won’t need you ladies for the rest of the day.” A frown puckered between her brows. “I intend to have you reassigned.”
Thalia blanched and her hands began to shake. She instructed the younger women to leave the room and then bowed low and neatly before Jalilah. “I beg your pardon, your majesty, but have we displeased you in some fashion?”
Lilah suppressed a sigh. “No, not at all.”
Thalia looked confused and Lilah felt the first stabbing of guilt. “I shall speak to my brother and be sure he knows you have all performed your duties excellently. It is only that I wish for more … autonomy now than I used to have.”
“Autonomy.” Thalia nodded. “Very well, madam.”
She left the room and Lilah slipped her feet into a pair of heels before following after them. The helicopter would have landed on the roof. She walked quickly through the palace until she reached the elevator. She pressed the button impatiently, and it beeped open almost instantly.
Sure enough, the helicopter was perched on the roof, a sparkling black bird against the crisp blue sky. The rota blades were still whirring; they must have just landed seconds earlier. She watched as her brother jumped from the back doors, his expression grim.
Her eyes were not fixed on him for long, though. Will appeared at the door behind him, his frame strong and muscled, his eyes scanning the rooftop and landing on her instantly. Lilah had to fight to stop from lifting her hands to her mouth.
She hadn’t seen him sinc
e that night. Her chest contracted as she remembered what they’d shared in his suite of rooms. The way he’d made her feel! She had not been a princess that night; she had been a woman, and an intensely desirable one.
He moved with the athleticism she knew came innately to him.
“Lilah? Where is she?”
Lilah had to shake herself mentally to bring her focus back to the far more pressing situation at hand. “She is in the palace,” she said vaguely, ashamed to realize she couldn’t have said anything with more certainty.
Kiral nodded, his face loaded with tension. “How is she?”
Lilah put her hand on his upper-arm consolingly. “She is upset, Kiral.” Her eyes sought his, trying to understand what he was feeling and wanting. “If you care about her, you must fix this.”
“You know the article was a ludicrous creation.”
“I don’t mean only the article.” Lilah’s smile was kind but Kiral could see the condemnation in her eyes. “That woman is miserable, and because of you. I know you, brother. You are kind and you are honourable. Do not punish her for the past.”
He nodded, but deep down, Kiral had lost any hope of redemption with his bride. “I need to speak to her.”