“Good.” She threaded her arm around mine, and in that moment, I was grateful I didn’t have to face my demons alone.
ArminarmwithCassie, I entered the grand dining room. My guards took up their stations beside the two stone griffins guarding either side of the door as well as the other golems and black and gold armored guards. The tiled floor was patterned into a design of fighting sun dragons, while vaulted ceilings rose above us. Pillars to our right opened to a balcony, the fresh morning air frolicking with the curtains. The breeze carried with it the fragrance of cherry blossoms from the miniature potted trees positioned around the room, runed into perpetual bloom.
An expansive table filled the center of the spacious room. Around it sat the usual culprits. The empress, with Cain sprawled on the Yeti skin rug at her feet, Ariadne and Alex, Cronus, plus one new addition—Ryker who sat in his chair, stiff as a board, looking quite uncomfortable.Good. My lip started to curl until Cassie gave my arm a gentle squeeze. Oops. I was supposed to act as if I liked him, not hated him.
“It’ll be okay,” she whispered close to my ear. “Otherwise, I’ll kill him.”
I gulped, forcing myself to don a mask of submission, and slipped into an act I was familiar with playing, only this time I had a different reason for hiding.
Alright, first things first, I needed to get the groveling out of the way. Separating from my sister, she went to sit next to Alex, and I approached the silent empress, who was dressed in a swathe of gold silk. She kept her attention pointedly focused on a stack of parchment to the left of her plate. Nearing her side, I bowed low, my hair falling over my shoulders and hiding my face.
“Forgive me for last night, Mother. I let my fear get the better of me, but I meant you no disrespect.” I peeked through my curtain of hair as Lilitha’s eyes remained fixed on the parchment in her hand for a moment longer.
With a deep sigh, she finally turned toward me. “I’m not sure what has overcome you these past two days, child, but you would do well to remember your station. As a princess, there is much that is expected of you, and your fears aside, you can’t run away or throw a fit every time something is not to your liking. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Mother.” No matter how much I wanted to please her, my own weakness and shortcomings always seemed to assure my failure.
The empress stared at me for a while longer before she dipped her chin. “Very well, this time you are forgiven, but I do expect you to double your efforts if you want me to even consider your request to postpone the Ascension.”
“Thank you.” I bowed again, struggling to keep my hands from shaking.
“Well, now that that is out of the way, hurry up and extend your apologies to your intended as well so we can all eat,” Lilitha instructed, turning back to her parchment.
My stomach flopped, but I did my best to hide my discomfort and maneuvered around the table. I passed behind my father, who sat stooped over, already in a drunken haze, dipping a piece of bread into something that probably contained even more alcohol.
“Morning, Mariah,” he slurred.
“Morning, Father,” I whispered, trying to hide my frown as I made it to the other side of the table where Ryker sat next to Alex. Both were dressed in elaborately embroidered tunics and black breeches.
Ryker turned toward me, his expression neutral, but I bowed before I had to meet his gaze. “Please forgive me for any disrespect I may have shown you last night.”
He rested his hand on my arm and I jerked upright, staring at my assassin. He nodded, frowning when I tugged my arm away. Heart pounding, I slipped into the chair beside him—the only empty one left—and folded my hands in my lap, doing my best to hide their now obvious trembling.
With that motion, the servers took their cue. A line of servants carrying platters of baked rolls, poached fire lizard eggs, sliced imp, grapes from the palace vineyard and pitchers of hippogryph milk entered from a door in the back wall.
The food was set before us, and a sharp intake of breath issued to my right. I glanced at Ryker, and shock raced up my spine. The hatred from that night once again framed his strange eyes as he stared at the mouth watering array. With his next blink, the ire was hidden behind a look of disinterest once again, yet I couldn’t fathom why it had even been there in the first place.
The servers filled my plate with a scant amount of food. My growling stomach protested when I glanced down the table and found my sister heaping her plate high with every delectable within reach. Another freedom I had to live without. However, I wasn’t the only attention her actions attracted.
The empress cleared her throat, narrowing her eyes. “I thought I gave you distinct instructions to cover your deformities, Cassandra.” I bristled, and Alex did the same.
Cassie’s head lifted, and she plastered a sweet smile on her face. “Forgive me, Your Majesty, it must have slipped—”
“I told her not to wear it,” I cut in.
My sister grimaced, her eyes begging me not to fight this battle, but for her I would go to war, something she never seemed to understand.
“And why would you do that?” Lilitha pursed her lips.
“Because, first off, it’s not fair, and second, how is she supposed to eat wearing a mask?”
“She wouldn’t be able to. I was hoping she would take the hint and request breakfast in the garden.”
“Oh? Are you going to extend the same courtesy to me?”
“No,” Lilitha snapped, rising to her feet and throwing down a piece of parchment. “You are the princess, Kaleah, and your sister is nothing more than a disfigured—”
“My sister is beautiful!” I stood up so fast, my chair toppled backward. The empress hissed while the rest of the table fell silent, watching me.