Page 38 of The Rose in the Shadows

I sighed. “I can’t imagine the festivities are worth the risk.”

Clay glanced at me from across the carriage with a raised brow and what looked to be the beginning of a rare but genuine smile. “Now, I wouldn’t say that.”

As he turned away from me to peel back the blind and glance out the carriage window, I struggled to close my dangling jaw. It appeared our brooding prince really did like to have fun once in a while. Mystery books and a penchant for sneaking out of the castle. Clayton Vail was perhaps more human than I had initially given him credit for.

When the carriage finally pulled to a stop and we stepped out, my heart seemed to freeze. There were people everywhere. Dozens, if not hundreds, crowded the town square, shuffling to their homes, talking, trying to make the last sales of the day from their carts. Some had even begun to relax, bringing out guitars and instruments to play. Two women danced around each other, giggling. Looking around at the masses of them, I scoffed at our outfits. Surely, a simple shift dress and common white tunic would not be enough to hide us.

Wouldn’t someone in this crowd recognize their own prince?

And yet, as we walked, not even one of the townspeople blinked twice at us. They had all stared at me as I made my grand declarations weeks ago, yet a simple change of clothes suddenly made me invisible.

“That feeling alone makes it worthwhile,” Clay told me, placing a hand on the small of my back and pushing me forward through the wooden doors of a tavern. “The normalcy, I mean. It’s only a temporary reprieve from the pressure to perform, but it’s nice nonetheless.”

“How do they not recognizeyou?” I asked him as we stepped into the tavern. The space was relatively empty and quiet, with only a few patrons sitting quietly at the countertop, nursing their drinks. They glanced at us mindlessly. We were both just faces passing through to them. Perhaps, if I tried to rationalize it, I could understand the people not recognizing me; I had only appeared a few short weeks ago and had only made one publicappearance. Clay, however, had been in the public eye his whole life.

Still, only the bartender gave any inclination that he knew Clay by dipping his head slightly, a gesture that the prince returned to him.

“You’d be surprised how the finery of it all can hide the man underneath.”

Iris brushed past him, grabbing my hand and pulling me with her up the stairs. “Would you two come on already? The fun is upstairs!”

I nearly tripped over my feet as she ripped me up the staircase, squealing the whole way. But as I found my footing and stepped into the top floor, I suddenly understood her urgency.

The quiet establishment downstairs had a whole other world on its upper floor. Candelabras on the walls offered only dim lighting, and people crowded in every corner, dancing and shouting over the music. I recognized Lorelai’s bright red hair and Rankor’s large form, from where they stood near the stage with Camilla. Music filled the room from the band, and yet the stairs and floor below had been entirely silent—Descendant magic at work, no doubt.

“Is that Kent?” I called out, pointing to what appeared to be our friend, belting out an upbeat song on stage. He was oblivious to our entrance, so lost in the music that he fell to his knees as he reached an incredible pitch. And while the action would have looked ridiculous on anyone else, Kent just looked… natural.

Iris glared at me. “Of course! He’s a Siren.”

I think she sometimes forgot how new this all was to me based on the way she spoke, as if the answers to my questions were obvious.

She escaped to get us drinks as we made our way to where our friends beckoned us from the corner of the room. They, too, had dressed down in ordinary clothes. Rankor looked as dashingas ever as he scooped me into a bear hug, and Lorelai, who never failed to look stunning, was still drop-dead gorgeous in an apron. Camilla was the only one who seemed uncomfortable with the simplicity of it all as she met my eyes.

“Oh, good, you’re here,” she grumbled sarcastically.

“Thanks for the warm welcome.”

Her green eyes grazed over my body with disgust. “I think I’ve finally realized why you always look so out of place at court. Wearing dirty rags suits you so much better.”

“Camilla,” Lorelai chastised under her breath.

“What?” she sighed, heavily sipping on the amber liquid in her glass. “I’m not the one who invited the prisoner.”

“She’s not a prisoner,” Clay corrected with irritation as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “As of today, Theadora has free roam of the castle.”

“She does?” They chorused around me.

But their shock was nothing compared to my own. I looked up at him suspiciously. “I do?”

Clay shrugged, taking his drink from an overly excited Iris. She had clearly known this special announcement was coming. Like earlier, he finished his drink in one gulp.

“I saw you use your powers,” he explained. “There’s no way you were faking the shock. You’re not a threat, Thea, and it’s not your fault you don’t remember your past. The least we can do is make your future a bit more tolerable.”

I didn’t realize how badly I had needed to hear him say that until the words dangled in the air between us. He lifted his empty glass and nodded towards mine, and my stupid stomach railed against me once more. It hadn’t settled all night. Allowing myself a moment to smile my thanks at him, I lifted my glass to him in return and sipped the burning liquor.

Rankor’s head bounced excitedly between us before he threw his arms around us both.

“Well then, it looks like we’re celebrating tonight! Let’s have some fun!”

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