Page 53 of The Rose in the Shadows

She was a thin-framed woman with delicate features and worry lines, not much taller than me. Her gray hair was piled on her head, and her lips were painted a deep red. Her gray dress was modest, with long sleeves and a high collar. Despite its simplicity of style, the night sky’s constellations had been hand-etched into her skirt, with tiny crystals representing each star. She hardly paid any mind to me as I appraised her, choosing instead to embrace Clay fondly and I couldn’t help but note the way she pressed her breasts tightly against him as she hugged him.“It’s so good to see you, my grace. It’s been far too long!”

Clay’s face was a portrait of irritation. “Alina, I didn’t realize you would be here tonight.”

“Why, of course, I would be! My granddaughter is still in need of a handsome husband, after all. Whatever happened between you and Camilla? You were the quaintest couple.”

“We weren’t a couple,” Clay muttered, but I had already tuned out. My attention was on something far more interesting than Clay’s romantic history.

“You’re Camilla’s grandmother?” I demanded.

I didn’t expect my voice to be as firm as it was. And from Alina’s reaction, neither did she. Even Clay, usually so stone-faced and unreadable, jerked his head towards me in surprise. Alina’s hand flew to her chest as she finally looked at me as if I had offended her by addressing her so forcefully.

“Yes…” She drew out the word, her voice thick with contempt. “I’m Alina Maslov, the matriarch of House Hypatia. And you are?”

Alina knew precisely who I was. The Dragon had ensured that. So the fact that she was pretending otherwise told me everything I needed to know about her. I had played enough games for one night. I was uninterested in playing them with her.

“I believe you’re very well aware that I’m Princess Theadora Moore of House Hyrax,” I spit out. My magic soared under my fingertips, ready and waiting. “Do you care to tell me why Witches in this palace are conducting blood magic?”

Alina gasped, looking at Clay as if she expected him to defend her. But the Crown Prince only tucked his hands into his pockets and shrugged as if he, too, were waiting to hear her answer. The corners of his lips were just so slightly tipped up in what might have been an expression of pride.

“My dear, I cannot be expected to monitor every Witch in the kingdom.”

“It’s ‘my lady,’” I corrected her. “And I believe monitoring the Witches of Athenia is exactly within your responsibilities as the Matriarch of your line. I merely asked you about the Witcheshere in the palace, which should be a fairly simple question. So are you incompetent, or are you willfully disrespecting a Descendant of a royal bloodline?”

My circle of friends was closing in, sensing my tension. I noticed Iris watching us unabashedly, with Rankor close behind her. Camilla stood at a table between Kent and Lorelai, and though she watched us interestedly, she didn’t move towards us. Not that she would stop me now. With Alina in front of me and the shock of the attack still coursing through my veins, I wanted answers, and I wanted them now.

“I don’t know who attacked you,” Alina sneered, rolling her eyes dramatically.

“Then perhaps you would better serve your kingdom by returning to your family and identifying the threat than you do by spending your evening trying to arrange a royal marriage that weallknow will never happen.”

Alina gasped, mouth opening and closing like a fish as she struggled to decide what to say next. Her eyes flashed briefly between Clay and Camilla; from my peripheral, I could see Camilla’s cheeks turning crimson. Finally, Alina turned back to me and bowed her head respectfully without seeing another way out of this situation.

“Yes, my lady. I’ll see to that right away.”

I watched the long train of her dress slither out of the hall.

Camilla followed after her, stopping in front of me with an expression of hate. “A bit hypocritical, don’t you think?”

I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t catch your meaning.”

“Please,” she snorted. “We all know you pretend to hate this lifestyle. Yet here you are, taking advantage of the power it offers you. Who’s the real villain here?”

I suspect Clay might have tried to say something in my defense had Camilla not stormed out of the hall before either of us could think of a response. Instead, he simply nodded briefly towardsKent and our friend excused himself after her, likely to calm her down.

“Careful,” he warned in my ear as our friends swarmed us. “You’re sounding more and more like a Council member each day.”

I didn’t bother to meet his gaze. I recognized the truth in his words; I also recognized the truth in Camilla’s.

“The only thing I’m doing is ensuring I live long enough to make a life here,” I said, but I wasn’t sure if I was reassuring him or myself.

Chapter Sixteen

Ihad promised my friends to officially re-emerge from my rooms again by the end of the Peace Ball. Rankor convinced me to upgrade our dancing lessons to combat training, and Lorelai insisted on getting me fitted for new gowns again since my last shipment had gone up in flames. Literally. I wasn’t particularly eager to risk another death-by-dress situation, but it was truly inevitable. I couldn’t very well keep wearing her borrowed gowns or the dresses Clay sent along for me.

When I woke in the morning to the sound of a card being slid under my door, though, I knew with a sudden certainty that I wouldn't be seeing my friends after all.

Bare-footed, I padded over to it and felt my stomach fall as I read its brief message.

I had a private summons to the Dragon’s office.

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