Page 11 of A Game of Veils

Lorenzo dips his head in agreement, his jaw flexing.

My lips pull back in a feral grin. “Wouldn’t it be a shame if she can’t enjoy the luxuries of her new home one bit? Let Princess Aurelia’s every moment here be torture and regret.”

Chapter Four

Aurelia

There’s a kind of meditation to making tea. Breathing in the herbal scents as I pick out the leaves I want to mix. Sprinkling them into the bottom of the cup. Pouring the steaming water with a faint hiss.

As I sink into the padded armchair next to the table, I cling to the temporary calm brought by the ritual. It’s masking a well of turmoil I don’t dare show.

The maid Emperor Tarquin appointed me with, an ever-smiling woman named Melisse who can’t be any older than me, hovers at the other side of the table with obvious uncertainty. She eagerly brought me the teapot of hot water I requested, but I may have put her in fear of her job by insisting on doing the pouring myself.

She starts to twist a lock of her fawn-brown bob around her finger and then jerks her hand back to her side to stop herself from fidgeting. “Is there anything else I can get you, Your Highness?”

A fast horse and the key to the palace gate, I want to say, but I bury that longing deep.

The image of Lady Cadenza crumpling with a gush of blood runs through my mind for the hundredth time. A chill races from my throat to my gut.

What is the emperor playing at? Not just any game, but a fatal one.

This is how he operates, isn’t it? How every Darium emperor in the long line has enforced their brutal control over this half of the continent—how up until a century ago they tyrannized the countries in the western half too.

No doubt the imperial family only ramped up their ruthlessness after losing so much territory to rebellion, determined to ensure that no one ever slipped free of their rule again.

It wouldn’t have been enough for Emperor Tarquin to humiliate the noblewomen whose families claimed unfairness. No, he had to show he could cut their daughters down in front of them without them being able to lift a finger.

Question his authority, and he’ll make you regret ever asking for more.

A different yearning wraps around my heart—to have my family and friends next to me. To be able to talk my horror through with someone who’d be on my side as I certainly can’t trust the woman in front of me to be.

How furious would my sister have become if she’d witnessed the scene in the audience room? What absurd remarks would Lady Nica have said to raise my spirits? Would Lady Cataline’s unconditional encouragement have erased the uneasiness that grips me?

The tightening of the knot in my stomach reminds me that I couldn’t have really poured out my worries to any of them either. Even back home, I couldn’t tell them everything.

We always knew I’d have to leave my family’s side eventually, even if none of us would have guessed how far I’d end up going. The distance loomed between us well before I ever set foot across the border. And a princess can’t indulge in weakness.

I’ve always been at least a little alone.

Melisse is waiting for my response. I push my lips into a careful smile of my own. “I’m sorry. I’m still sorting out my thoughts about everything that happened this afternoon. Perhaps the court was more prepared for these ‘trials’ than I was.”

I keep my tone mild with the slightest nudge of inquisitiveness. I’d be surprised if Emperor Tarquin doesn’t have my personal servant reporting on our conversations—and everything else she observes about me.

Will he be satisfied now, after this one shock? Surely he isn’t going to cull twelve young women from his court in a matter of days?

Today’s bloodshed could have been a simple message to them and a test for me, one I hope I’ve passed. If he keeps going…

It must be mostly Emperor Tarquin’s will. I don’t think the imperial heir was going to order Lady Cadenza’s murder before his father prompted him.

Marclinus will have grown up with these ladies. I can’t imagine he’d prefer to see them all slaughtered.

I won’t make any assumptions about how much he or the emperor care about my own survival, but between the two of them, I have a better chance of swaying him.

Melisse is shaking her head with a nervous giggle. A flicker of a starker emotion passes through her eyes before she regains her upbeat façade. “Oh, no. That was His Imperial Majesty’s first announcement about the trials. I don’t think anyone knew.”

I had the same impression, but it’s good to have my judgment confirmed.

I let out a soft laugh of my own. “I suppose I’ll have to wait and see what else this competition entails.”

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