Page 79 of Ruled By Magic

As we returned from the facilities, Leo shouted, “Bring me something to drink!” His cheeks were flushed. The Atarans had been pouring him drinks all night, and he looked tipsy. I hoped it was an act, to give us an excuse to leave the party early. I grabbed a carafe of wine and a glass from the buffet table. Leo wouldn’t care what I brought. He couldn’t tell cheap table wine from a priceless vintage, much to Andrew’s disgust.

I’d almost reached Leo’s side when the magic tripped me. Subtle enough to look like an accident to an observer. One line of invisible force came across my feet, the other pushed me in the back. I yelped as I fell. The carafe flew out of my hands, and red liquid splattered all over the Ataran crown prince.

Conversation died. All eyes focused in horror on the prince. Adante stood, face cold, gaze pinning me. He gestured to his ruined clothes. “You fool! Look what you did!”

“Your Highness, I—” I cut myself off, brain kicking into gear. Someone tripped me, but I had no way of proving it. What was worse? Leo’s clumsy consort spilling some wine, or his consort accusing a group of high-ranking courtiers of a childish prank? One was a minor embarrassment, the other could be a major disaster.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, it was a mistake,” I finished. Did a shadow of irritation cross his face? I kept my voice meek and soft. “I’m truly sorry.”

Adante ignored me, turning to Leo, who sat forward in his seat, brow creased in concern. He schooled his expression back to neutral as the prince addressed him.

“Lord Commander,” Adante barked. “Is this sort of carelessness acceptable in Dexia? In Atar, we expect our servants to pay attention. I’ll see to her punishment myself.” His dark eyes, so similar to Leo’s, flashed in excitement. My blood chilled.

He waved an imperious hand in my direction. “On your knees. A whipping will teach you.”

Panic flared. My hands shook, and from the corner of my eye I saw Hex tense. The Ataran nobles fell silent and exchanged glances. Was this not normal? None of the girls I’d seen so far had been marked. All eyes in the room shifted between the prince, Leo, and me.

“No.” Leo’s voice cut through the silence.

“No?” Adante frowned at Leo. He said the word as if it were a strange notion. Something he wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly. Some courtiers shuffled back. Were they expecting violence?

“There’s no need for such extreme measures, and I’d rather not have her marked. Dexian women are easy to punish. Watch.”

Leo rose and came to my side. He gripped the back of my neck, fingers digging in, and marched me to the wall adjacent to the seats. He tapped a spot with his foot. “Stand there.”

I did. Fear twisted in my gut. Where was he going with this?

With painful slowness, he pushed my head forward so my forehead rested against the wall, body bent at the waist at a forty-five-degree angle. He stood back and addressed the crowd in a voice designed to carry. A showman at heart.

“Women in Dexia are expected to comply with certain standards of modesty because of our backwards religion. Nonsense, of course, but it’s deeply ingrained. They hate to expose their skin. Even the dress my consort is wearing upsets her. But to punish her, I need only do this. Liv, lift your skirt up to your waist. Hold it there until I tell you otherwise.”

Horror, pure and visceral, coursed through me as my brain tried to deny what Leo had just said. He couldn’t mean it. He must have another plan. I risked a glance to the side and caught his eye, his expression hard and unyielding.

He made an impatient motion with his hand. “Face the wall, and hurry, unless you want ten with my belt first?”

The Ataran crowd chattered and laughed, voices blending together in a swirl and filling my ears with meaningless sound. He was serious. He expected me to expose myself in front of everyone. The strangers, but also our friends. That hurt the most.

Fingers shaking, I reached for the hem of my skirt and lifted it, hoping each second that Leo would cut in with a different instruction. He didn’t. I held it bunched at my waist, lacy white underwear exposed. A small sob escaped me as the crowd cheered. Blistering humiliation burned through me. It silenced the voice in my mind insisting this was better than a whipping. Bile rose in my throat.

Leo stepped up beside me, ran his hand down my arm to where my fingers clutched the dress, white-knuckled. “Do you gentlemen know the story of how I came by my consort?”

A chorus of negatives issued from the crowd.

“It’s a great tale. This girl,”—his fingers grazed my cheek—“worked as a schoolteacher by day, anti-government activist by night.” The men chuckled. “She faced fifteen years in prison and, well, just look at her. It would have been too tragic a waste. I offered her six months with me instead. I think she’s regretted her decision every day since, haven’t you, Liv?”

The words I knew I needed to say lodged in my throat. He brought his hand down on my ass in a single, sharp smack. “Answer the question.”

“Yes, Lord Commander,” I forced out, muffled against the wall.

A voice from the crowd. “Why not just let His Highness whip her? Save yourself the trouble.”

“Physical discipline has its place, but what has the greater impact? Bruises, even scars, are badges of bravery. Once she’s released, she could boast to her friends about a whipping. They’d commiserate with her, and she’d feel proud of herself. This, though? This is real control. She debases herself just because I’ve ordered her to.” He leaned close. A stage whisper right into my ear. “Will you tell your friends about this?”

I shivered. His voice and his touch were wrong, sinister and unpleasant. All an act, but so convincing I struggled to fight the dread it brought.

“No, Lord Commander,” I whispered, more tears threatening. When would this be over? I wanted to throw myself into bed and weep.

Leo moved away. “She can stay like that for a while. You gentlemen enjoy the view.” Cold, dismissive, and unconcerned. A shred of something dark and icy lodged in my heart.

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