Page 53 of Ties of Deception

Hope was the only one there when I arrived. Her platinum blonde hair was braided loosely down her back, and her pale eyebrows contrasted with her bright red lipstick. She nodded as I approached. “Purity. It’s nice to see you.”

I smiled. “Likewise. I’m grateful to be able to join you.”

She pushed her pale silky hair behind her ear as I took a free seat. “You’re lucky to be invited. Constance is a wonderful friend and ally to have in this place. She helped me settle in so much, and always gives good advice. Just do as she says, and you’ll be fine. The empress herself listens to her. Did you know Constance has been a Grace for over one hundred and eighty years? Some even believe she might be two hundred. I think she’s the oldest I’ve come across, though I’m sure there are some ancient Graces living quietly in remote villages somewhere. She knows what she’s doing.”

One hundred and eighty years. Ethen had said souls had started disappearing one hundred and seventy years ago, so how could she be older? Somebody had to be mistaken. Could he be wrong? Maybe a few souls had been stolen a few years earlier without the Aida or Aidis noticing? Was Constance lying about her age to make it seem like Graces had been around longer? Or was Hope simply mistaken after listening to too many rumors and Constance was far younger?

Even if Constance was only around one hundred and forty to fifty years old, she still had to remember what it was like at the beginning when the Graces were new—before they were assumed to have been around forever. That was a long time to be going along with a lie and staying actively involved in the political games of the palace.

I realized I had been thinking for too long without responding to Hope and covered it up by shifting the conversation to a more innocent topic to be musing on. “I’m surprised she is choosing to marry now if she has been here so long.”

Hope shrugged. “She is patient and wise, but I think her time has come. With her experience, she would make a great empress, don’t you think?”

It was hard to argue with that—especially if the main contender was Charity. But how was I to compete with somebody like her enough to get Prince Sebastian to trust me? Hope’s loyalty to Constance was clearly genuine.

Hope’s smile widened as she looked over my shoulder. “Ah, here they are.”

I turned to see Constance and Patience laughing as they walked toward us. Patience had an easy diffidence to her, her head of strawberry blonde curls slightly bowed and her grey eyes hanging onto Constance’s every expression. Even dressed in a plain white robe, Constance was truly stunning. Her wavy chestnut hair glimmered a pale copper in the sun. As always, it fell loose down her back, brushing the top of her hips.

Unease at the acknowledgement of what I was competing against hit me deeper than before. Tricks could only get me so far. Sebastian had probably known Constance all his life. But would that be a true advantage? Or would it be difficult for him to have romantic feelings for a woman several times his age? But then, I wasn’t even a fraction of his age…

There was so much I still didn’t know.

I stood as the pair reached us and was surprised when Constance reached across one of my arms in a loose embrace. “So nice for you to be able to join us, Purity. On such a lovely day too.”

I muttered a response that was lost in the sound of chairs scraping as everyone sat. A servant came with drinks and a large platter of bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping. Constance asked for cold meats and cheese before settling back into the thickly padded cushions of her chair. “Has everyone received their invitations from the prince?”

Hope was almost too eager to speak. “I met him for breakfast this morning. He was such enjoyable company. I was sure to compliment you throughout the meal.”

I shifted, uneasy. Constance laughed. “You didn’t have to bring me up, Hope. Just relax and enjoy his company.” Hope flushed, but didn’t seem regretful.

Patience fished out the invitation that for some reason she was still carrying around. “I’m seeing him after dinner tonight for a walk in the gardens.”

Constance smiled and nodded then turned to me. I attempted to appear as enthusiastic and as simply motivated as the others. “He’s invited me to breakfast the day after tomorrow.”

Constance pushed the platter of bread closer to me, so I could take a slice. “I hope you’re not too nervous, Purity. You’ll be fine.”

Hope suddenly made a strange hissing noise and grabbed one of my arms. She also reached for Constance who sat on her other side. I followed her gaze and saw Ethen walking toward us talking to an Aida—it was probably Ben, but I wasn’t sure from this distance. Three other Aida men trailed behind him. I recognized Tamel when I squinted. All of them carried huge swords strapped to their backs even though the Amazones frequently patrolled the palace grounds. I didn’t take in many details of his two new companions; instead my eyes swept across Ethen, admiring the graceful way he moved and scrutinizing his blank face. As usual, he appeared cold and disinterested. How did he do that? If I wanted to be as good at fooling people as him, I had a lot to learn.

Constance unhooked Hope’s fingers from her arm with a grimace. “Don’t react, and he’ll ignore you. He won’t abduct you—don’t worry.”

Hope returned her hands to her lap, but she continued to stare as Ethen’s party moved closer between the trees. He hadn’t even looked up to acknowledge us—neither had his men. “He has such a cold presence, it’s…terrifying. I don’t know why he has to stay so long. It’s been years. Can’t he just choose a wife and go? What was wrong with Serene? She wanted to go with him and nobody else will. Unless she changed her mind and that's why she suddenly disappeared—she ran away from him.”

I blinked and looked away. How easily the court covered up the unsavory fates of Graces.

Constance took a calm sip of her juice. “He’s the empress’s honored guest, Hope. You must be polite.” Her voice carried a light reprimand.

She muttered an apology, but her expression remained wary and almost derisive, never straying from the god.

Still, Ethen didn’t look up and meet my eyes or look at any of my companions, as if we didn’t exist. In contrast, every fiber of my body seemed to be pulling me toward him. If we kept bumping into each other like this, I was going to find it torture.

I tried to ignore his close proximity and leaned toward Constance. Even if she didn’t know how Graces were made, if she was anywhere near as old as Hope said, she would be a wealth of information. “Is it true that you’re about one hundred and eighty years old? Atos must have changed a lot in that time. You must have seen so many things.”

Constance blinked, seeming surprised by my question, and gave me an appeasing smile. “You probably don’t know this, Purity, but we tend not to dwell on each other's ages after we reach ten or so. It can bring up difficult memories of lost loved ones and general awkwardness.”

I dug my nails into my palm in frustration at being dismissed so quickly. “I’m sorry. I was just looking at these ancient trees and wondering how long Graces have been here.”

She laughed. “A long time. There’s no recorded time in the history books where they’re absent from Atos. I suppose these trees could be thousands of years old with the constant Blessings.”

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