Page 19 of The Midnight Blizzard

Hoping that Jack had better luck, I returned to the spare room to bathe and prepare for the feast. The gown Trista left me was slightly too long but fit well otherwise. It hugged my curves down my torso and hips then flared at the knees, so I felt like some sort of fish or mermaid and was only able to walk in small, halting steps. I leaned closer to the mirror, sweeping a strand of hair back from my face as I did so. The pink in the dress brought out thecolor of my eyes, even if they weren’t as piercing of a blue as Jack’s were. Though not all mages had those electric-blue eyes, many did. I hummed as I continued to style my hair. People in town often spoke of mage eyes as unsettling, but I found the vivid coloring incredibly attractive in a mysterious, thrilling way. Why didn’t everyone see them that way?

When Jack returned, he stomped the snow from his boots before knocking and entering. His eyes widened when he saw me, exaggerating the shocking blue of his eyes.

“What do you think?” I asked, spinning in a circle as best I could with the dress’s tight fit preventing quick movements.

“You look…beautiful.” Jack stared for a moment longer, then shook himself out of his trance. “I was coming to tell you that the girls are already gathering in the ballroom to mingle before the feast starts. You can go socialize for a bit.”

I pulled a face. “My stepsisters and stepmother will probably be there. I’m not sure what to say to them until I have a record of the will to back up my claim. I may just stay here until the feast starts.”

Jack blushed slightly. “And normally, I would agree, but the thing is…I need to get ready too.”

My eyebrows knotted together until something clunked into place in my brain. “This isn’t a spare room, is it? It’s yours.”

Jack nodded, staring at the floor.

“I thought you would have a bigger room in the castle since you’re an advisor.”

“I requested this one to be closer to the dogs,” he admitted. “The prince said it didn’t make sense either, but I like it.”

I was in his personal bedroom. I had taken his bed andprivacy. My mouth dropped open and I began stuttering like mad. “I-I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean…I’ll go. This is…this is awkward, and I didn’t mean to impose…” I was babbling as I fumbled for the doorknob. “I thought it was just a spare room.”

Jack, who looked equally uncomfortable, rushed to answer, “No, I don’t want you to feel bad. I just need a few minutes to get ready?—”

I felt so silly from embarrassment that I forgot to ask about what he’d found in the records room. Here I had been leisurely getting ready without a care in the world while Jack had been feeling kicked out of his own room. “I’m just going to go bury myself in a snowdrift now,” I babbled, red-faced as I hurried out the door. “Enjoy yoursuiteroom. Like…not the sweet like that you eat. I meant the kind of suite like you stay in… Beryl would think that’s funny. Not that I’m thinking about Beryl, because I’d rather think about someone like—I, you know, never mind. Um, I’ll see you tonight! Goodbye!”

The dress threatened to pop a seam at the knees as I shuffled along with absurd, scurrying footsteps. Now I knew why Trista hadn’t been sad to part with such a dress. I probably looked like Octavius trying to waddle along. I amused myself with trying to picture Octavius stuffed into a too-tight dress, and the image brought a smile to my face that almost erased the embarrassment of a few moments ago from my mind.

The area outside the dining hall was crowded with women milling around, waiting for the doors to open. Just as I began wondering if I’d manage to avoid my stepfamily after all, Valencia appeared and made a beeline for me.

“Well, well, well,” my stepmother tittered. “I see you made it here after all. My girls said they saw you before. Youcouldn’t resist the temptation of wealth and power, could you?”

“I’m here for the will and to ensure that the school can reopen,” I told her coldly. “If you thought dropping me off would stop me, you were sorely mistaken. Are you going to hand it over, or should I launch an official investigation?”

Valenciatskedsoftly. “So much hostility. This is a party. You wouldn’t want to make yourself unwelcome if you hope to marry the prince. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, you know.”

“I don’t care about marrying the prince. I’m not power-hungry like you are.”

“And yet here you are, demanding a will from a grieving widow to help elevate your position and force children into an institution simply because you’ve decided you know what is best for them. I’m left to wonder if I’m the power-hungry one.”

“Why are you even here? Think you can sneak into a competition for a prince half your age?”

Valencia let out a tinkling laugh. “Such venom. No, I’m planning to meet with Lord Relyn tonight about some important matters that have nothing to do with you. I came to greet him when he arrives as he is my personal guest.”

I turned away from her, pushing my way through the crowd as best as I could manage in my tight gown. Valencia followed, lightly stepping on the hem of my gown as she did so.

“Noelle, there you are.” Jack had appeared. He inclined his head very slightly to my stepmother. “If you’ll excuse us.” He led me away from the crowd to the bottom of the grand staircase leading to the suites where the guests were housed. Though latecomers still trotted down the stairs from time to time, it was relatively secluded.

“I didn’t mean to kick you out of the room earlier, you know,” Jack told me quietly. “And I intend for you to sleep there tonight if we can’t find another arrangement. I’ll speak to Octavius to make sure you get a private room, but I already moved some of my things to the barn, just in case.”

“I’m not going to take your room,” I insisted. “I honestly had no idea—it was so clean that I assumed it was just a spare.”

“I like to be clean, and I want you there.”

I couldn’t resist teasing him. “You want me in your room, do you?”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Not likethat. But unless I miss my guess, you need a place to sleep tonight. I know you like dogs, but?—”

I crossed my arms and jutted my chin out stubbornly. “I’m not taking your room.”

---