Borrowed time was the best I could hope for, until I could turn it into something more permanent.
I forced a breath through my nose as Mirelda adjusted yet another pin.
“Stop moving,” she ordered, though I couldn’t have possibly shifted enough to interfere with her work.
Frigid old bat.
“Speaking of moving…” I said, without bothering to come up with a better transition. “The bookshelves in the study—are they purely decorative, or have all of the books conveniently found new homes?”
Her gaze flicked to mine in the vanity’s mirror, sharp and unamused. “The queen has access to all the books within the palace. You just need to call for them.”
I suppressed a sigh.
Of course, I couldn’t just find or request them like a normal person. I had to summon them. With all the power I didn’t have.
“Right. Naturally.” I nodded like that presented no problem to me, though I couldn’t puzzle out a way around it that wouldn’t be too obvious in the light of everything else.
Every step forward was a locked door, and all the shards-damned keys were made of mana.
So I sat there and endured the rest of her braiding with minimal resistance. And I only muttered the wordsfrigid old bataloud once.
Twice, at most.
Though, in fairness to me, every time I made an internal vow to be nicer to her for the sake of winning her over, she pulled my hair a little harder with the next braid. It was like she could sense when I was being petty and chose violence in return.
If I was being honest with myself, it raised her in my esteem, if only slightly. Still, I was forced to conclude that Fate was undesirous of our eventual friendship.
Which made all three of us.
When Mirelda stepped back, I finally looked at my reflection in the mirror. The girl staring back looked far too much like a queen.
Hair was pinned in intricate navy braids, adorned with a crown that sparkled like freshly fallen snow. A navy velvet gown clung to her frame, heavy and regal, trimmed in ice-colored furs. And her chin—my chin—was lifted as if she belonged here.
It was a good illusion. I just hoped it was good enough to fool the king.
Because if he ever looked past the surface, no crown in the realm could protect me.
Chapter 7
Everly
The palace was almost calm in the king’s absence.
Without his tempestuous moods affecting the temperature, my room had thawed to something close to tolerable. It was mild enough that I risked exploring the balcony while I waited for…whatever my day held. There was still a chill in the air, but no icy gales came along to sweep me over the railing.
Bracing myself with a firm grip, I rose up onto my toes, peeking over the side to see as much of the palace as I could take in.
Despite the gray skies looming overhead, thick with the promise of snow, the view was… beautiful. Stunning, really, in the way that almost made you forget to breathe.
Mountains stretched beyond the palace like shimmering sentinels, their snow-laced peaks rising into the clouds. Glittering veins of crystal cut through the slopes like frozen lightning, catching the scant rays of sun that filtered down through the clouds.
Below the balcony was the main courtyard, carved from pale stone that glimmered with frostlight. It looked abandoned now,compared to last night, save for a few guards pacing along the inner walls.
I leaned over the edge to get a better look at what appeared to be gardens that wrapped around the eastern wing, bracing myself on the stone.
“Surely things are not yet that dire,” an unfamiliar voice sounded from far too close at my back.
Shards.