Page 59 of Mirror of Malice
“Oh.” I put a hand to my chest. “Jasper, I can’t wear this to meet suitors. And my face—I’ll need makeup.” I ticked off my fingers. “Ribbons for my hair. Perfume. Nice slippers. And are we having tea? It’s the only proper way to meet a potential husband.”
Jasper sighed heavily. “I didn’t think about any of that.” He drummed his fingers on the table, and I held my breath in anticipation of his answer. “No,” he said decisively. “We don’t have time for all that. You’re presentable as is. A guard will escort you to your rooms, and you can wait there for one of the serving maids to collect you.”
He waved me off, which I took as a dismissal. Damn, I’d been hoping to stall, but there’d be none of that now.
“Okay, then.” I stuck out my hand.
Jasper stared at it warily. “What are you doing?”
“A truce,” I said.
He accepted it and we shook. I held his hand a little longer than necessary and turned, a smile on my face as I slipped that ruby-red ring into a small pocket I’d cut into my dress earlier. Just a little token that Jasper would sorely miss, one that didn’t belong to him in the first place.
I opened the door where a guard stood outside, wearing those baggy brown pants and tan tunics characteristic of the guards here, a sword hanging from his belt, scythes strapped tohis back. My gaze dropped to his thighs. And there, attached to a belt loop, was a pair of black leather gloves.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The guard hummed as we walked down the open-air corridor and toward my room, his boots clicking against the blue and white ceramic-tiled floors. We passed open archways that gave view of an inner courtyard, ground covered in sand, palm trees, cacti, and other plants native to Gilraeth filling the space. Jasper and I used to sit on the benches in this very courtyard, dreaming and talking about our future together as king and queen of Elwen. We were going to create an important alliance between our two courts, forge a new path forward. Now, I couldn’t rely on Jasper. I had to forge my own path.
“Oh, my.” I stopped, fanning myself with my hand.
The guard stopped and turned, his brows furrowed. “Are you okay, Princess?”
“I think I need to sit for a minute.”
He gestured to the bench in the middle of the courtyard, and we walked through the archways and toward it. I sank down, thinking about my next steps. Charming said you always had to be ten steps ahead.
The guard sat down next to me. I’d gotten him on the bench, those gloves within reach. That was currently my only step.
I looked at him, then up to the sun shining above. “It’s really hot here.”
He just nodded.
Oh, good green earth. We were talking about the weather.
That’s the best you can do, Lilypad?
Not now, Penn.
I worried at my bottom lip, eyeing the gloves. They’d be easy enough to lift off that little silver hook on his belt. I just needed the right distraction. For the hundredth time since escaping from my castle, I wished I had my magic. I could make a cactus explode or something. Though that might be a little obvious. Shadow told me Penn preferred we not use magic as much as possible when doing missions because magic tended to be less subtle.
Arrow had taught me distraction techniques, as well as how to pocket valuables off a person. I had to harness those lessons right now. I stood, stretching my arms high over my head as the guard stood as well.
Here went nothing. I stumbled into him, shrieking out as his arms came around me. My hands fumbled at his belt, and I grabbed the gloves. He grasped my shoulders and straightened me, just as I tossed the gloves behind the bench.
“Oh, I’m so embarrassed,” I said with a giggle. “Falling into a big, strong man like yourself.”
His face remained stony. Okay, switching tactics.
“Water,” I rasped. “I need water. I think I’m going to pass out.”
“Oh, dragon balls,” he muttered. “Lord Jasper is going to kill me if you faint. He needs you presentable.”
How touching.
He sat me down on the bench. “I’ll be right back with some water.”
I nodded as he ran from the courtyard to the corridors of Jasper’s home, disappearing around a corner. I hopped up from the bench and snatched the gloves, then stuffed them down in between my cleavage and hurried from the courtyard. The sand pits were down below, the doorway leading to them in the next corridor over. I’d completed phase one of my plan. Here’s hoping everything else went smoothly from this point on.
