Page 17 of Enchanted Kingdom
The lovely dress theme should continue, don’t you think?
-Keir
Placing the note and smaller box on the bed, I moved some thin paper aside to find a light pink dress. It had to be the same exact color as Silvia had just painted on my fingernails. This gown had capped sleeves and was simple except for the beading that was placed throughout the top layer of the dress that made the entire thing shimmer.
It gave off the effect of being lit up without there being actual lights sown into the gown.
“It’s beautiful!” Silvia exclaimed.
I was still stuck on the fact that my nails matched the color exactly. “How’d you know what color to paint my nails?”
She shrugged. “Oh, pink is the theme for Prince Keiran’s women tonight. All the other dresses I saw this morning for Prince Keiran’s women were, so I assumed yours would be too whenever it arrived. That’s all.”
I tried not to let my disgust show. “So Prince Krewan’s women wear a different color?”
She gave a nod.
Good gods, they were color coding us. Color coding the women. Now I was even less excited about the evening. But at least if I had to go, I did have one more gorgeous gown to don.
I picked up the smaller of the two boxes and opened it to find four chocolate truffles waiting.
Thank goodness.
I handed one to Silvia and then popped one in my mouth.
What was Prince Keiran up to, anyway? How many other women did he send things to today? What was his master strategy here?
CHAPTER8
The evening dinner room ended up being the same ballroom we had been in the previous night, just with long wooden tables added to the space. Upon entering at the top of the staircase with my guard, of whom I still did not even know the name, I wondered where the tables had come from and how many people it took to move them in here. They looked extremely heavy.
More pink gowns were entering behind us, and pink and blue dresses speckled the massive ballroom floor. The color coding had begun. We were apparently to stand off to the side of the tables, I assumed until the king himself arrived.
I was relieved to find Rinaldi working and walking around the women with a tray of drinks.
“Rinaldi,” I greeted.
“Ms. Demir,” he gave me a nod. “Would you like water again tonight? Or something different?”
I shook my head. “No, water is perfect. The unpoisoned variety, per our usual.”
As he left, I spun and found Prince Keiran’s eyes staring into my own with that playful smirk to his face. I wasn’t even aware he was already in the room until he was there in his black tailcoat and black vest. He took my hand and gave it a kiss while doing the tap thing. “Good evening, Jorah. I see you received my package.”
I gave a little bow. “Good evening, Your Grace. Yes, thank you. The truffles were very thoughtful.”
He pressed his lips together as if trying not to laugh. “Well, since you are only here for them, I might as well keep them coming if I want to keep you around it would seem.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. “So it would seem,” I agreed.
“So tell me,” he began and took a step closer, “how is it you have been in this castle for less than a full day and you already know a staff member by name?”
I gave my head a little shake. “Well, I didn’t want anything with alcohol in it, so I needed to place a special order.”
He cocked his head. “For something unpoisoned?”
I tried not to let my eyes go wide with my surprise. He must have overheard everything. “Yes? I like to specify my orders.”
He laughed. While I was sure his father’s was a cruel and twisted laugh that mostly occurred at the expense of others, Prince Keiran’s was light and full of life. I knew he was Enchanted, but he didn’t leave me tense or uneasy like his father and brother did. Was he truly that different from them, or was it all a façade?
