Page 40 of A Queen's Game
Keyain stifled his laugh. “No. No, of course not. I want you to be comfortable, but I promise to not stare at you if you wear them,” he paused before adding, “even if I did, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”
“That doesn’t mean I want you to see it now!” She twisted away, her tone sharp. “Can you please have someone bring something more suitable to wear?”
“I would,” he said, his voice getting farther as he stepped from the closet, “but if Queen Valeriya planned this, then she’ll know you requested new clothes. I don’t want to give her any reason to doubt our marriage.”
Marietta placed her fingers between her brows. The nightgowns weren’t an option, no matter if Keyain had seen her naked. As if he hadn’t taken enough away, he had this power over her as well.
She balled up the silk and threw it into the wardrobe, frustrated as she looked around the closet. There had to be something else—something for her to leverage power over Keyain, to even the dynamic between them. She glanced at his wardrobe. If she couldn’t ask Keyain for what she wanted, perhaps she could take it from him. A smile curled onto her lips.
Marietta stepped from the closet wearing one of his tunics that hit her mid-thigh. “Aren’t you going to ask if you can takemy clothing?” he asked with a lazy look on his face as he lounged on the bed.
She placed a hand on her chest, her expression mocking. “We’re husband and wife now. What’s mine is yours,” she said, walking towards the bathroom. Marietta paused in the doorway, glancing back at him. “And what’s yours will be mine.”
A threat, if anything. Keyain could try to trap her in this suite, could try to control everything she said or did, but she wouldn’t make it easy. No, Marietta would bleed him dry—for the life she had lost and for the life she had yet to live.
Chapter Twenty
Marietta
Marietta sat for breakfast the following morning. In the corner stood her elven handmaid, Amryth, unnervingly quiet. Despite the heat, she wore a long-sleeved dress, and her black box braids pulled back into a bun. Though she looked young for an elf, she held the austere expression of an old fisherman, the ones in Olkia at the fish market who Marietta could never get to smile. She cocked a brow at the handmaid and her odd manner.
Uncomfortable silence hovered between them like a heavy fog as she stood watching Marietta eat. Such a feeling was rare for Marietta. Usually she could get people to laugh, to ease them when they first met—but not with Amryth. Keyain just had to insist she had a handmaid. “You can sit if you’d like,” Marietta broke the silence, gesturing to the chair across from her.
Amryth gave her a sobering look. “That would be improper, my lady.” Her voice was unimpressed, as if she wished not to be there. Marietta held her laugh. At least they had that much in common.
“Oh, we wouldn’t want that now, would we?” Marietta said, her tone laced with sarcasm. “It’s completely normal for someone to stand while someone else eats. Not saying a word,not doing anything.” Marietta popped a strawberry into her mouth. Enough food arrived to feed her and Keyain, but he had left before she woke up. She hadn’t heard him leave.
Amryth narrowed her eyes. “I must insist that I stand, my lady,” her tone more impatient that time. So she did have emotions.
Annoyance laced Marietta’s tongue. “Right, for the good of my noble bearing, you must stand and serve me. You should not speak unless spoken to. Stand rigid and never relax. Wipe my ass—”
“Would sitting placate you that much?” Amryth snapped.
“Yes,” Marietta said, gesturing to the chair. “Is it too much to ask that my only companion for the foreseeable future acts like a normal person?”
Amryth hesitated, then crossed the room, taking the spot across from her. A headache—that’s what she would be. Keyain found a handmaid as stubborn as him and likely did it on purpose. Amryth had a soldier’s rigidity as she stiffly sat in her seat, her shoulders back, and sat up straight.
Marietta took another bite, looking at her companion. “There’s too much food here for just me to eat. Help yourself to any of it.”
“I ate before coming,” Amryth said as she tilted her head to the side, “but thank you, my lady.”
“Well, if you change your mind, then don’t hesitate.” Marietta returned to her plate.
“Handmaids don’t sit down with their ladies, and they most definitely do not dine with them.”
“Well, I don’t like the formality, and I’m not used to servants. What I need right now is a friend.”
“Unfortunately for you, my lady, I am your handmaid, not your friend. I have me a job to do, and I will see to it,” she replied, her tone absolute.
Great. Of course, Keyain would trap her in the suite with someone who’d follow his every word. Gods give her strength to get through it.
After a silent breakfast, Marietta readied herself for the day. Was there a point to appear presentable if she must stay in the suite? No, but perhaps it would make her less antsy. The restricted freedom was already getting on her nerves.
Amryth followed her into the bathroom, turning the bath’s faucet. “Is filling the tub necessary? I can help myself, you know.” Marietta attempted to ease the irritation in her voice.
“I have a job to do, my lady.”
“I get that, but please,” Marietta said, waving her out, “I need to keep doing some stuff by myself to stay sane while being trapped in here.”
