Page 133 of Disillusioned
Yanna rolled her eyes, her mouth pulled into a hard line. “We’d heard there had been a commotion in the foyer. Hedwig sent us to comfort you.”
“Wewantedto check on you,” Isabel reassured her. “He was coming down the stairwell when we nearly ran into him. He asked us to bring you these.” She handed Lilac the wicker basket and bundle—which, upon further inspection, she discovered to be a cork-stopped bottle wrapped twice in parchment.
It had been Garin at her door. Lilac swallowed her shock with an annoyed grunt. “Where is he now?”
“Both Sir Albrecht and Ambrosius are being shown to their quarters at the moment,” said Isabel. “Fond as she seemed of him, Hedwig really wasn’t a fan of him trying to access your bedchamber unaccompanied,” she added with a giggle. “Your father will give them a full tour of the castle and grounds. You seemed rather upset, so we just wanted to make you aware.”
Lilac lifted the basket lid and peeked inside. There were loaves of bread, wedges of cheese dappled with peppers and fruit, and a jar of what looked to be strawberry preserves. As expected, a subtle heat emanated from the cloth-lined interior of the basket.
How considerate of him, she thought scathingly. At least it seemed he hadn’t entirely torn The Fenfoss Inn apart as he’d woken up. “And I assume my mother and Hedwig have resumed preparations for tonight’s feast?”
Isabel grimaced. “The decorations are minimal and pleasing to look at, Your Majesty.”
She turned away. They’d seen enough of her tears over the past several weeks. Lilac closed Garin’s basket, eyes stinging as she left to place the basket on her vanity. “Thank you, both of you.”
She kept the bottle, figuring Lorietta had sent him with some cider or some of her strong homemade wine, either of which she could use at the moment. Yanna and Isabel stood there, awkwardly watching Piper dispose of the cloth-wrapped stake into the bedside table drawer as if it were a large rodent.
“Do you two have plans for the rest of the evening?” Lilac grunted, twisting the cork this way and that. “You’re attending my feast tonight, aren’t you?”
“We won’t, but we’ll be on, ready to support you,” Isabel said as Yannaglared distantly into the fire. “We were instructed by Hedwig to have the both of you ready, but we weren’t sure if you still planned to attend.”
“The celebration is for Albrecht, to ensurehisapproval. They’ll be fine starting the festivities without me. If he’s lucky, maybe I won’t show up at all.”
Piper sidled over, eyeing the bottle. “I wouldn’t advise skipping the feast entirely, Your Majesty.”
“You haven’t changed your mind on marrying the emperor, have you?” sneered Yanna. Lilac whipped her head around, fixing Yanna with an incredulous glower. Yanna just shrugged. “We heard about it on the floor.”
Lilac heaved an exasperated sigh, returning her attention to the stubbornly sealed bottle in her hands. “Of course you did.” The damn cork wouldn’t budge, not even with her improved strength.
Isabel was fanning herself. “I mean, how can you say no, really?”
“She’s marrying theemperor,” Yanna replied, rolling her eyes. “Not Albrecht, no matter how handsome he may be. She’d still be a fool to turn down his offer, though, or even hesitate to accept it. Her marriage will save us all.”
“What would you know, Yanna,” Lilac said, her speech turning to a half-growl as she gritted her teeth, twisting and tugging at the cork with all her might, “about marriage—” The cork flew off and across the room.
A dizzying rush of warm air hit her square in the face, along with a putrid scent. Heavy musk and iron, then something fermented.
Lilac jerked her head to the side and held her breath, nearly dropping the bottle as she angled the neck away from her face and thrust her arm forward, desperate to distance herself from it.
Itwasn’tcider. “Oh!”
Piper’s nostrils flared and she immediately snatched the bottle from Lilac. Her eyes darkened.
“No, no no. Not here,” Lilac whispered.Gods, not here.She braced herself, preparing to usher the other two out of the room. But Piper merely licked her lips and put the bottle to her mouth. She drank like a traveler who’d run out of water days ago, tipping her head back with desperate need. The handmaidens watched, appalled and rooted to the spot as Piper’s eyes rolled back and fluttered shut, her voracious gulps punctuated bysharp gasps and moans. Rivulets of deep red dribbled down her face and neck.
Before Lilac could contrive a lie about a new type of thick, burgundy wine, Yanna merely huffed, regarding Piper with a pitying shake of her head. “You know, I thought so. Some warning that you’d hired a vampire onto your court wouldn’t have gone amiss, Your Majesty.”
Lilac stared at Yanna. Beside her, Isabel covered her mouth, looking like she was going to be sick watching Piper. But neither of them looked shocked, or even frightened.
“Youknew?” spat Lilac.
Yanna cocked a brow. “Do you think we’re stupid?”
Piper wiped her chin on her nightgown sleeve, oblivious of the conversation surrounding her. “Hells, that’s delicious.” As soon as she opened her eyes to everyone staring at her, the moment of bliss was over. Piper reddened. “Oh, fuck me.”
“Sheentrancedus last night,” explained Isabel warily. “Next time—and hopefully there won’t be one—it might be useful to entrance us toforget, like they sometimes do. It is not a pleasant experience.”
They’d known, yet they hadn’t gone running to Marguerite. Her parents had reason enough to want Piper out, and they wouldn’t have batted an eye at using Piper’s vampirism as an obvious disqualifying trait for courtly duties.
