Page 26 of The Forgotten Queen
“Yes, they live here. As well as Princess Dannyn.”
Dannyn? The girl from the beach the other night?
Sydria couldn’t believe she was a princess. She was pretty enough to be a princess, but she lacked a kind of refinement that Sydria had expected princesses to have. Did that mean that one of the men at the beach the other night had been King Marx? She shook her head, doubting that the king spent his evenings sitting on the beach stealing kisses. Surely he had more important things to do.
“When will I meet all of them?” she asked. Sydria didn’t rightly understand her eagerness. Two nights ago, at the beach, she’d cowered at the thought of meeting new people. Now, she couldn’t get it done fast enough. But this situation was different. She needed these people to free her.
“Dear, there will be plenty of time for everything. Right now, we need to focus on cleaning you up before the wedding this afternoon.”
Her eyes widened. “The wedding is this afternoon?”
“Yes, ma’am. In a few hours.”
“Why so soon?” Sydria asked.
Idella turned over her shoulder, giving Sydria a warm smile. “Why wait?”
There were only a few reasons why a wedding would happen quickly. Sydria had no clue how she knew that, but she did. Quick weddings usually happened if the bride was with child, or if something about the wedding agreement wasn’t entirely legal, or if the couple was madly in love and couldn’t wait. Since it wasn’t the latter and she wasn’t pregnant—well, not that she knew of—there must have been something with the agreement that could be contested.
“It’s such a beautiful day for a wedding.” Idella had a dreamy look in her eye that made it seem like she thought this wedding was some kind of fairytale ending for Sydria.
This was not a fairytale.
This was a nightmare.
They climbed a white marble staircase that led them to an open-air hallway suspended above the luscious garden below. The cool air inside the castle vanished, replaced by the humid, muggy heat outside. Sydria looked up at the blue sky, hoping there was another corridor for when it rained. The hallway led to another wing of the castle, and the cool air covered her skin as they left the outdoor heat.
“This is the queen’s suite,” Idella said, holding the wood door open for her.
Sydria stepped inside, and the grandeur of it took her breath away. The room was a mixture of white marble and limestone like the rest of the castle, accented with maple beams. It had large windows with several potted plants on the floor in front of them. Besides the white, everything was decorated in mauve, from the flowing curtains to the feather comforter. Mauve couches faced the sliding glass windows that led to the balcony with a view of the ocean.
If there were a way for Sydria to keep the bedroom without having to actually marry the king, she’d do it.
“In here is your bathroom and the queen’s closet.” Idella disappeared into that part of the suite. On the opposite side of the room next to the bed was another large door that was closed. Sydria found herself wondering where that led. “My dear, are you coming?” Idella asked as she popped her head around the bathroom door frame. “We need to get you cleaned up.”
Was there a smear of manure down Sydria’s dress that she didn’t know about? Because that was the second time Idella had talked about cleaning her up. It was a little annoying, considering she’d spent extra time readying herself that morning. Idella flashed another warm smile, and Sydria’s annoyance flew away with breeze of the ceiling fan.
“Where does that door lead?” She asked, pointing to the closed door she’d been wondering about.
“That door leads to the king’s suite.”
Sydria’s steps paused. “We have connecting doors?”
Idella nodded.
“Why?”
“Probably because once you get married, you’re supposed to have connecting lives…even at night.” She wagged her eyebrows up and down.
Sydria stared at the woman. There was nothing about the situation that warranted eyebrow wagging.
“Now, come on.” Idella waved her over to the bathroom. “We’re pressed for time.”
Sydria reluctantly walked the rest of the way to the bathroom and sat down on the velvet chair that faced the large mirror. She silently watched as Idella brushed through her black hair.
“What do I need to know about King Marx?” Sydria asked.
So that I can get on his good side and convince him to call off this wedding.
