Page 39 of Fates Fulfilled
“I don’t understand,” she said.
“Miss?”
Lex glanced at Em and swallowed. “Nothing. Don’t mind me. I didn’t realize how well the dress would fit.” She tried for a smile, but her lips felt stiff, her mind racing.
It was her in the mirror, and yet not.
She glanced at her hand, the skin now plump. But more importantly, it didn’t shake. Oh, her heart beat faster than normal, but she’d not experienced any of the telltale signs of a panic attack since she entered the kingdom.
Garrin hadn’t lied; she’d changed. And it wasn’t only from Zirel’s magic, which had brought her back to consciousness, or the sunny yellow dress. She’d gone through a physical transformation, yes, but also something mentally transformative as well. She wasn’t as anxious or fearful as she would normally be.
“Is everything all right, miss?” Em asked.
Lex couldn’t speak, her face frozen at the shock of it all. “I don’t know.”
Em stepped back and tapped her delicate chin. “The dress is a lovely shade on you, but I can get you another if you like?”
Em didn’t get it. She hadn’t known Lex before she arrived in Dark Kingdom. “No,” Lex said. “This one is fine.”
She looked around the large room and flinched. Because everyone had stopped what they were doing and were staring at her expectantly. “What’s going on?”
“Oh!” Em exclaimed, and smiled. “The prince is on his way. They are anxious to see his reaction to you in your gown. They also wish to know if your union will be a love match.” She grinned brightly.
What in the hell? Of course it wasn’t a love match. How was Lex supposed to pretend otherwise?
The women chattered excitedly around her, moving furniture out of the way for ease of flow.
Watching them anticipate Garrin’s arrival made Lex’s stomach cramp. Maybe it wasn’t a love match, but she had grown attached to Garrin, traveling and sleeping beside him for months. Even if she wasn’t his real fiancée, she couldn’t help but feel nervous with all the female attention he received. “Do they always get this excited when he’s home?”
“Oh, yes,” Em said. “It’s been so very long since the prince has been in residence. Every one of us wants to be with him.”
“Be with him? You mean…bewith him?”
Em nodded and shrugged unapologetically.
“It doesn’t bother you that he has a fiancée?” Lex asked.
Em seemed to consider the question. “No… However, as part of the court, we are not allowed to bed other men. And that gets lonely.”
“You can’t have a boyfriend?”
“Boyfriend?”
“A man you see outside the palace?”
“Oh, no, miss. That is impossible. What if one of us were to get with child? The royal family must know it is the prince’s child, and there is no way to ensure that unless we are faithful to the prince.”
Lex stared blankly. There were several ways to determine paternity in the human realm. But this was Tirnan, where medicine didn’t exist because Fae lived for-freaking-ever. Besides, who needed a doctor when you had magical healers? “How long have you been a part of the prince’s court?”
Em looked up as though calculating. “About a hundred years.”
Lex’s eyes bugged out. “You’ve been alone for a hundred years?”
Em waggled her head. “Give or take. But I’m never alone.” She peered happily around the room. “There are so many of us. We keep each other company.”
Too many, Lex thought. “Do you ever drive each other crazy?”
“Often.” Em laughed. “But we find ways to entertain ourselves.”
