Page 86 of Of Glass and Ashes

Chapter Forty-Four

Aika

Istep down from the carriage with all the grace I can muster, careful not to put too much pressure on the glass shoes.

I suppose Mother could have been harsher with her punishment. I should count myself lucky when I could have been made to walk on knives instead.

With a stilted breath, I follow the women in front of me up the stairs. They’re all clucking at one another and gossiping about how much time they spent with the prince last night, as if the others hadn’t seen. Only one or two of them mention the girl who fled at the beginning of the night.

“What do you think he said to her to make her leave like that?” one of the women in a rabbit mask asks a doe beside her.

“Who knows? Perhaps she offended him. He was nothing but aperfectgentleman to me, so she must have brought it on herself.”

I roll my eyes and follow just behind them.

Even if Mother didn’t have a spy in place to watch my every move, the gossips would make sure to fill in any gaps for her.

The soles of my feet still burn from the adhesive, but so far, I haven’t felt the slightest crack in my shoes. I can handle the burning.

It’s the anticipation of when my shoes might break and what damage they might do to my feet that has me on edge.

One of the guards ushers us inside, handing each of us our dance card for the evening. Tonight is more structured after yesterday’s introductions.

I flip the card between my fingers, as if that will steady my frazzled nerves, imagining myself at a tavern instead of a castle.

A round of cards is preferable to the gamble I have to make tonight.

The glowing chandeliers beckon us toward the ballroom in an array of blue and silver and purple light, and I follow the group of women around me, far less eager than they are for tonight’s festivities.

As soon as I’m in the ballroom, I bow to the royal family before joining the other women lined up on the dance floor. Tension fills the air now that so many of them have danced with Remy and feel their chances improving or slipping away.

What would they think if they knew the whole game was rigged?

The music slows as we wait for him to arrive. It’s still another two minutes before he decides to grace us with his presence.

Tonight, when the prince enters, it’s hard for me to look away. His onyx suit accented with small, glowing stars fits him better than anything I’ve ever seen him wear. His mask is a smattering of silver constellations strewn across a black sky.

Of course, we match again, if less obviously this time.

I am the moth to his night sky; though, we couldn’t be more ill-suited for one another.

While there is still an undercurrent of fear of him discovering me, it’s drowning in the fresh wave of fury that washes over me when I see him here like this.

I search what I can see of his face for signs of who he really is underneath all the lies. If anyone deserves this feeling, it’s me, but that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow.

He scans the group of courtiers with a bland smile until his gaze lands on me. Something sparks in his eyes, something I can’t quite name.

Once again, he chooses me as his first partner for the evening. It’s a message the other ladies have no trouble decoding, but something in his narrowed eyes tells me there’s more to it than that.

I take his extended arm, following him to the center of the room.

“I must apologize,” I begin, but he cuts me off.

“Not at all. Think nothing of it.” His tone is off, shifted subtly from yesterday.

Is he upset because I left him?I let it go without asking. If he’s giving me an out, I’m going to take it, especially considering the stakes.

“Tonight’s costume is rather clever. Did you choose it yourself?” he asks, pulling me flush against his chest, his left hand resting low on my back while he holds my right hand in his.

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