Page 85 of A Tale of Treachery

“Go on,” he spoke over his shoulder, moving to the next soldier who needed his attention.

I used the moment to circle the large group of men, meandering in a way that made me appear nonchalant, another scholar looking for anyone in need of medical assistance, but I was looking for one person in particular: Eulalia.

I kept my eyes peeled as I made my way through the caravan of prisoners, seeing faces that looked vaguely familiar peering back at me through the bars. My steps halted at the sight of a cage filled with mages, the group of men I had seen at the tavern the first night I’d taken Gabriella out.

It almost seemed like Aiden had discovered the tavern. Nearly every face in those cages frequented the place. It was all witches and mages, since fae and faerie creatures weren’t to be captured, thanks to the pact between the fae kingdom and human lands. The witches and mages visiting the tavern would have been an easy target after a night of imbibing.

Thank the gods that Aiden planned on pardoning them.

I kept moving past the iron enclosures, each one filled with ten or more prisoners, who appeared exhausted and parched. The captives had deep circles under their eyes. The iron bars had depleted their strength and magic, not to mention the accursed rune cuffs twined around their wrists, marking them and slowly draining their bodies, leaving them gray and wan.

My lips pressed together with contempt. They were bound and helpless, but maybe it wouldn’t have been believable otherwise.

I stopped dead in my tracks when reaching the final enclosure at the edge of the caravan. A woman with curly brown hair and dark skin sat in a cage with her back to me. She was surrounded by witches; faces I knew all too well. I frowned and approached cautiously, my mind screamingNoon repeat.

It couldn’t be.

They’d escaped. They’d made it out of the forest safely during the last collection.

I circled the iron bars, clenching my fists to calm the slight tremor that racked my hands while telling myself that everything was going to be all right. I was just seeing things, creating a living nightmare to torture myself.

But when honey eyes peeked between the openings of the cage and met mine, I knew I was wrong. This was actually happening.

Eulalia had been captured.

I didn’t speak, didn’t give any indication of recognition for fear someone might see. Instead, I cleared my face of emotion and met my friend’s defeated look with a blank stare that gave nothing away. Eulalia didn’t say anything, just leaned back against the iron bars and raised her brows as if to say,It is what it is.

I stood there at a loss for words for too long, risking unwanted attention. When the shock finally receded, I kept my body rigid and maintained an unaffected air.

My trust in Aiden slowly withered. His plan was likely to succeed, but there were far too many possible complications to risk it. Besides, things between us had been volatile lately, and something deep inside me screamed not to trust him. Call it intuition.

He would be furious if I were to step in and rescue the people myself, but I had to do what was necessary.

This was Eulalia. She wasn’t part of some sick game. She wasn’t a pawn.

And I wouldn’t let her be.

Before departing, I couldn’t help but whisper a promise, a vow that I would fulfill, no matter the cost: “I will fix this.”

CHAPTER31

Istood tensely at the entrance to the Great Hall, overly conscious of my attire, garments that covered little more than nothing. Aiden had provided a brand-new outfit for the night and sent the lady’s maids in to ensure that it fitted my body properly. I wanted to fight, to scream, and refuse to wear the monstrosity that he had supplied me, but I’d promised him I would play along.

It was a scandalous outfit, composed of a nearly transparent golden fabric that hung from my neck, leaving my back on display. The neckline had an opening that traveled wide between my breasts and went to my waist, where the fabric met and formed a skirt with two large slits that revealed bare legs. Aiden had alsogenerouslyprovided a golden body chain that hung like a necklace and dipped toward my navel, where it split to wrap around my hips multiple times, making my body appear like it was entwined in chains.

This was supposedly all part of a show for his father, but I couldn’t help but wonder if Aiden was enjoying this situation a little too much.

I threw my shoulders back and raised my chin, unwilling to allow myself to succumb to embarrassment. There were bigger things on my mind and a perilous night ahead, so I would own this outfit, this moment, and play the part.

The clatter of silverware and conversation came to a halt as I stepped into the ballroom and made my way down the stairs, holding my head high as judgmental eyes followed my path to the dais, watching as I joined the royals for dinner. I stopped in front of the long table and did my best curtsy, holding my legs tightly as I bent at the knee to avoid revealing any further parts of myself.

Aiden tracked my movement to the table with a desperate, hungry look in his eyes, taking in the dip of my neckline and bare legs. A small part of me still wanted to kill him, but I reminded myself that this was all a ruse meant to distract his father while he made his move. And judging by the leering look on the king’s face, it was working.

Too bad I planned on making a move before Aiden got the chance, but the outfit still served well as a distraction on my part.

I took my seat next to Gabriella, my spine straight and eyes locked forward, ready to act my bottom off.

“Nice outfit,” Gabriella said, chuckling. “Has Aiden lost his mind? Did he dress you in this?”

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