Page 33 of Thorns of Frost

Flustered, I put more distance between us. Staying away from the prince was the only way I was going to survive my time at the castle given my innate attraction to him.

Behind him, Haxil, Nish, and Ryder waited. Given the dangers we’d experienced, I wasn’t surprised that all four of his personal guards were accompanying us back to Isalee. I had a feeling they’d be joining us for the foreseeable future.

We spent another day very similar to the first. I kept as much distance from Prince Norivun as I could while I healed another field before returning to the castle for another grueling session with Matron Olsander.

By the time evening rolled around, my eyes were dripping with exhaustion, but I couldn’t rest. It was the night of the first Trial dinner, followed by my first official date—with the prince nonetheless.

I sat on the couch in my living area, freshly bathed, my hair dry thanks to Daiseeum’s magic, as she held up a floor-length dress.

“I thought this one would be perfect.” Firelight caught on the gems woven through the midnight-blue material as Daiseeum twirled it about. The gown sparkled like a thousand moons. “It’s so beautiful. Exquisite really. What I wouldn’t give to have a figure like yours and don such a breathtaking item.” Daiseeum smiled, her expression wistful.

“Do you want to try it on?” I offered. “You can borrow it if you want.”

Daiseeum’s jaw dropped. “Borrow a lady’s gown? Have you lost your mind, Ilara?”

“I don’t think so, although that could be debatable. Cailis certainly thinks I have.”

The lady’s servant’s lips pursed as she shooed me to my feet. “Up, up. We don’t have much time since you trained so late. Come. We must prepare you.”

I followed her into the bathing chamber, where she proceeded to doll me up using her affinity magic. Daiseeum’s affinity was the ability to conjure beauty. It was considered a superficial one, a lesser affinity among our kind, but I once again marveled at the female’s capabilities.

When she finished, even I was stunned at my appearance. My ebony hair cascaded around my shoulders in a silken waterfall. Large curls made it weave and bob as a ringed circlet of jewels crowned my forehead in a dazzling display of wealth. The dress’s jeweled belt hugged my waist, and the gown’s V-cut design plunged so deeply that the slit dropped to my navel, revealing more flesh than I felt comfortable showing. My arms were also bare, but that only drew attention to the gown’s sparkling and twinkling gems woven into its material.

Daiseeum lifted my wrist and clasped a dozen small bracelets around it, either pure silver or plates filled with diamonds, sapphires, and amethysts. The finished display made me a vision of prestige, as though I were an actual princess.

“Where do all of these jewels come from?” I asked her as she finished with her final adjustments.

“The castle’s vaults. The queen gave permission for her jewelry to be used freely by any lady staying in the castle on the king’s behalf.”

My eyes widened. “This all belongs to the queen?”

“It does, m’lady.”

“That’s very generous of her.”

“Queen Lissandra is known for her kindness.” Daiseeum stepped back and gave a wistful sigh. “There. All done. You truly are a vision.”

I thanked her again, then gathered my skirts for the long walk to the dining hall. I hadn’t seen Cailis since returning from training, and I could only hope that she was devising a way to gain admittance to the Trial dinner so she could spy on everyone and report to me who was trustworthy.

Sandus’s eyebrows lifted when I joined him outside my chamber. He looked me up and down, then shook his head.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing. It’s just that the prince...” He scratched his jaw. “I’m not sure if the prince will like other males seeing—”

“Seeing what?” I asked, my ire rising when he spoke of the prince.

His expression smoothed. “Nothing.”

My nostrils flared as my slippers slid along the castle’s stone floor. It felt like there was some kind of secret taking place that I wasn’t in on.

We walked down the hall, and I debated asking the guard why the prince acted the way he did around me, then decided against it. The guards were loyal to their prince. I already knew he wouldn’t tell me anything that the crown prince might be against my knowing.

“Enjoy the evening,” Sandus said when we reached the dining hall. Inside, laughter and conversation flowed through the air. It sounded like everyone else had arrived. “I shall see you on the morrow.”

I nodded tightly as my heart thrummed.It’s just a dinner. No need to be nervous.

Surely, nothing terrible could happen at a dinner and single date with the prince.

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