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A deep, soothing baritone rolled from Foalan’s throat. “It is a pleasure, my queen.”
“It is our pleasure to serve you,” Bradach said from the floor. “We are your royal back scrubbers. At your service.”
My eyes bugged. “Really? You are?”
“Fuck no,keva.” He popped up, dropping that subservient tone so fast, I looked for it on the floor. “Damn, they say you Lyricans are a pampered, high-nosed lot. Royal back scrubbers? What’s wrong with you?”
I gaped at him—both for plopping down next to me bold as day, and calling me akeva—otherwise translated from High Fae as strange person, odd, or freak. “I didn’t say that, you did, and— Hey!”
Bradach tugged on my bucket, making me cling on for dear life. “Why are you hugging this? They need it to wash you.”
“I’m hugging this because two strange men just walked in on me taking a bath.”
“What? Where!”
No word of a lie, Bradach and Foalan both spun around, clutching their hilts and looking for the strange men.
“I meant you two,” I hissed through gritted teeth. “Please, leave.”
“Us?” Bradach’s brows snapped together. “Why?”
“Because I’m naked.”
“Oh, that?” He waved that away. “We don’t mind.”
“I do.”
“Do what?”
“Mind!”
Understanding finally dawned on his handsome face. “Oh, I see. Forgive us, my queen. Aeris told us to study your customs, but we thought this one was a joke,” he said. “Lyricans can only be naked in the same room if everyone is naked.”
“Oh, right.”
“Of course.”
“I can’t believe I forgot,” Aeris cried. “Queen Ana, please, forgive me. No wonder you’re uncomfortable.”
Bug-eyed and slack-jawed, I didn’t have words as they all stripped off their clothes, leaving me and my bucket in a room full of naked faeriken. What was even worse... Bradach was right. It was socially acceptable in Lyrica for me to be naked in a bathhouse with other women—
The key word being women.
Bradach sprawled across my stone chaise, making himself comfortable. Foalan sat straight-backed and crisscrossed beside me. I sat like a folded-over pretzel, using all of my limbs to cover all of my parts after Aeris finally wrestled the bucket away.
“Once again, introductions,” Bradach began. I hyper-focused on his face and didn’t let my eyes drift an inch lower. “Foalan Volk. He is commander of Lord Lumenfell’s army.”
“Lumenfell?” I broke in. “Who is Lord Lumenfell?”
“Who is Lord Lumenfell?” he repeated slowly. “He’s your husband. You married him a few days ago, keva. Don’t you remember this?”
My face flushed from more than steam. “I wasn’t informed that he... went by another name.”
“As in, you thought his subjects referred to him by the insulting, blasphemous slur,Shadowsoul?” Foalan growled. “To even let that title leave my lips is offensive.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean—”
“He is Lord Alisdair Lumenfell here,” Aeris said in a kinder, more patient tone. “A name as fitting for him as it is for our kingdom: the land the stars forgot.”
