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“Thanks,” she said. “But I think I’d like to be a little less fancy, sometimes. I didn't know there were so many different types of clothing out there. So many different ways to dress. This? This is all I’ve ever known.”
“Well, I know a ton of the stores in the city,” Vee said, letting go of her hand and sitting back on the love seat. Amalia immediately wished she would hold her hand again.
Suddenly, Vee’s face lit up, and she sat straight up at attention. “Hey—do you want to go shopping?”
Amalia blinked. “What? Like…now?”
“Sure, why not? You’re not like a prisoner here, are you?” she asked.
Aren’t I?The words jumped into Amalia’s head unbidden, and she shook them away. She wasn’t a prisoner, was she? So she could leave whenever she wanted. After her last trip into the city, no one had yelled at her, no one reprimanded her. Her handmaids hadn’t even said a word about it, except to replace her bloodied shoes with new, near-identical ones.
“Yes,” Amalia declared. She sat up a little straighter, feeling suddenly very confident in this decision. Feeling brave. “Yes, let’s do it!”
The smile on Vee’s face in answer was enough to make her giddy.
Chapter 31
VEE
The bell chimed a friendly greeting as Vee opened the shop door and stepped inside.
“Welcome, welcome!” The Demon behind the counter turned to greet them with an unctuous smile, spreading his arms wide. “How are we today, my lovely?—”
His face darkened, his smile turning into a scowl as he recognized her.
“You,” he hissed, pointing a scaly clawed finger at Vee. “Out! I want nothing to do with you and your group of thieves, you miserable?—”
Vee simply stepped aside, smiling sweetly at the shopkeeper as the Witch behind her entered the store. The princess glanced around her curiously, taking in the racks of clothing, the wooden forms modeling various wares, and the swatches of fabric hanging from the walls.
The shopkeeper stumbled, words dying on his tongue and his eyes going wide as saucers. Vee could practically see him counting gold as he recognized the royal heir and realized the gold mine that had just walked into his store.
“M-my princess,” he cooed, that unctuous smile plastered back on his face as he bowed his head to her.
“Myfriendhere,” Vee put emphasis on the word, smirking at theDemon, “is in need of some new clothing, and I thought to myself—who do I know that has the best wares in the whole city, hm? Why, my dear buddy Franky, of course!”
The scowl Franklin shot Vee's way disappeared the moment the princess looked at him. For her and her money, he was all smiles.
“Of course, of course,” Franklin said, coming around the shop counter to greet them properly. “I would be simply delighted to help in any way that I can.”
Delighted? Vee almost laughed. The only thing that delighted Franklin was the thought of more gold in his pocket. Which was probably why he looked ready to skin her alive.
After all, the last time she’d seen him was three years ago when she and Jayce had managed to make off with about half the gold in his till. It didn’t surprise her that he still held a grudge. Dear old Franky never forgot anyone who cost him money.
Vee gave Franklin a wide grin, flashing her canines at him and walking into the shop like she came here all the time. There were plush armchairs near the dressing rooms, set up as a comfortable place to rest for attendants and mates, and Vee slid into one of them, dangling her long legs over the armrest.
“Franky, dear, could you get the princess and I a drink? We’re simplyparchedfrom the walk from the palace.”
The scales that bordered Franklin's hairline quivered with rage at having to wait on a mutt like Vee, but he bowed and said in a perfectly well-mannered voice, “But of course, ladies. What can I get you?”
“A glass of sparkling water would be just fine,” the princess answered casually. She was distracted by the clothing, picking a few items from the rack and examining them.
“Tea for me, Franky,” Vee said, her smile smug, as the shop owner kept scowling at her. “The fancy stuff.”
“Of course, I’ll be but a moment.”
By the time Franklin returned with their drinks, Vee could tell the princess was starting to get overwhelmed. Perhaps she’d never gone to a shop like this, never had so many options available to her. Luckily for the princess, forcing Franklin to wait on her as though she were ahighborn lady was only one of the reasons Vee had picked this shop. The truth was, Franklin was damn good at his job.
The princess probably had people to shop for her, Vee reasoned. Hell, she probably had people to do everything for her. What she needed was someone who could take control, who could help her out. Hence, Franky.
