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Mina gasped for air. “That was…intense.”
“A promise of things to come,” he said, nipping at her lips again, before standing upright again. He took her hand and tugged her gently along the stable back around to the door that led into the side of the palace above them.
True to its name, The Crimson Palace was indeed crimson. The smooth stone that crafted its walls was exactly the color of rich wine, and the glass windows were all tinted red. The only things not red were the door frames and doors they stepped through to get inside. Those were done in smooth black filigree that reminded her of the stone gate they’d passed through to enter the grounds.
The black marble floor was lined with a red running carpet down the center of the hall, and the sconces along the walls were lit with bright almost white fire.
“Where are we going?” She asked as he towed her around a series of corners. She’d never find her way out of the palace again without help. Their pace was too fast for her to memorize the way.
“I sent a vassal ahead of us when we arrived at the camp. We should have fresh clothes waiting for us in the antechamber…right…here,” pushing through a set of double doors, he let her into a small room with a fainting couch, a dressing screen, and two large closets. One in soft mahogany wood, the other done in stark black.
“Your clothes should be in here,” he said, tapping the door of the mahogany closet. “I’ll wait outside while you dress. Just don’t take too long. This meeting is a formal one that we can’t skip, but they’ll understand that we’ve been on the road for a while.”
“Okay.” Mina nodded, biting her lower lip.
“If I can find Lucy, I’ll send her in to help you,” he said, backing out of the room again.
“Vlad?” She called out stopping him at the door.
“Yes?”
She swallowed awkwardly and tugged on the hem of her jacket. “What if they don’t like me?”
He arched an eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s possible, Starlight.”
“You don’t know that. I’m not… never mind.” She shook her head. “I’ll dress. Thank you.”
“Mina,” he said, coming closer, taking both of her hands in his. “They will love you, not only because I chose you, but because you care. Riding through my streets you weren’t worried about your safety or frightened. You were smiling. And then at the camp. I saw you with Lucy and Chef. I saw how you interacted with the other humans. You’re a natural leader. There’s no reason they wouldn’t love you for that.”
“And they won’t be angry with me if I don’t agree to be your queen?” she asked, feeling her cheeks warm with embarrassment. Why was she asking him this? She shouldn’t have cared what his High Council thought of her. She shouldn’t have been worried about any of that, but she was. A strange part of herself was beginning to emerge, one that wanted to be as kind and powerful as Vlad seemed to be. One that wanted to be a leader, and not just a princess in a cage.
“You’re obviously not the first woman I’ve chosen from Distova, but you’ll notice soon enough that I don’t have a harem of wives sitting in the wings. I’m unmarried, and my people will accept it if you walk the same path as the others have done. I wasn’t lying when I said you could make a life here. You are free to do as you choose.”
“After the six months,” she clarified.
“That is what is expected, but if you are that opposed to my company, then other arrangements can be made.” He shrugged, folding his hands behind his back.
Mina pursed her lips watching a shadow darken behind his eyes. There was something he wasn’t saying, but she chose not to pry. “Ask me how I feel in six months. We’ll go from there.”
He pressed his lips into a thin line and bowed before her. “Princess. I’ll leave you to change out of your riding clothes.”
The door closed behind him. Mina’s legs gave out and she flopped down on the end of the fainting couch. She dropped her face into her hands and gasped for air, as tears burst from her eyes. Sobs wracked her body. In the blink of an eye, she’d gone from distracted to shattered.
Everything hit her all at once, and she slipped from the couch to the floor pulling her knees up to her chest, trying desperately to regain control of her breathing.
“Oh, Duckling.” The door opened in front of her, and Lucy came rushing to her side. She wrapped her arms around her and cradled her against her chest. Lucy rocked her back and forth, shushing her until her cries finally stopped what felt like an eternity later.
“How did you do it, Luce? How did you make a life here? After everything we were taught to believe in, how can you…nothing makes sense here. It’s nothing like—”
“Shhh, just take a deep breath,” she said, combing her hair back from her face. “I was just as shocked as you were when I arrived in Nilumaria. This place is…a dream. For the longest time, I kept waiting for things to jump out at me, to try and kill me as I walked the streets, but it never happened. People were always kind to me, and then I met Erik. He took care of me. It just takes time, Duckling, and I promise one day soon it won’t hurt so bad.”
“Father has to be devastated, and Aria…I don’t even know if she lived out the night.” A cold weight sank in her gut, and she sat up feeling nauseous. “I didn’t even think to ask about her…my best friend.”
“What do you think happened to her?” Lucy pouted, her full lips giving her a childlike air.
“Father locked me in a carriage to send me home, but Aria was to take my place in the amphitheater. If they killed her I’ll never forgive myself.”
“Then ask Erik,” she said. “Ask him if there was anyone killed in the amphitheater the night he came for you. I wasn’t there, but as far as I know, he went right for your carriage. He knew your father was planning on moving you.”
