Page 43 of The Fifth Life of Alicia
“Of course. Are you all right, my lady?” he asked, concern filling his eyes.
Gosh.
Why had that brute interrupted him? If only he’d come a few seconds later…
“Yes. I’ll be right back.” I smiled. “Vincent, would you mind helping me find someone to take me to a powder room?”
My brother took my hand and looped it through his arm. “Of course, Alicia.”
We quickly found a group of maids who were waiting to do this very thing, and I waved my brother off as one of the maids took charge to guide me to one of the rooms set aside for ladies to rest.
I rejected her offer of some tea or another refreshment, and she left me alone. I promptly sank back into the cushions on the loveseat I was sitting on and covered my face with my hands.
What had I done?
I’d come here intending to avoid the Grand Duke at all costs. Failing that, my best bet had been to be quiet, meek, and polite so as to not draw too much of his attention to myself. Granted, his attention was fully drawn to me when he decided to use me as a pawn to piss off the Empress,but still.
All I had to do during that dance was be nice. Be the epitome of a noble lady.
Instead, I’d called him petty and rude, told him I hoped I never saw him again, and practically thanked him for his threat to either kidnap me or kill me.
Yep.
I was in so much trouble.
***
I spent the entire day after all the ball in my room, resting. I barely got out of bed to bathe with the help of Bella and Annie, but it did serve as excellent training time for Annie.
To her credit, she was picking up the ropes of being my personal maid extremely quickly. Bella was grateful for an extra pair of hands when it came to bathing and dressing me, and Annie was just thankful she didn’t have to spend so much time around my stepmother or Sophia anymore.
Staying in bed for a day and a half also spared me having to experience my stepmother’s fury firsthand. She was incensed that Father had taken me to greet the Imperial Family alone and hadn’t extended the same courtesy to Sophia, and she was even more furious that the Empress had taken a liking to me.
Whether that was still true after a certain someone’s antics was another matter entirely.
After much consideration, I’d decided to pretend that I’d never crossed paths with Grand Duke Kalon Stein. It probably wasn’t the smartest idea in the long term, but for a short-term solution to my stress, it was an excellent remedy.
I’d managed to leave the ball without too much drama. I’d fulfilled my promise with Lord Leon regarding the dance—which had been a much more enjoyable time than the one I’d shared with Kalon—and left shortly after. Thankfully, Father had undertaken the duty of informing Crown Prince Torin that I wasn’t feeling well, and he said that the prince had wished me well.
I was a little apprehensive about not dancing with him. Not that I wanted to. I’d rather dance with a dragon, to be perfectly honest, but I’d received what was essentially an Imperial Order from the Empress herself, and I’d failed to carry it through.
Which was why I wasn’t surprised at all when Bella walked into the sitting room with a letter with the royal seal on it.
“Did you say that’s from the Imperial Palace?” I asked, staring at her.
“Yes, my lady. I believe it’s Crown Prince Torin’s personal seal.”
I blinked at the letter. “I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
“Would you like me to open it and read it to you, my lady?”
“No, that’s quite all right. Annie, would you pass me the letter opener from the bureau?” I took the letter from the tray and held my hand out for Annie. She passed it to me, and I sliced open the top of the envelope so I could retrieve the letter from inside.
Dearest Lady Alicia,
I would like to express my most sincere hope that you’re feeling better following the ball. Marquess Vermillion was kind enough to take the time to explain to me that you were feeling unwell and left early. If I’d known, I would have escorted you myself.
I was highly looking forward to spending some time in your company at the ball and regret we were unable to converse more. If you’re agreeable, it would be my pleasure to invite you to the Crown Prince’s Palace this Friday at noon for tea.
