Page 106 of The Fifth Life of Alicia
“Ah, yes!” She sat up. “Tilly!”
The door opened, and a maid I recognised from our trip into town appeared. “You called, my lady?”
“Fetch Lady Alicia’s gift.”
“Of course.” Tilly stepped back out of the room before swiftly returning with a small box in hand. “Here you are, my lady.”
“Thank you.” Vivi immediately handed it to me. “Here.”
I set my hoop to the side on the sofa and took the box from her. Inside was a simple wooden box that resembled a jewellery box, and I frowned as I removed it from the packaging. “What is it?”
“It’s a prototype from the Magic Tower,” Vivi explained. “With the expansion of the empire after the Great War, we need a more effective way of communicating over long distances, so this box has been in development for the last year or so.”
“How does it work?”
“Each box is a pair. I possess the sister to this one—every time you need to contact me, put your letter into the box and it’ll be delivered to me instantly.”
“Oh. So, it’s like a teleportation magic circle but for letters.”
“Exactly!” She beamed, and her eyes lit up. “You can use this for all your letters to the other ladies, too, and I’ll have them delivered.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“Nonsense. I’ve already told them. The only drawback is that you can only use it once a day, but that’s something we’re going to work on rectifying. You’ll be helping me greatly with my research if you accept it.”
I smiled. She’d handed me a way to keep my friends as close as possible. I didn’t care if it doubled up as research for her at the Magic Tower—it was my privilege to help her.
“Thank you,” I said, holding the box close. “I’ll use it well.”
***
“Are you all right?” Kalon looked down at me. “You know he doesn’t bite, don’t you?”
“Yes, but I’m still nervous.” I pressed my hand to my stomach. “I’ve never spoken to him for more than a few minutes at official events.”
“It’s dinner, not a trial.”
“Yes, dinner with the Emperor who thinks his eldest son is madly in love with me,” I pointed out. “TheEmperor. Why did you have to tell him that?”
“I told you; he’s a romantic. Exploiting that was the only way I could beat the Empress.”
Well, you can’t fault the man for being honest. “You didn’t tell him I fell for you, too, did you?”
Kalon shook his head. “I could never assume your feelings, my lady.”
“Oh, so I can’t call you Your Highness, but you can call me that? What a double standard.” I huffed.
He chuckled and pulled out my chair for me.
“Don’t laugh,” I warned him, leaning in close so I could lower my voice. “Also, if he’s under the impression that we’re some great love story, you should call me Allie.”
“I was unaware you had such a nickname,” he said smoothly as I sat down. “I’m offended you didn’t mention it before.”
“Remember how you told me only four people can call you by your name?”
“Five, including you.”
“All the same,” I said. “It is to me as your name is to you; reserved only for a select few. Your story will be more believable if you use it.”
