Page 148 of Burn Her They Said
My attendant’s pale, cold fingers disentangle the knot in the towel before holding it out to shield me from view, and I sneak a look at Varic once my form is out in the open.
“It’s nothing he hasn’t seen before,” Drusilla says. I furrow my brows at her, and she lets out a breath before leaning in to whisper, “That was wrong of me to say.”
Shivers roll down from my shoulders. “What do you mean?”
“When you lost consciousness in the Emperor’s bath, Varic commanded that he leave.”
My eyes widen—both from what she disclosed, as well as the fact that she never speaks to me this candidly. She gestures for me to pull on the undergarments, then a simple black fabric dress, while she holds the towel as a partition.
“I was shocked when the Emperor and his Guards obeyed. Then I watched as he extracted you from the tub and allowed Lars to help wrap you in a towel.” My heart hammers as I pull the dress over my head after securing the bodice around my torso.
The fabric clings to my skin as I cinch the ties on the side closed, and I wait with bated breath for my attendant to finish explaining what she observed.
“He carried you to the Emperor’s bed and laid you down so gently.”
Heat builds beneath my cheeks despite the fact Varic has already admitted this, and while I felt comforted at the time, hearing it from Drusilla feels different.
“I’d never seen anything like it.” Her tone is wistful. “His eyes never strayed as he carefully pulled the garments over your limbs. It was so curious to observe how he held the fabric out, ensuring his knuckles never grazed your skin, and he only looked upon you fully once you were covered.”
My pulse kicks along both sides of my neck, veins thrumming as I sit on a stump to pull on my boots. Then I startle when Drusilla drops the towel and sinks to her knees, taking the boot from my hands to place it on me.
“Why did you make Varic hold the towel when I stepped out of the river?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Her gaze remains fixed on my laces as she finishes tying them. “Sit still, I need to fix your hair.”
She rises to rub the towel over my head, prying a grimace from me every time she tugs the wet strands. Her fingers work quickly to plait a loose braid before twirling it up in a bun.
I hold my neck stable as she yanks my head where she needs it, pulling pins from her pocket and sticking them in to secure my hair up the way His Majesty commands it. Something settles in my chest now that we have returned to our typical sort of interaction. Though her actions this morning have been so far out of character, I suspect there must be more to Drusilla than I’ve guessed.
* * *
The Emperor taps his foot, stirring up dirt from the dry path, while Raki paces a line behind his shoulders.
“Where will we be meeting once we have finished?” Varic asks, catching my eyes with concern swirling within his own.
His Majesty merely nods to my interim Guards as they flank me. I offer a small smile to Roy, who tips his chin in response. Then my heart quirks when the rising sun catches on his blond curls, reminding me of Hendry’s.
“We will come find you.” Varic’s eyes flick from the Emperor to me, and I nod.
His Majesty stalks away in the opposite direction, with his Guards closely following.
I do the same with Roy and the other Guards standing in for my own. We walk along the path in silence until Danor stops and holds out a hand as we turn onto the main road.
“Someone is following.”
Heat builds in the center of my chest, then proceeds to crawl up my neck—the same sensation I feel when Varic stares in my direction. Yet when I peer inside the forest, all I see are branches and leaves.
“Investigate,” Emperor Aldritch commands.
Warmth invades my cheeks as the anticipation, safety, and comfort only ever conjured by Varic’s presence settle within my chest while we stand in the open.
You are safe, a deep voice claims internally.
The message repeats as I scan our surroundings, assessing for any sign of what might be tracking us from within the forest.
“Whatever it is seems to be retreating,” Danor reports.
The warmth fades, and my pulse thrums in my ears as each emotion I noticed depletes.
