Page 74 of Death of a Mortal

I didn’t suppose a dinner date with the parents was the right time to wear something like that, anyway.

The dress was a dark purple, like the first one, but instead of having gold embroidery only at the neck and cuffs, the entire bodice was covered in intricate, floral gold stitching.

The skirt had multiple layers, the longest reaching the floor, and each layer on top was shorter than the last, reminding me of a decadent layered cake like the ones I’d seen in a Dolvenar shop window. Underneath the fitted bodice was a sleeved under-gown of the same dark purple, the sleeves flowing to fitted gold cuffs at the wrists. The bodice covered my chest moderately but swooped low in the back, exposing nearly all of my spine.

I felt like a princess, and in this I would look the part, too—except my scars. I tried not to let myself think of that,of being Varyn’s princess. There was too much at stake to fantasize about such a future, no matter how much I may have wanted it when I let my mind wander.

I bathed while nervous butterflies flitted around in my stomach. Had Varyn been acting strange, and I’m just so desperate for things to be okay that I’m overlooking something? Or was it just nerves over dining with the king?

When I thought of Caedryn, my stomach churned. It must have been the latter, the nerves. Varyn wouldn’t put me at risk.

After styling my hair into one long, elegant braid, Nella voiced the same sentiment I had been thinking.

“You look like a princess, Naci. I bet Varyn falls in love tonight.”

She smiled at me in the mirror, and I took a moment to memorize her beautiful features. She had grown into a young woman right before my eyes, no longer resembling the little girl I’d held in my arms so many times.

It brought a tear to my eye. “You’ll always be my little lamb, even when you’re grown. You’ll always be the one I love most. Varyn will have to get in line.”

I turned to face her and wrapped my arms around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head.

“Aren’t you late?”

The clock showed it was two minutes past six. I was indeed late.

I’d be sure and make it up to him the way he’d made it up to me if I got through this meal.

The other ladies had all gone to dinner, so it was just us two when I left to meet Varyn. With one last look over my shoulder at Nella, I opened the door to find him leaning against the opposite wall, one foot propped up.

He looked handsome as always, wearing black pants tucked into black boots and a black coat with similar gold embroidery as my dress.

All the black made his blue eyes seem brighter, the silver of his pupils nearly glowing.

He smiled when he saw me and extended his arm, as always. “You look like a masterpiece, Naci.”

“Thank you, Prince Varyn, as do you.”

He chuckled as we walked back toward the main entrance of the castle. “I think that may be the first time anyone has referred to me as a masterpiece.”

“Where will we be having dinner?” I assumed we wouldn’t be in the massive dining hall off the main foyer. That table sat at least a hundred.

“In the private dining room of the royal wing.”

My pulse quickened. I had never seen the royal wing. It felt intimate, unknown. And dangerous.

My nerves made it difficult to think of what to say next, so I remained silent.

Oddly, the prince stayed quiet too. His usual demeanor was ominously diminished.

After passing the castle entrance and the ornate golden fireplace, we continued down the grand hallway to the side of the castle I had never seen.

The silence was making me uneasy.

“Are the king and queen…looking forward to dinner?”

“Oh yes, I think they are,” Varyn replied, as if pulled from deep thought. “The royal wing is just around the corner, up one more floor. We’ll be there soon.”

I had to break the tension, or else I might turn right around and run back to my room. Maybe he was just as nervous as I was.