Page 85 of Death of a Mortal

She chuckled at my hanging mouth, prompting me to close it. “It’s alright. I wouldn’t if I were you either. Dolvenar and the castle are hard places to survive for mortals.”

There was that same cryptic advice-threat Varyn had given me. It gave me chills to hear again.

“I must apologize for Caedryn’s treatment of you and your sister. While I cannot change his mind on his plans for you, I can try to protect you and make you a bit more…comfortable.”

“I still don’t understand why you would want to help me.”

“It’s mostly selfish, I’ll admit. You’re becoming weak and thin. If we are to keep up appearances, not only do you need to look cared for, but you also need to be seen more than just once in a while for a speech. I, of course, had to convince Caedryn that this was necessary, but he agreed in the end.”

I was speechless…the queen was helping me. I wasn’t wholly convinced that she was honest about her reasons, but for now, I wouldn’t complain about a bath and fresh air.

We arrived at the bathing chamber I used before the speech, where the maidens were once again waiting for me. The queen said she would come back for me in thirty minutes, so between the maidens and I, we got me bathed, dried, and quickly dressed in the same plain green dress from the speech.

“Perfect,” the queen said upon her arrival. “Let us walk now.”

I followed her out and down the wing toward the front entrance of the castle, fae stopping in the halls to bow as we went. Each time, their smiles turned to sneers when they looked at me.

I guessed I would have to get used to that.

She didn’t speak again until we were outside. As soon as the late afternoon sun hit my face, I felt like a new person, completely reborn. The air had chilled since Nella and I had arrived here under that carriage, the season having changed from late summer to autumn.

“Your Majesty, could you tell me what day it is?”

“It is the sixteenth day of the tenth month.”

Nella’s sixteenth birthday had been three days ago. Not even a midsummer sun could have melted the ice that slipped into my stomach when I realized I had missed her birthday.

We rounded the corner to the row of pink and purple flowered trees that the prince and I had strolled through so long ago, but now most of the blooms dusted the ground like a colorful autumn snow.

I would have thought it was beautiful if I hadn’t felt a sudden, strange tingle break out across my scalp, making me run my fingers through my hair.

I noticed the queen watching me, and I was suddenly very uneasy.

“Tell me about your other sister, dear.”

“Aemilia?”

“Yes.”

It was an odd request, I thought. “Growing up, she terrorized me with her lightning once her ability emerged. She could get anything she wanted from anyone, but especially from our father.”

A look passed over her face when I mentioned my father…was it sadness again? It was gone before I could be sure.

I wasn’t sure why I was opening up to the queen about Aemilia, but I supposed having a fae in my family could only help my cause with the royals.

“Was your father kind to you all?”

I frowned. “He was toher. He was…indifferent toward Nella. But he was cruel to me.”

“And did he ever talk about your mother?”

A pang of sadness radiated through my heart. I guessed the queen sensed it.

“Oh, dear, how insensitive of me. It must seem to you as if she just passed, despite how very long ago it was. It’s still so new for you.”

She was right. It was still new. “That’s okay. No, he never talked about her. It was as if she had never even existed. Aemilia tried to convince me when we were little that I never had a mom.”

A flicker of amusement flashed across the queen’s face. “I’m very sorry for your upbringing. It’s getting chilly outside. Why don’t we get you back inside now?”