“Yes, it is, but Murl is a gifted healer. You should be right as the northern winds within a few minutes, believe it or not. Now, up you go. Up!”
I stumbled when I stood but managed to follow her to the wardrobe. But even though Daiseeum paused to pick out clothing for me, I didn’t stop. I carried on to the bathing chamber.
In the mirror, my appearance was a fright. Hair everywhere. Eyes bloodshot. Dried spit on my cheek. I was truly looking my finest.
I blinked, and my surprise increased when I realized silver hair stared back at me. Not black.
My head finally began to clear, and my bloodshot eyes turned white as the potion at last kicked in. I grabbed my toothbrush and cleaned my teeth, then picked up my comb to work through my snarls. I didn’t remember the prince casting another illusion over me, but he must have. Mother Below, what else did we do last night that I don’t remember?
My cheeks burned when I recalled how alluring he’d looked during our conversation about him believing my affinity created orem. And we’d made a fairy bargain. An actual fairy bargain.
My hand slapped over my mouth when it came rushing back to me. I had to replenish the entire continent with orem.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
What else had I agreed to? After the bargain, everything got fuzzy. I faintly recalled him carrying me to the couch. Or . . . wait, was it the bed?
And there was dancing. No, there wasn’t dancing. But I’d wanted to dance?
Blessed Mother. The entire evening was one giant blur.
“Ilara?” Daiseeum knocked on the door. “We only have minutes until he arrives.”
I hurriedly set the comb down and joined her by the wardrobe. She waved a hand over me, casting me in rushed magic as her cleansing spell fell over my frame, cleaning the spit from my cheek and ridding my body of all dirt, sweat, and grime.
“Thank you,” I said, my cheeks reddening. I really needed to learn self-cleansing if I actually had magic now.
She held up leggings and a fitted tunic. “You’re to wear training clothes.” Her lips pursed in a sour frown.
“You don’t like them?” I felt the soft material. The tunic and leggings had been spun from soft wool. Warm yet dry, and practical for our northern climate.
“Ladies should wear gowns. Not this.”
“You’re forgetting, once again, that I’m not a lady.”
Daiseeum and I had been through this multiple times during the past month. She kept insisting that I wear one of the many dresses that had been crafted for me, but unless I was simply trying on the garments as a way to pass time, I kept demanding pants and woven tops. Dresses and gardens didn’t mix, yet Daiseeum seemed aghast each time I refused her silks and brocades.
“You should dress like a lady. He certainly treats you as such,” she muttered under her breath.
I frowned, not knowing what she meant by that, but before I could ask, she was pulling my nightclothes off and demanding that I slip my limbs into the garments she held. In seconds, I was dressed.
“Your bosom has grown since these were crafted for you.” Daiseeum clucked her tongue as she surveyed my breasts. “I shall have the tailor return tomorrow to adjust your garments. And your hips . . .” She placed her hands just below my waist and smoothed my leggings down. “Who would have known you had such a female figure. You were skin and bones when you arrived.”
I lifted my chin proudly. “I’ve gained two stone.”
“And it was two stone you needed. Skin and bones won’t do.” Daiseeum clucked her tongue again and began picking up my discarded clothes just as a knock came on my door.
The doorknob turned, and the prince appeared. Since he hadn’t waited for me to let him know he could enter, I placed my hands on my hips.
“You’re lucky I’m not naked. If you’d come two minutes earlier, I would have been.”
He stopped dead in his tracks.
I instantly regretted my words. I’d meant it as an admonishment, but when his lips curved in a smile, I wondered again what had transpired between us last night.
“Noted.” His husky voice rolled toward me like a gentle wave caressing my soul. “I shall endeavor to arrive earlier next time.”
My jaw dropped just as Daiseeum let out a shrill giggle and traipsed from the room.
“I thought princes were supposed to have manners,” I said as my stomach began flipping with a vengeance.
“I’m sure some princes do.”
“But you don’t, obviously.”
“Oh, I do when it suits me.”
He sauntered toward me, inhaling deeply, and my heart beat harder.
Flustered, I waved my hands at my training clothes. “Well, I’m up. Daiseeum was insistent that I be ready. So what am I ready for?”
“You’re to begin training today. Do you not remember?”
“Yes, I remember that, but I didn’t know if that was why you were here.”
“It is.” Every particle of my body was acutely aware of how closely he stood. It was like a buzzing energy vibrated between us.
Blessed Mother, am I still drunk? I admonished myself internally and wondered if the tonic Daiseeum had given me had also messed with my brain function. I hated this male. Truly hated him. So why was my belly suddenly coiling in anticipation?
I had to still be drunk. It was the only rational explanation.
The prince peered down at me, his eyes piercing. His hair was pulled back into a low ponytail that settled between his wings. Shoulders so broad they looked as though they would rip his shirt stretched past my peripheral vision.
The corner of his mouth kicked up as he inhaled. “Are you feeling okay?”
My head snapped back. “Yes, I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
He inhaled again, the movement slow as though he was savoring something. “No reason.”
That smile stayed on his face, and I suddenly had the urge to wipe him clean of it. He looked so . . . smug.
But I hadn’t done anything to make him appear so arrogant, so I crossed my arms and arched a questioning eyebrow.
He stroked his chin. “Do you remember last night?”
My cheeks reddened when it occurred to me that he’d seen me completely intoxicated. “I remember that we made a bargain.”
“And do you remember anything after that?”
My heart thrummed harder. “No,” I said cautiously. “Should I?”
His eyes shuttered, and his strange small smile disappeared. “No, as long as you remember the bargain, that’s all that matters. You’re to replenish the continent with orem.”
I groaned. “So I did agree to that.”
“Correct, which is why your training begins today. And the first thing we’re doing is getting you away from the castle’s prying eyes and going somewhere discreet so you may practice your affinity without anyone judging you.”
“Oh.” Some of the nerves in my stomach loosened. If I actually had an affinity, he was right that I didn’t want to begin practicing it only to fail while others watched me. “Thank you . . . for that.”
He shrugged, and for a moment, it felt as though I was conversing with any other male. Not the male who’d murdered my family.
I shook myself. I was definitely still drunk.