Shaking my head, I backed away. “Your sense of theater is overdeveloped. I’m still the same nobody I was yesterday, circus boy.”
“Circus boy?” He pressed a hand to his heart and gave me a pained look. “You wound me.”
I rolled my eyes and turned toward Adaleiz, who was tied to a wagon at the edge of the field. “If you see the princess, send a messenger to the castle, would you?”
“If you wish, lightning girl. But I wouldn’t hold out too much hope. I bet your missing princess is playing games closer to home.”
I threw up my hand, waving, but didn’t look back as I walked away. May we be so lucky. But in my world, luck was a rare commodity, and the missing princess was proof that mine was probably running out.
Chapter 8
“Finding my sister is a priority,” Tereza had said after I reported my failure to locate the princess. “But so is the leadership of my country. I can manage concern for both at the same time. The guards will continue to search for her. Meanwhile, you and I must contend with matters of the state. My guests have already arrived, and our dinner plans will continue as previously scheduled.”
Lacking a reason to disagree, I dropped a brief curtsy and retreated to my apartment. Marlis greeted me and urged me to sit at the vanity table. She gathered my dark hair in her fists and piled it atop my head. “No braids for you tonight, Evie. Maybe a few jeweled pins here and there, but let’s have it off your shoulders, all right?”
“Has Gideon come back, yet?”
“He must still be out searching, but don’t worry about him. He promised to be here. No matter what’s going on in this castle, his duty is first and foremost to you. He won’t forget that.” She raised an eyebrow, gave a pointed look toward my hair, and waited for my response.
“If you say pin it up, I defer to your wisdom.”
“Wisdom?” She clucked her tongue and tugged another strand of my hair. “Let’s hope you’ll still call it that when I’m through.”
Like a silent ghost, a chambermaid appeared and lighted candles around our apartment, not with Magic like Otokar, but with a simple burning taper. By the time Marlis finished fastening the row of tiny buttons down the back of my dress, the sun had set.
I stood before a full-length mirror, admiring my gown. While I preferred trousers and boots, even I couldn’t deny the dress’s beauty. The waist cinched tight, and the neckline dipped low. Black lace and beading accented the bodice and hemline. Marlis draped a string of black beads around my neck and passed me a pair of long gloves. “Now you really do look like a queen,” she said.
“Well, I feel like a child playing dress up.”
“All that matters is what the others think. If this is a costume, then play the role.”
I arched an eyebrow. “When did you get so smart?”
She ducked her head, but not before I saw her smile. “You should get going. I think it’s probably bad manners to arrive after the empress.”
I sighed, smoothed my skirts, and glanced at myself in the mirror one last time. The reflection staring at me quirked a sardonic grin. The costume didn’t fool her. She knew who lay beneath the glitter and makeup. Not a queen, simply a lost girl....
“Wish me luck.”
Marlis shook her head. “You won’t need it.”
Although I hadn’t heard him, Gideon must have returned from his search some time earlier. He and I left our bedchambers and entered our shared sitting room at the same moment, and as soon as I saw him, my breath fled like a tidal wave retreating from a beach. The whole world diminished as my focus narrowed, encompassing only his singular figure.
Black suede trousers hugged the long lines of his legs, accented by tall, black boots. A crimson jacket cut in a short military style emphasized the breadth of his chest and shoulders, and a red gemstone winked in the folds of his silk cravat. A long sword in a dark scabbard jutted from his hip down to his knee, and a slim blade rested against his thigh for quick and lethal access. Gideon had always been good-looking, but at that moment....
At that moment, he was stunning.
I swallowed, trying to relieve the dryness in my throat. “A sword?” I said in a surprisingly steady voice. “I’ve never seen you use one.”
He frowned and stroked the weapon’s pommel. “It’s not my preferred form of defense. I should have a holster made for Sephonie so I can wear her at my side instead.” Sephonie was Gideon’s weapon of choice—a one-handed repeating crossbow. With it he’d performed remarkable feats of accuracy, and if anyone had found themselves caught in its crosshairs, they’d only lived to speak of it because he allowed it. “If I’m to be your guard, I’d feel better with her at my side.”
The candle flames around the room threw golden glints upon his hair. He’d drawn the strands into a long tail, but, as usual, a tendril had escaped and hung loose. The urge to tuck it behind his ear tingled in my fingers. Instead, I balled my fists and straightened my shoulders. “We should go. It would be bad form to keep the empress waiting.”
He crossed the space between us and crooked his arm. After I tucked my fingers into the bend of his elbow, he led me to the door. He smelled of soap and sandalwood—clean and male. My heart fluttered like the wings of a bird eager to fly. “Tonight, perhaps I will speak of your beauty.” His spoke in a low, gruff voice. “Perhaps you won’t flinch when I say you look lovely.”
Heat pooled in my stomach, and words failed me.
“It’s an honor to be at your side, Evie.”
I met his gray stare and cleared my throat. “I’m honored as well.”
He opened the door and drew me into the hallway. “Don’t wait up for us,” he said to his sister, though his eyes never left mine. “Something tells me this is going to be a long night.”
A heavy silence settled between us as we followed the footman. Unnamable emotions filled the air. Invisible energy crackled like static, and my blood had turned into sparkling, bubbling wine. “I take it you didn’t find Karolina?” I asked, breaking the tension.
He shook his head. “Not a whisper.”
“She could’ve been kidnapped.”
“With her horse?”
“It would throw us off. Make it look like she ran away.”
Thin lines appeared around his mouth like parentheses. “Either way, she’s gone for now. We’ll look again tomorrow. Knock on more doors. Ask more questions.”
“That’s a lot of doors, Gideon. Prigha is a huge city. I’m worried she’s already long gone.”
“I’m afraid of the same thing.”
