Chapter One
I smooth my hands down the front of my dress, eyeing my profile in the mirror. Today the royals from the other kingdoms in Lazoreat will be arriving and I’ll be expected to look my best. The yellow dress is perfect for early spring—it’s happy and bright, just like the weather.
Just like the jubilee will be.
This is always my favorite time of year. The jubilee is a time of celebration, a time for the royals of Lazoreat to come together and rejoice in the peace we’ve upheld for so long.
“Will you be needing anything else, princess?” Serafina’s voice catches me off guard and my head snaps up, meeting her gaze in the mirror. She’s worked in the castle alongside the rest of her family since we were both children, but she was only recently promoted to lady’s maid.
“I don’t think so,” I answer, smiling at her. She blushes and dips her head respectfully before scurrying from my bedchamber. She has barely spoken to me since she took the new position. Part of me knows it’s because she’s intimidated by working so closely with a sapphic . . . and that annoys me to no end. Serafina is nothing like my usual type. She’s far too wholesome, far too proper, and entirely too much of a gossip. With a roll of my eyes, I tuck a wayward strand of hair behind my ear before I make my way into the hall.
“Taryn!” Mira calls from the other end of the long hallway. She was waiting for me, no doubt. I smirk as she nearly runs down the stone corridor toward me, her red hair flowing around her face as she flies past a servant carrying an arm full of laundry.
“And what are you doing in the eastern wing, hmm?” I ask as she bustles up to my side, linking her arm with mine.
“Impatiently waiting for the spoiled princess of this Gods forsaken kingdom to wake up and entertain me, of course,” she snickers as we begin walking down the hall together.
“Your tongue is going to get you into some dire sort of trouble someday,” I point out as we make our way across the allure. The early morning sun casts subtle golden highlights in Mira’s hair as she purses her lips beside me.
“Yours already has,” she reminds me. “What happened to your last maid? I saw the new one running from your room like it was on fire.”
“I’m not sure why Serafina is so—” I stop when her first words sink in. “I had nothing to do with that!” I jerk my arm from her hold, narrowing my eyes on her as we come to a stop in the doorway. “She never told me she was betrothed, Mira. Surely, you know me better than that.”
“I know you’ve got a taste for trouble,” she laughs, wagging her finger before she heads indoors. “If I were to do such a thing, I’d never find a suitable husband. I’m not sure if you escape the worst of the gossip because you’re sapphic or because you’re a princess.”
“The former, I’m sure,” I drawl out slowly, smiling to a group of servants as we make our way down the main hall. I glance up at the portraits lining the stone walls and sigh. “People love to gossip about the affairs of princesses, I assure you. But mine can produce no bastards, so I would assume I’m immune from the idle chattering of bored courtiers.”
“Did you just insult me?” she asks, flipping her long red hair over her shoulder.
I wiggle my eyebrows before turning down the staircase that would lead us to the dining room. “The jubilee starts soon. The royals should start arriving today, I think.”
“Tabistak is always the first to arrive. I can’t wait to see Dary, I’ve missed him,” Mira rushes out excitedly.
“I’ve missed him, too. His father relies so heavily on him, now.” It was true. When we were children, Dary would spend entire summers in Vanir, aggravating us. As we grew older, he had to take more responsibility in his own kingdom, and we saw less and less of him each year.
At first, I thought the change in his visits had something to do with us calling off the wedding our parents planned for us. Even as a teenager, I knew Dary didn’t hold it against me, but I could never be sure about his parents. They’re such quiet people, it unnerves me.
“We’ll make the most of our week with him,” Mira promises with a chuckle. “I’m sure we can annoy him enough in one week to last an entire year.” As we reach the bottom of the landing, Mira turns around to face me, winking as she walks backward.
Right into the mage.
“Oh!” she mumbles, spinning around to right herself. Her hands fly out to steady herself against the woman she bumped into and I cover my mouth to hide my smile.
“Ladies,” Ona hisses, taking a quick step back from Mira’s pawing hands. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, Lady Ona,” we both murmur in unison.
“I’m so sorry, Lady Ona,” Mira rushes on. “I should have been paying closer attention.”
“It’s alright, child,” she sniffs, her long hair—so white it nearly glows with silver light—flowing down to her waist as she juts her chin into the air. “I’ll leave you to your preparations. Enjoy the jubilee, girls.” Her tone is kind but the look of disgust on her face gives away her true feelings far too easily.
Father’s mage has never cared for me. I’m not sure why, but she’s found me a nuisance around the castle since I was a child. I can still hear my mother chiding her for being cold to me; Ona never approved of little ones running around unsupervised and I was notorious for slipping past Nanny.
“I have no idea why my father still employs that woman,” I sigh, shaking my head. Something about her has always rubbed me the wrong way, but I suppose some people are just that way, as if we are made from two different things that react poorly with one another. Like a potion gone awry.
“Do you think he’s keen on her?” Mira asks, glancing over her shoulder to watch the mage’s retreat.
“Gods, no,” I laugh. “He hasn’t taken interest in anyone since my mother died—” I pause, wondering for a moment if it were possible my father has kept an affair a secret for this long. “At least, not any that were noticeable enough for the servants to gossip, or important enough for him to tell me.”
“Mm,” Mira muses. “It would explain why she isn’t fond of you.”
“It is possible she just doesn’t like me,” I laugh, shaking my head as we move toward the dining hall.
“What blasphemy is this? Everyone loves Taryn of Vanir. Haven’t you heard? The men want her but can’t have her. The women want her or want to be her. Taryn of Vanir is what all of us—”
I close my hand over her mouth, swallowing my laughter. “That’s enough of that, you’re going to cause a spectacle, Mira. I swear you’re the most troublesome thing I ever dared to call a friend!” When she licks my palm, forcing me to pull my hand away, I roll my eyes. “And childish, too.”
“It’s all true, if not quite that theatric. You’re well-liked by everyone, Taryn. Truly, Ona is the only person I’ve ever seen eye you with disdain. It’s strange to me.”
“Well,” I sigh. “I suppose it’s possible. Or perhaps, she wishes it were?” I shrug, dismissing the strange thoughts of my father pursuing someone as cold as Ona DiAllo. My mother was a light in this world, with all the warmth of a sun packed into a person who could wrap their arms around you. Someone like Ona could never fill the void her death left.