Page 58 of Songs of Vice
I felt terrible to accept this help… if it even was real help. I couldn’t trust anyone anymore. What was the worst that could happen? I’d already gotten myself trapped in this palace under the authority of someone who knew my mother. Escape had been within my reach. I could have slipped away the week before, disappeared into the human town we were in. Instead, I joined Sai. Because I’d thought there wassomethingbetween us. Because I’d always bought into stupid romantic notions and let my heart lead. Those days were done. From this point forward, I would become like Sai. I’d do what I had to in order to survive and no longer trust a soul.
“Álainn” I repeated.
“God, your pronunciation is terrible.” He wiped a hand over his face. “There are different accents around the Seelie realm, but you not being able to pronounce your own name would be a disaster. Try to speak as little as you can during dinner. I’ll make sure you’re sat beside me and if anyone speaks to you in Seelie, which I’m assuming you can’t speak…” He waited for me to answer, and I shook my head. “Maybe feign illness, then.”
“It was that bad?”
He chuckled gently. “Do you have enough money? To survive once you leave here, I mean?”
The weight of my coin pouch, the one Sai had looked at hopelessly when he’d asked me how I’d survived, pressed against my leg. “I have a little. I’ll be all right.”
Lennox waved for me to follow him as he approached an armoire by his bed. He pulled it open and shuffled clothing out of the way to reveal the iron edges of a safe. Moving in front of me, he removed a key from his pocket before fiddling with latches, then something clicked multiple times. He opened the compartment and reached to the back.
I scanned over the limited contents I could make out in the dim light, looking for Prince Shaan’s zevar. It was hard to guess if it was in there or not. Multiple jewels sat on cushions, and intricately patterned gold bracelets lay stacked in a corner. I didn’t even know what zevars looked like besides the few I’d seen in the past week.
Then my eye caught on a drawing. It was a rough sketch, done in charcoal. It took me a moment to realize it was a portrait of Lennox. Not because the likeness wasn’t accurate, but because the man in the picture laughed full heartedly, his eyes wrinkled, his hair windblown. This was a Lennox so incongruent with the one I’d met, they seemed strangers.
“Here.” He pulled out a hefty sack that clinked as he handed it to me.
I opened it and the silver and gold pieces in it scattered with the motion. “You’re giving me money?”
Lennox nodded as he closed the safe back and rearranged the clothing.
“You can’t do that.”
“Please,” he gestured to a door farther in his suite. “Allow me this indulgence.”
“Why, though?”
He opened the door and swept his hand forward. I stepped in alongside him to another bedroom, neat and beautifully arranged in shades of rose and cream but a stale smell from disuse permeated the air. “This is the suite for my future wife,” Lennox whispered. “Please remain here for the night, so you can reach me if needed.” He heaved a sigh and met my gaze. “I’ve done plenty of wrong in my life, Lira. Allow me this opportunity to do something for the sake of kindness?”
“I feel terrible taking your money, though—”
“Don’t. I have plenty.” He bowed. “I’ll meet you here for dinner in a few hours. I’ll send a serf to draw you a bath and help you dress.”
He walked back through the door and left me standing alone in the room's quiet, the weight of everything he’d said pressing on me.
* * *
A knock at my door startled me, causing me to drop a curl I had wrapped around my finger. I clicked my tongue, picked it up, and pinned it in place before admiring myself in the mirror. The dress I wore was fashioned in two pieces. The bottom half had a petticoat of thick wool and a top layer formed from ivory tulle that flowed around me. A velvet jacket in a deep blue that darkened the color of my eyes made up the top.
I’d never worn a style like this before but had to admit it was rather beautiful, and I appreciated the warmth. I snapped a sprig of baby’s breath from the bouquet on a table and tucked it into my curled hair before answering the door.
Luz stood draped in candlelight wearing a loose pantsuit of shimmering gold. They skimmed their eyes over me. “You clean up well.”
“As do you.”
“I do, don’t I?” They gestured to the hall, and I joined them. “I thought I’d walk you to dinner. Let’s see how many Seelie I can offend with this outfit.”
Guards shadowed us, staying at a distance but following. “You’ll make them angry?”
Luz turned on me and grabbed my arm before lowering their voice. “One thing to know about the Seelie, they want everyone to fit into a box. Andtheyget to define the box.”
Hair rose on the back of my neck. Something about Luz’s words felt like a warning. The guards waited several paces behind us, and I leaned in closer. “Are we in trouble?”
“Not yet.” Luz said before raising their voice so that it echoed around the hall. “Are you ready for a dinner with nobility?”
I wasn’t sure if I was, but I continued following Luz along the halls, down staircases, through several arched doorways, and into a dining room darkened by heavy curtains and illuminated by candles in glass sconces along a long, wooden table. Candelabras flickered against the stone walls and dozens of elegantly dressed fae sat at the table, chatting. The king, who sat at the head of the table, held a mug between his hands.