Skylar pledged her life to protect her homeland, but she didn't expect that she would have to resort to marrying the king's brother and using her wits instead of a sword.
...
"You look as if you couldn't decide if you should wear a dress or a uniform," Gawyn said with a frown.
"And now I'm wearing both, isn't it amazing?" Skylar grinned.
As the party they attended was a commemoration of the successfully ended war, all the military officers wore their parade uniforms. Gawyn wanted her to go with the dress, obviously, but Master Bailey came up with something between the two. The bodice looked like a regular dress, with bare arms, like most of Skylar's dresses. But the skirt was only attached to her back, falling like a cape. Underneath were fitting black uniform breeches with matching high, polished boots. She was also wearing a sword on her belt. To say the clothing was turning heads was an understatement.
"It's hard to say. I still don't know if I like it or not. It's too bizarre."
"Well, I love it," said Skylar. "Remind me to send Master Bailey a card with thanks!"
"I curse the day I introduced you two."
"At least everyone stares at me and not you. Though I have to say, you look very handsome in these new glasses. Very smart."
"You only say that because you forced me to wear them." Gawyn scoffed.
Skylar's retort was drawn out by the clamour of people gathered in the ballroom. It seemed even more crowded than usual. The orange rays of the setting sun were flooding in through the enormous circular stained-glass window and immersed the whole room in brilliant rainbow colours.
Gawyn and Skylar mingled, greeting the nobles and officials, engaging in small talk, and exchanging pleasantries. At this point, Skylar was used to this kind of social gathering and no longer found them stressful. Especially not when she was with Gawyn - an expert in politely brushing off the unwanted company.
After the dinner, one of Gawyn's soldiers came up to him and whispered something in his ear. The General frowned.
"Has something happened?" Skylar asked.
"I'm not sure. There's been some disturbance outside the palace. I'll have to check this out."
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"No, there's no need. Will you be all right here?"
"Sure. I try not to punch anyone while you're gone," Skylar said with a smile.
Gawyn rolled his eyes and followed the soldier.
Skylar was walking around the main room, listening to the snippets of conversations hoping to hear something useful and not aggravating any nobles. After a moment, she spotted the King making his way through the crowd toward her and waving impatiently at people who tried to get his attention.
Skylar looked around nervously. There was no one around who could have caught the King's attention. Since she learnt about Alarat's habit of seducing noblewomen, she made sure to avoid being alone with him. As she shared all her knowledge about the Blighted Lands with Gawyn, the King no longer had an excuse to meet with her. But now, he looked determined.
"Skylar." He nodded at her. "Where is Gawyn? Why is he not with you?"
"There were some troubles outside the palace, and he went to see what's going on. Is something the matter?" she asked. Alarat seemed very tense. He was looking around nervously as if he was expecting some invisible threat.
"That's not good," he murmured and looked back at her. "You'll have to do then. Come, follow me." He started walking, not waiting for her response.
Skylar hesitated for a moment. She didn't want to be alone with the King, but there was something in his eyes that told her he was not trying to lure her into some dark corner of the palace. He looked genuinely upset and frightened. She straightened her shoulders and followed him.
If he tries anything untoward, I'll punch him, she decided.
"Make haste. There's not much time," Alarat said, looking at her over his shoulder.
When the clamour of the party turned to a distant murmur, the King opened a door and invited her in. The room wasn't huge. It was one of the cosy little sitting rooms situated not far from the ballroom to provide guests with a quiet place to talk without being easily overheard.
Alarat closed the door behind him and passed her, moving to the window. He looked out as if he were looking for something and then closed the curtain.
"Your Highness? Are you all right?"
"No, I'm not," he said, stopping in front of her and glancing at the door behind her. "We've been infiltrated."
"Infiltrated? By whom?"
"By the agents from the Blighted Lands. I just saw..." the King paused and rubbed his jaw. "I'm not sure what I saw, to be honest. The shadows were moving on their own. Something dark lurking in the corridors...."
"Alarat, I need you to calm down for a moment," Skylar said, taking his shaking hand. "We warded the whole palace. I checked all the runes and charms myself last week. There's no chance of any dark creatures slipping through."
"That's the thing. Someone must have destroyed your protections—someone who knew exactly where to look for them. Someone..." Alarat stopped as the door to the room opened. He looked up, and his eyes went wide.
"So, you did lure her here eventually," the Queen said, looking at their joined hands.
"Elinora!" Skylar turned on her heel, letting go of Alarat's hand. "It's not what you think."
The Queen showed her beautiful smile and strolled lazily toward her. "Is it not? What were you two doing then? All alone, away from the party?"
"We were just discussing the protective wards and...."
"Don't tell her, Skylar," Alarat interrupted her, and there was a note of panic in his voice. Something she'd never heard before from the always charming and collected King.
She turned her head to look back at him.
"Oh, you figured it out, didn't you?" Elinora chided.
Skylar hadn't realised what was happening until it was too late.
Using her distraction, the Queen grabbed Skylar's sword, and with one swift movement, she plunged it into the King's chest.
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