Cold Hands, Warm Heart

FIVE

I watched myself pull a face in the mirror as my ladies-in-waiting yanked the laces of my dress. The dress just arrived today for the ball tonight. It was a pale yellow and orange with golden, swirling designs. With it was my topaz necklace and earrings.

The ladies-in-waiting sat me down in front of the vanity to do my hair. But before they could even grab a strand of it, they all chorused, "Your Majesty."

I turned in my seat, watching as my wife smiled back at me. I stood and curtsied along with the other women. "Your Majesty," I murmured. I came out of the curtsy. "You are dismissed."

The ladies dipped into another curtsy before leaving.

Gwyneira stepped forward, her skirt swishing, and cupped my face with her icy fingers. "Your Majesty," she murmured.

Gwyneira wore a stunning ice-blue silk dress. On her breasts, a topaz necklace that was similar to mine rested. Silver combs held her hair in place, and a diamond tiara glittered from its perch. She wore snowflake lace gloves, outlining her slender arms and hands.

She was radiant.

"Why have you come? Is something wrong?" I asked.

One of her thumbs stroked my cheek, and my eyes fluttered shut. "Nothing is wrong. I wished to see you."

I laughed as she moved closer, wrapping her arms around my neck to rest her head on my shoulder. We swayed to silent music. "Don't do that," I said. "You'll ruin your hair."

I tried to step out of her arms, but she held fast to me. "Screw my hair."

"My love, you're supposed to be the perfectly coiffed one. I am supposed to be the misfit royal."

She laughed. "Oh, do be quiet. You are just as graceful as I am."

Gwyneira started kissing my throat and shoulders, and I held back a moan. "Stop," I murmured, "stop—before we go too far."

"But I want us to go too far. I want us in bed with nothing but sweat on our skin." Oh, God. She knew just the right thing to say to make my heart race.

"You know we don't have time for us both to take off our dresses, our many petticoats, and our corsets, make love, and put them all back on before the ball."

"Then, we will skip the ball."

"If we did that, your parents would exile us."

"Hmm, us left to ourselves—for years—with nothing to do? That sounds like the best thing that could ever happen."

I grinned. "I will do whatever you want after the ball. For now, I need you to do my hair before we're late."

I sat in front of my vanity, not giving her another chance to seduce me. Gwyneira took my dark locks before twisting them up with silver combs like hers. Then she picked up the shiny object resting on velvet.

"And you're certain that your mother doesn't mind me wearing her crown?"

"Of course not! She loves you more than me!" I saw the amusement glimmering in her eyes.

I rolled mine. "That is completely false!"

"No, it is correct! My mother is always begging for you to tell her stories of your Sylvainian life!"

"Well, if someone from a different life appeared at your door, wouldn't you ask a thousand questions?" I craned my neck, placing a kiss on her sweet lips.

"Mea flosculus? What are you doing out here all alone?"

At the sound of my mother's voice, I turned away from the balcony railing. "Nothing. I am just enjoying the cool air and the night sky. All of those trees in Sylvaine used to block the stars, but here... the sky is full of them."