love him.” Lady Eville’s eyes twinkled with knowledge.
“I don’t love him,” I said angrily, not sure if I was trying to convince myself or her.
“You tell yourself that, but yet the proof of your love grows strong.” She glanced at my midsection, but I ignored her.
“That’s not true, for I made my own bargain with the prince of Baist,” I whispered, dropping my bandaged hands across my stomach protectively.
Lady Eville’s brows furrowed. “What is this?” She was not pleased.
“A bargain that undoes everything you have worked so hard for,” I snapped, tears sliding down my cheeks.
“What have you done, my daughter?” Her voice became quiet, her body still, and I knew her anger was reaching a boiling point. The quieter she became, the angrier she was.
“I’m leaving,” I whispered. “His country is safe, and I will now go quietly into the night and live out the rest of my days.”
She sucked in her breath so hard that I heard it whistle across her teeth. “No, I can’t believe that’s what he wanted!”
“Yes, it is!” I held up my hands and began to pull at the white bandages. “Look at me. I’m hideous.” When I had unwrapped one red and scarred hand, I worked furiously on the second and then saw the damage that was done. Angry red lines ran up my arms. Pulling my dress away, I confirmed the spell Allemar had cast had left permanent scars across my whole body, creating a pattern that was very unbecoming. My body was hideous.
Scared, I reached for my face and called out for a mirror. Eden, who had retreated to the hall while we talked, brought a small handheld one to me. My hands screamed as I forced my muscles to grip the handle, the mirror shaking uncontrollably. Taking a deep breath, I brought it up to my face, but Lady Eville placed her hand over the mirror.
“Listen to me, daughter. You are still beautiful. This means nothing.”
Hearing her reassuring words only filled me with dread. I gathered my courage, lifted the mirror, and wanted to cry out at the stranger looking back at me.
“I’m repulsive,” I cried, as my face was not spared. One bright red scar touched my face, trailing from my forehead across my eye and down to my chin. My finger shook as I traced it, and tears fell freely. I prayed the mirror lied, but yet it only spoke truth. I was hideous, beastly. I angrily tossed the mirror across the room, where it landed on a padded chair. I was furious that it hadn’t broken on contact like my heart.
“Has he seen me like this?” I asked.
“Not since that day,” Eden answered. “I did everything I could to save you, then had to call Mother and Lorn. Prince Xander was not happy when we whisked you away to our tower to take care of you. King Gerald and Prince Xander stayed behind to deal with stately matters.”
“That’s right.” He would have to deal with becoming the new king of Florin and burying Queen Anya. They wouldn’t have time to visit me, and I wasn’t sure if he even would now. He had what he wanted—freedom from Florin, freedom from me. He could now marry Yasmin.
“Well, we can take you back now that you’re fully recovered.” Lady Eville lifted her hand and was probably about to snap her fingers to open my trunks and begin packing.
“Yes, let’s pack,” I said, pulling myself into a sitting position, although I had no desire to return to either kingdoms. “But I need you to do something for me, Eden.”
“Anything, dear sister,” she said.
“I need you to deliver something to the prince for me.”
Chapter Thirty
The days had come and gone, and with each passing season, I had grown comfortable in my new way of life. I had to stop taking wolfsbane and became accustomed to using my death seeker gifts. Now unhindered by drugs, I traveled from town to town and frequently found myself helping solve unexplained deaths.
In Vearin, a cow was found dead in a valley, and two farmers almost came to blows blaming each other for its murder, but it turned out to be nothing more than an accident. In another town, a young child had died of what everyone believed to be natural causes but was actually poisoned by the wicked stepmother.
In the beginning, I was helping solve the crime after the death. But then I accepted my gift and it changed, and I started to save lives.