needle.
I barely flinched when the prick caused a red drop of blood to form.
Earlsgaarde placed the rose in my hand. As soon as the thorns touched my blood, the sickly rose began to bloom, its petals unfolding, the color becoming brighter.
“You see, Your Majesty.” Earlsgaarde grinned. “The imperial rose does not lie. She is of royal blood and your heir to the throne.”
The king sighed. “So it’s true. You are my daughter.”
I stilled and gazed upon the stranger. We couldn’t be related. It wasn’t possible. Yet we had the same black hair and light eyes.
“I don’t believe you,” I whispered.
“That’s fine. I hardly believe it myself. Sleep now. We have much to discuss when you are well.”
It wasn’t true. It didn’t make sense. I couldn’t be a princess, because Mother had said my parents didn’t want me. It couldn’t be true.
King Basil left me alone, and I slept a full two days before waking up feeling refreshed. My wrists still bore the manacles, and although the long chain was gone, they were still enchanted. The binding magic was strong, created by a powerful sorcerer. The magic residue seemed familiar, but I wasn’t sure where I had felt it before.
I had the freedom to leave my room. The two servants who had taken me from the cage were an elderly married couple, who were now in charge of my care.
“Oh, Rose,” Magda twittered as she came into my room carrying a tray of scones. “I’ve got your favorite.”
“My favorite?” Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I looked at the tray she’d placed across my lap. The cutest blueberry and lemon scone cut into squares sat on a flowered porcelain plate next to a dish of clotted cream. The hint of lemon tickled my nose, and my mouth began to water. Picking up the square scone, I ignored the knife and dipped it right into the cream, then took a bite. My taste buds exploded as the pleasure receptors in my brain began firing. I did indeed love these scones.
“How did you know?” I asked.
“Because I made them for you every morning when you were a child.”
It seemed pointless to point out that I thought she was mistaken, so I continued to devour every single scone, even the crumbs. When I was satisfied, I stepped out of the bed, proud that I only slightly wobbled as I walked over to the wardrobe. Opening the door, I was greeted with a vast array of silk dresses to befit a queen. Pulling one from the hook, I held it up to my neck and was surprised it fell to the floor, the perfect length.
“They were your mother’s,” Magda answered before I even asked. “I had them pulled out of storage, cleaned, and pressed for you.”
Unlike the dark colors I normally favored, this one was pale yellow and reminded me of Yasmin. I brushed my fingers across the pearl buttons, and my emotions battled within me. Truth and lies. Dream and real. I wasn’t sure how to process the new information. Taking a deep breath, I told myself to keep my emotions in check. This could all be an elaborate scheme. After all, they had tried to kill me only a week before.
Magda helped me into the dress. The thick manacles made getting my arm through the long sleeves difficult, and little slits had to be cut to accommodate them, but once on, the cuffs of the dress completely hid them. She gave me a complementary navy cloak lined in fur, and I ran my fingers along the soft, luxurious pelt.
My days in the prison aside, my time with my enemy had been far more pleasant than that with my husband’s family.
Don’t compare, I chastised myself.
Magda moved to the double doors and opened them, beckoning me to follow. I stopped before crossing the threshold into the hall and looked at either side for an armed guard. There weren’t any.
My teeth ground together, and I had to focus on putting one foot in front of the other as I made my way down the hall. We passed the throne room, and I couldn’t help but glance up at the two golden chairs under the large banner of an imperial rose.
“Why hello, Miss Rosalie.” Peder, Magda’s husband, crossed our path carrying a large bouquet of flowers. “I was just bringing these to your room to help spruce it up. No one’s lived in it for years, so it smells a bit stuffy. Just going to bring