Rhea’s POV
***
I stared at myself in the mirror as the maids adorned me, fussing over the gown I had just worn. The material was heavy and cost more than most people make in a lifetime.
The maids didn’t say a word, they circled me, pulling the laces of the corset until I had to take short, shallow breaths to keep from fainting. They were being careful, almost like they were afraid to wrinkle the fabric, because they knew what this dress cost my father.
It was the third one I’d tried just this morning. My father had emptied the coffers for these, scouring the territories for the finest weavers. To anyone else, it looked like a father doting on his daughter for her sister’s celebration.
But I knew better.
I could still hear his voice from that night, hushed and desperate as he spoke t
