Chapter 14
Neeve came to collect me for dinner, as was our habit. When I stepped out of my room, she halted and blinked at me.
“What did you do to your face?”
“Do you like it?” I tipped my chin up to the light of the nearest hall sconce, not expecting any praise.
“You look strange.”
“Says the oddest girl in the castle.”
She sniffed at the mild—though true—insult. “Was it pleasant, spending time with your mother?”
“Not particularly.” I kicked at my skirts as we headed down the hall. It wasn’t terribly graceful or ladylike of me, but it was the only form my defiance could currently take. “She spent the afternoon darkly hinting that I’m about to be married off to any number of terrifying monarchs.”
“It’s not a future I’d wish on anyone,” Neeve said, sympathy flashing from her dark eye
