Estrella
"My hair wouldn't stay. It's too fine." Candace runs her fingers through her cornsilk tresses sadly.
"You've never had your hair braided by Tess," I say. "She is simply a genius for it. Allow her to try, and you'll be surprised."
Tess smiles shyly. "I am happy to make an attempt."
Candace grins. "I guess now's as good a time as any to try. It's not as though they can start this Sundrop bridal shower without the bride."
"Exactly." I push her onto the stool in front of the mirror.
Tess begins braiding. Ever since Candace insisted I stop using titles, Tess has been a little less intimidated by her, which has made everything much easier. I pad over to the array of jewelry I brought and stretch before sorting through the pieces. Anwen stayed for three more rounds last night, and sleep drags at me, but I cannot miss my own bridal celebration. Even if it's going to be mostly peopled with diplomats I've never met before and made a fool of myself in front of last night.
My gaze catches on a scroll Anwen sent over before I even woke this morning. It's a simple diagram of all the kingdoms which sent delegates and a brief rundown of specific customs relevant to each, the sort of reference I've been trying to make for myself all along but have utterly failed at. My chest aches sweetly when I look at it. If I am tired, to have created that, he must be exhausted. And he chose to do it all the same.
"What do you expect today?" Candace asks.
I sigh. "I have no idea. Floyd is an envoy. He could be working with any number of people."
Candace starts to shake her head, but Tess grabs her and holds her in place. I watch my best friend panic as she realizes what liberties she's taken, but the princess barely seems to notice.
"You would be right, but Floyd got sent here as soon as he was assigned the position. He's barely better traveled than I am." A bit of bitterness seeps into Candace's voice there. "No, if he has any partners, they're in Snowcrest."
"Not here?" Tess asks.
I bite my lip. Her, Cristofer, and Castor maintain a worry that, even if the Solbergs can be proven innocent, there are many other Dun's Crossing nobles who might've participated.
"To be honest? Before everything that went down with Kieran and Raven, I'd be worried, but not anymore." Candace sighs. "Floyd became a pariah with Nessa, as much as he could without irritating King Andri."
"Do you think that's fair?" I ask quietly.
"Yes." Her reply is fast and uncompromising.
"Why don't you like her?" I return to the table where Tess is braiding Candace's hair. "Nessa, that is."
She exhales a long sigh. "Nessa... reminds me of someone I don't like very much."
I meet Candace's gaze in the mirror. She's obviously holding something back.
"I thought we were family," I say. "Anwen and I have agreed to keep no secrets between us, and I'd love to have the same with you."
Candace's mouth twists wryly. "I barely recognize either of my older brothers these days."
"I think that's a good thing." Remembering the cold, cruel prince I woke up next to after the Haze isn't pleasant.
"It certainly is." She takes my hand. "I'm different too. And that's... that's the problem with Nessa. She reminds me of a me I don't like."
Before I can ask what she means by that, someone raps on the door. Tess looks up at me, her hands snarled in Candace's hair. I nod and go to open it.
Nessa stands outside, her eyes and cheeks puffy like she either slept less than I did or has been crying for hours. Her hair is a mess, and she's wearing the plainest dress I've ever seen her in.
"We have to talk," she says.
"Certainly." I let her in, my heart hammering. "Is this about Joli and the rest?"
She shakes her head and opens her mouth, then catches sight of Tess and Candace in the other room. "Are we-can we go somewhere private?"
"Tess is my dearest friend and confidant. Anything I know, she knows within the hour." Candace's words ring in my ears, but she was just so honest with me. This affects her family too. "And Candace is my sister in marriage by the end of the week. We are already somewhere private."
Nessa swallows painfully. Tess and Candace drift out of my bedroom, Tess still braiding as she goes.
"Okay." Nessa nods. "I guess I have to get used to doing things a little differently."
"Differently?" I sit on the couch in front of the fireplace.
Nessa starts pacing. "It's not about Joli. Shit, I wish my biggest problem right now was Joli."
Candace winces slightly at the curse but settles on the opposite couch so Tess can keep working.
"Tell me." My heart climbs into my throat. Something is severely wrong. I've never seen Nessa so agitated. "Whatever it is, I can help."
"I'm really counting on that." She laughs and lets out a sob. "Just let me get through everything before you talk, okay?"
I fold my hands in my lap and wait.
"Father arranged King Isai's assassination," she blurts.
My skin goes hot, then cold. My pulse roars in my ears. Anwen was right, and Father's killer is inside this castle right now. My wolf snarls, and my claws grow without my permission. But I swore to let Nessa finish, and in exchange for all she's done for me, I'll give her that at least.
"He was ranting and raving after Kieran took power. Said he humiliated our family, all of Snowcrest. Him and Raven. So he wanted to destroy Kieran's reign before it even really started." Nessa's pacing picks up speed, like she can outrun the very words she's saying. "And he needed my help. I was supposed to become your friend, show you what kind of people Kieran and Raven really were before they could trick you, and gather any information we needed."
My one friend in this Goddess-forsaken castle, and she was using me to murder my father. I have never felt so stupid.
"He hired this rogue he knew from home, had me forge a few documents in Kieran's hand because we grew up with the same tutor, and paid one of the castle soldiers to carry the message. It was supposed to be perfect." Tears filled Nessa eyes. "And I went along with it because, fuck, Estrella, I was mad. Father was worried about our reputation, but I'd just lost everything. Everything. I wanted revenge."
My voice creaks out of my throat. "Wanted? Past tense?"
She drops to her knees in front of me. "Last night, when you came after me, I realized how stupid the whole thing was. I was just feeding into Father's hate instead of seeing the good things I could have in my life. I was going to become sad and bitter, just like him. I'm so, so fucking sorry for everything I did. But that's why I'm here now-because I'm sorry, and I want to be different, and I know the next part of his plan."
Next part. There's more. I will never be allowed to rest, as long as I am in this castle.
Before I can pity myself or allow exhaustion to overtake me, a burning rage demands my attention. Floyd Winters murdered my father for no reason. Or at least, no reason to do with Father. He didn't care that Father was a benevolent leader, a beloved parent. That he made Mother laugh, that he took Castor on daily walks about the courtyards to ensure he never felt too left out, that he taught me everything I knew. He just killed him to sate a petty grievance against someone else.
Floyd Winters will die for this. If it means that Sundrop Gem never deals with Snowcrest Canyon, so be it. My claws jut into the backs of my hands, the pain an important reminder that I cannot kill Floyd now. I have to attend a ridiculous party. A party! But Nessa is here. Nessa, I can handle quickly.
"So?" Nessa says. "What do you think?"
I stand. "I think you are a traitor. A liar. And-"
Her lower lip trembles as I tower over her.
'Punishment is not justice, restoration is,' Tess says to me through the mind-link.
One of Father's favorite quotes. If I follow my heart, call to Cristofer, even kill Nessa myself where she kneels, he would be humiliated. Disappointed. I swallow hard.
"And the fact that you want to be better must always hold meaning," I say through gritted teeth.
Tess exhales sharply. So does Nessa.
"Tell me the rest of the plan." It is as close to restoration as I can come in this moment.
"He's hired another assassin," she babbles. "A local rogue who's already down in the city somewhere. The night before your wedding, he's going to kill your mother and brother in their beds and make it look like Dun's Crossing wants you alone. Dependent on them for support."
Hot fear spikes through me. I grip the back of the couch to keep my feet. Danger surrounds us on all sides. Different pieces of information buffet me, and my mind swirls uselessly.
Candace, her hair half-braided, puts her hand over mine on the couch. "I'm telling Anwen now."
A lighthouse in the storm. I am not alone. Together, we will save what's left of my family.