A Wicked Game [The Crown Saga II] (Under Editing)

House of the Wave

I snorted. "I'm not that bad," I said, chuckling when she displayed her head, her face painted with an unimpressed expression. "Fine, I'll read it." I rolled my eyes and opened the envelope to look at the swirling letters.

Dear suitors.

The second trial is fast approaching, and we need to ensure that you find yourself properly prepared for the royal ball. Therefore, we invite you to the first day of preparations and advise you to wear the outfit provided by your chambermaid.

We hope to see you this Thursday in the Oval Room at noon.

Yours truly,

Evelyn Hirsch.

The corner of my lips tugged upward as I went over Evie's signature again. She and Keagan must've gotten married not that long ago. The new year had barely begun.

The rest of the letter contained a list of duties that would replace our regular schedule until the time of the second trial. Unfortunately, it didn't look like they had assigned much time for days without courses.

"What does it say?" Faye shouted before turning on the water to fill the bathtub.

I sighed, already exhausted from just looking through the list. "Just that it's time for us to prepare for the second trial. Evie mentions a lot of tasks that are supposedly meant to replace our regular schedule, but I'm not sure which course we're supposed to attend today."

I scratched my neck, reading through the tasks again. "You're supposed to be in the Oval room today, right?" Faye asked, joining me in the bedroom again. I nodded. "Then I would suggest you put on your most convenient shoes because you'll be dancing until the sun sets."

My body shivered at the thought of dancing. I'd done nothing else all evening yesterday.

"Not a fan of dancing?" Faye asked when she noticed my tense shoulders.

I snorted, throwing my sheets aside to get out of bed. "I'm not a fan of most things Evie puts us through, but I don't necessarily loathe dancing. I've just done it a lot the past few months, and it's not like I love it either," I explained, massaging my sore neck as I placed the heated soles of my feet against the cool tiles.

Faye chuckled as she took the box with the clothes from me. "I didn't know you cared for the traditional royal dances," she said while I dragged my feckless body after her into the bathroom.

I inhaled the calming bath scents, feeling my muscles relax a bit more. "I don't," I said, submerging my hand in the steaming waters. "The dances I'm practicing have little to do with royalty. They're a bit crueler to the human body and require far more precise control, or punishment will befall upon the unfortunate soul."

Faye unintentionally released a surprised gasp when I dropped my robe to sink my bruised body into the soothing bath. "Y-you don't say," she stuttered, her eyes studying my arms and back.

I sighed, leaning back to enjoy the heat. "Don't look at me like that," I said, closing my heavy eyes. "There weren't any healers available when Master Arthur finally released me yesterday. Besides, these are only superficial bruises. They may look violent, but my muscles feel worse than my skin looks."

I inhaled sharply through my clenched teeth when a mass of icy water poured over me, drenching my hair and making me tense my aching muscles.

"Normally, I would chide you until you volunteered to seek the healers, but because you wanted to sleep the entire morning, we have no time," she said, her face pulled into a scary grimace that made me want to flee her eerie aura. "So, you better pray that Miss Evelyn can find it in her squeamish heart to forgive you, or we'll both feel the wrath of her omniscient claw."