Luminescent (Inheritance Cycle and Beyond)

Chapter Thirty-Four: Radiant

"Her beauty is unrivaled, and her father is the advisor to the King. I can hardly compete." Tolme told me.

"Well, that is your problem," I said, raising an eyebrow. "You are a rabbit trying to compete among hyena's."

"What are hyenas?" Tolme asked in confusion.

"The bitches of the desert," I muttered before shaking my head. "It matters not what they are, but what you need to become."

"What I become?" Tolme asked. I nodded at her before taking her arm once again and started walking towards my room. Lydia and Frida were doing idle work in my room when Tolme and I entered.

"Your highness," Frida and Lydia acknowledged.

"I am in need of your help," I announced pulling Tolme over to my vanity and making her sit in the chair. Sitting in front of my vanity, Tolme stare at her face as my handmaids hurried over.

"Tolme, I won't help you unless you want me to," I told her, looking at her through the mirror. She twisted her hands together in her lap, pursing her lips.

"I want to be noticed," She finally murmured before straitening her back. "I want to be noticed, and I want to be out of Yilba's shadow."

My lips formed a smile before I tugged at the pin holding her hair up.

"First things first," I said as her muted red hair came undone. "why do you hide your red hair?"

"Yilba said that I look like an overripe tomato," Tolme replied, dipping her head. "I started putting in a potion to make my hair look browner."

"The first thing I want you to do," I started, staring into Tolme's blue eyes. "stop listening to what Yilba tells you."

Tolme nodded at me as Frida came over with a bottle in her hand.

"This should remove any hair potion." I grabbed one of the towels that sat next to the vanity and threw it over the mirror.

"Next time you see yourself, Tolme, I hope you realize that you don't need lip paint and blush to look beautiful."

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Lydia and Frida were currently working on Tolme as they had on me the night of the ball, at my insistence. Once they had removed the browning potion, Tolme's beautiful, rich hair shone brightly under the lights of my room.

Frida brushed Tolme's mane out until it lay flat against her back before she put it in a simple braid, letting a few strands of hair down to frame her heart-shaped face.

"So, let me get this straight," I said, tapping my chin with a hand fan. "You fell in love with your brother's best friend, and you are terrified that he doesn't like you back..."

"Basically," Tolme sighed. "It has to be the most cliché plot ever, but I really do love him. He has always said and does the kindest things and his smile, oh his smile can melt a thousand suns."

"How long have you been pining for him?" I asked.

"I am not pining for him!" Tolme burst out as I raised an eyebrow. "I just, I don't know what to do with myself."

"Which leads us to the crux of this situation," I commented. "Yilba always has to be center of attention."

"Yes," Tolme sighed as Frida pulled away.