Chapter 17

As I left Lena's room, my uncertainty over wearing the maid's attire quickly escalated. As much as I enjoyed being dressed as a girl, on top of the fact that my father had already seen me dressed like one, I couldn’t help but fret over him seeing me like this once again. Still, this seemed the best way to keep up the ‘act.’ I needed him to continue to believe this whole strange situation about me wanting to be a maid, no matter how little it made sense. Otherwise, I feared that he’d ground me to the library, my whole plan to get rid of my curse would go up in flames, and I'd have to tell him everything. It was a daunting prospect and one that boded poorly for me.

Not that my plan to find a cure wasn't falling through already. Was I really willing to give it all up for the chance that I could somehow use my curse to save Lena? I barely knew what being a sorceress even meant, much less how to use magic in a way that could actually stop the marriage. The more I thought about it, the sillier the plan felt, but at the same time, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I didn’t do something. I’d stood by this far, letting the engagement go on and Silas have his way, content to be on the sidelines and take for granted that there was nothing that I could do. My gaze hardened. Even if I didn’t know much about the Cursed, I’d find a way to stop this injustice. My best bet was to read more and try to come up with a plan to protect her. And then I’d do whatever it took.

I wouldn't fully embrace being Marked just yet. There was always the chance that I could find another way, not to mention that there was no guarantee that the curse would be of help at all. Her wedding was in two weeks, and I had to be smart about this. This wasn't your typical heroic adventure. The curse would corrupt me, change me into a darker version of who I was, should I accept it. There would likely be no turning back once I began to use it to my benefit, but for Lena, it was worth it.

For now, however, I would search both for a cure and for what ways I could use this curse to help my best friend while hoping the latter wouldn't be necessary.

Sighing, I made my way down the hall of the mansion, feeling rather helpless for the first time in a long while. Turning the corner, I spotted two people ahead of me. Lady Camilla stood facing a man I’d never seen before. His clothes were fancy, appearing so smooth and clean that they seemed to almost shine and reflect the light of the room. It instantly gave him away as someone important, someone that could afford to casually wear fine silken vests and pants, the sort of stuff that even Lena’s family couldn’t obtain.

I stopped in my path, and the man turned his head toward me. He gave me a bright and full smile, putting me into a state of stunned confusion at having been acknowledged at all by someone so obviously above me. Several seconds went by before I remembered that I was supposed to curtsy. I didn’t know who he was, but it was clear that the man was some kind of noble. Was he here to visit Camilla? The idea was strange, but I didn’t have any other explanation. I supposed she had been a noble before becoming Marked, so it wasn’t that outlandish.

Standing back up from my clumsy curtsy, I watched nervously as the two approached me. Hopefully, I wouldn’t say anything to upset the man or do anything that could lead me into trouble. It was probably best if I spoke as little as possible, I thought. There was less chance of messing things up. I looked briefly over to Camilla, noticing that her eyes were somewhat red, more red than usual, anyway. I wondered if she’d been crying or if she was merely tired. After all the excitement from this morning, I couldn’t recall what they’d looked like when I had woken her. Perhaps I’d just missed it?

“My, she is quite pretty, isn’t she? No wonder you were trying to hide her from me, Camilla.” His eyes crinkled as he gave Camilla a teasing glance. Had they been talking about me? His hand reached out, and I grabbed it, anticipating a handshake. Instead, he slowly brought it to his lips as he gave me another smile. I hoped desperately that he wouldn't notice my slip. “The name is Meilir Emver, but please just call me Emver.”

I blushed. “It’s nice to meet you, umm, s-sir Emver?” I had not a clue how I was supposed to address the man. Luckily he didn’t appear offended and instead continued to smile, waiting for me to finish. “I’m Pearl.”

“Praevus, don’t tease the girl,” Camilla said softly.

Her tone felt strangely off somehow. I was about to glance her way when her words finally caught up with me.

I froze.

She’d said ‘Praevus.’ As in, one of the Praevi, the seven great generals of the Empire! My eyes widened as I blatantly stared at the man in front of me, suddenly feeling completely out of my depths. Just a few inches away from me, having just kissed my hand was one of the most important people in the entire empire, second only to the Emperor! And he was here talking to me. I was quite certain that my face had paled.

“Camilla, you spoil-sport. You’ve ruined the surprise!” He gave her a gentle friendly tap on the arm.

My mind was in shock. How did Camilla possibly know such an important man? Were her noble ties that strong?

He turned back to me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, my dear Pearl, and what a treasure you are! Please, don’t let my fancy title intimidate you. I’m just a man like any other.” He waved his hand in the air dismissively. “I do hope we can be on friendly terms. My men and I will be here for several days, I expect. Which means we’ll be in the care of lovely ladies such as yourself. In truth, I’d love to sit down and get to know you at some point soon. It’s always a joy to hear the perspectives of the serving class. I’ve found it quite surprising what a man can learn from them. Assuming that would be fine with you?” He smiled once more, as he released my hand. I brought it to my chest, uncertain of what to do with myself.

“I, umm, alright,” I agreed, having no idea how to respond.

“Excellent!” he exclaimed. “Camilla was just showing me around the mansion here. A lovely little place, though I expect my men will be a bit too much for it. We’ll be putting together something more permanent along the edge of town this evening and tomorrow. Please do feel free to stop by should you need anything from me at all, my dear. I know I can be rather intimidating, but I’d like for you and the other folk here to think of me as someone you can come to for help, should you need it.”

“T-thank you, umm, Praevus.”

He smiled once more and reached out to pat me on the head before seeming to think better of it. It was only after pulling his hand away that I realized what a terrible disaster that would have been.

“Well, it was a pleasure meeting you my dear. Alas, there’s much for me to do, having only just arrived. I do hope you enjoy the rest of your evening off.” He tilted his head in a nod toward me and put his hand gently against Camilla’s shoulder.

“T-thank you, Praevus. Umm, you as well,” I stumbled out, holding back a wince at my clumsy choice of words.

Together they moved around me, followed by four men covered in dark metal that I somehow had not managed to notice standing nearby.

A moment later, I closed my mouth, realizing that I’d had it somewhat agape, and finally began to step forward once more. In a slight daze, I made my way out of the mansion and into the streets of the town, my mind swirling with thoughts.

That really just happened, I thought. I’d just met one of the Praevi. It was something that I had never dreamed would ever actually occur. There were seven Praevi in the Empire, and it was said that each of them had a specialty that defined them. That such a man would come to a small nowhere-town like this seemed absurd. What was going on here that the Empire would send not just a sorceress and bunch of sentinels but even a Praevus? It was a strange and amazing mystery. If I wasn’t so busy trying to solve my own issues, it’d be an amazing adventure on its own, I was certain. It was unfortunate that I had secrets of my own to hide.

The Praevus’s offer of help came back to mind, and I wondered what sort of help he meant. The man seemed quite nice, but that didn’t mean he’d be able to remove my curse, as he’d likely have rules he was supposed to follow in situations like mine. I wasn’t sure what the Empire did in cases where they found Marked which were not created by them, but the thought was certainly scary. Would they take me away to one of those schools that Camilla had mentioned? Still, if there was anyone who might have the power and resources to help me, it would be someone like Praevus Emver. And weren’t the Praevi said to be largely above the law? His offer was certainly something to ponder.

On top of which, it might be possible for him to help Lena as well. Would a man like him care about unhappy engagements and poisonous guys like Silas? The only true way to know would be to ask him. Perhaps what I really needed wasn’t magical power but the right allies.

It seemed too good to be true, but with a bit of luck, he might be the solution to both my problems, I thought. If I dared to bring them up with him.

Thoughts of Lena had another wave of guilt running through me. I’d promised to tell her everything, but had lied instead. I’d tell her eventually, I reasoned. I was just waiting for the right time.

As I passed by the few people who happened to be out and about, reality set in once more, and I couldn’t help but feel my nerves begin to tremble. Was it obvious how different I looked? What were they thinking as they waved and said hello to me? What did they suspect, a curse or that I was intentionally making myself appear more girly? I wasn’t sure which one scared me more.

As I approached the library, a new string of worries filled me, and I began to fret about what my father would think. It’d been several days now since I’d seen him last, along with Camilla telling him that I wanted to be her maid. Just the memory of it made me feel a tad light-headed, not to mention the confusion I still had over his reaction. Had he changed his mind since?

What if he’d wisened up since we’d last talked? What would I do if he told me that I was going to stay at home and drop all this nonsense?

I gulped as I approached the impending library doors, biting my lip hard. Reaching out, I shakily opened it and took a step inside. The library was much the same as always, yet despite it having only been a few days, the generally comforting place felt much more uneasy and tense. My father stood crouched in front of a bookshelf, appearing to be in the middle of reorganizing its contents. He looked up and over to the door. Our eyes met.

Then a smile spread across his face, and I felt a bit of my anxiety slide off of me. Even when I wasn’t sure of the way forward, his smile always seemed to brighten the way.