Finally, I ask the question that troubles me. “Why did you come to my village?”
He stops eating and sets his bowl on his lap. “I came because I was on a mission. I’d graduated from Foxhall Academy, and father wanted me to get out of the White City for a while. The recent accident with my legs re- quired time to heal out of the public eye.”
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I’ve heard of Foxhall Military Academy many times. It is where all the major military leaders, spies, and soldiers loyal to the Mersiovskys go.
“Coming to my house was random?”
He nods. “I wanted to be out of the media’s sight. Com- ing here was perfect.”
It is true that nothing media worthy has happened here in a decade or more.
Some time later, the squeaky hinges of the front door alert me my parents are home. A second later they enter and spot us.
My mother sweeps her hands in front and clasps them tight. “Your Highness!”
My stepsisters follow seconds behind her along with my stepfather.
“We didn’t know where you went, Natalia! I thought you’d gone to bed early and disrespected the Royals. I didn’t realize His Majesty requested you,” my mother says.
I stand. “I got cold and tired of the crowd. He walked me home.”
My mother smiles so wide one might have thought I’d told her I’d slept with the prince and she could expect a Royal grandchild any day now.
I roll my eyes and glance at the clock. We’ve been talk- ing for two hours.
Two hours?
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“I will take my leave until the morning.” Dmitri rises and picks his coat off the floor. “My father wishes to leave early in the morning. It is good to be back and see all of you again.”
It doesn’t take him long to shuffle out the door.
“I assume the reunion of you and Prince Orion went well?” my mother asks the moment he’s gone.
“Yes.”
“I can’t wait to tell Mrs. Garret and Mrs. Ishten about it when I see them in the market tomorrow. Imagine, what if Prince Orion is interested in you? He spent a great deal of time with you when he lived with us.”
I wave her off. “Mama, not now. It's late-” “We could rise to Firsts,” she continues.
“He’s not interested! We were talking! He wants to know the stupid vagrant his parents are bringing into the palace!” I shout. Enough of my mother telling me what she wants my future to be. At least enough for tonight.
“You're not a vagrant-” Mama begins.
“I was born less! You remind me of our status every day.”
I go to my room and lock the door behind me. I need to be alone to process everything.
Once in bed, tears surface.
It’s been a day full of the impossible. Everyone has placed their trust in me, and I fear I will fail them. I’m not strong like they want to believe.
{ 10 }
Chapter 10
hree Days Later :
THE PALACE DOORS OPEN almost as soon as the carriage halts. A servant in a white coat and uniform places a step down for us as another servant holds out a hand to help us down.
It’s taken three days to reach the capital. We’ve taken carriages most of the way, once grabbing a train to cover more land. The mindless staring out the window gave me far too much time to remember the pain and tears from the morning of our departure. I held each of my family members close in my arms, but no time seemed enough.
My feet barely hit the ground before ladies surround me. A woman in a white gown trimmed with gold makes her way through the group. The other women make a path for her. She is beautiful, with raven hair curling down past her waist and a thick golden veil concealing her
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face. Only her eyes are visible through a sliver of the veil, the slit starting at her eyebrows and stopping at the top of her nose. The massive, half-circle crown upon her brow signifies her as the Empress.
She eyes me from head to toe, her eyes narrowing. “My son spoke highly of you. I expected...not you. You look like my kitchen maid. Your maid will have her work in plenty for the next few weeks.”
I try to step back, but the carriage is behind me. Her bluntness is shocking. I have heard she is kind, at least compared to her husband. What have I done to offend her?
I open my mouth to reply, but I do not know what to say. I clamp my lips shut as she turns away.
“Come along. Georgianna is waiting. She shall take you to your room,” she says.
I hesitate, but an arm slips around mine as Dmitri slides into the corner of my vision. I almost jump from nerves and the sounds of cameras flashing outside the gate.
“You look surprised. I know it is much to take in,” he says.
I glance up at the imposing structure, putting his mother’s comment behind me. There is no need to already create dissonance between the Empress and me.
The palace stands twenty stories tall with numerous steeples surrounding half a dozen smaller domes. It’s made from white stone and decorated with gems and gold.
City of Deception
“It’s amazing,” I remark.
He leads me up the stairs and into a large hall filled with marble statues. Everyone moves so quickly when I would prefer to stop and take in the sights.
A woman in a lacy, white dress steps forward. She wears a black and gold apron over her dress, and her hair is tied back in a tight bun. She folds her hands in front as she sinks into a curtsy. “Good evening, miss. You must be Miss Alkaev?”
I nod.
“I’m Georgianna, your maid while you stay here. If you come with me, I will take you to your room.”
I swallow as my throat tightens. Sweat covers my palms, and I grip Dmitri's arm tight. I must let go of him eventually.
“I’ll see you this evening. Alright?” Dmitri says. “Take good care of Natalia, Georgianna.”
The maid clasps my arm and with a large grin says “Of course, Your Highness. I shall have her dressed as a prin- cess soon.”
She leads me away as the fear sinks deeper into my stomach. When we reach a set of stairs and begin to as- cend, she asks “Are you well? You look quite pale. I can fetch you a hot drink that my mother believes can heal almost any ill.”
“I’m fine.”
A horrifying silence settles, and I don’t know how to fill the void. She smiles a few minutes later as we stop at,
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if I counted correctly, the seventh floor. Taking the stairs every time will kill me. Already my chest tightens.
“Have the jitters?” she asks. “The what?”
“Anxiety, miss. It’s easy to feel misplaced if you are new here. Goodness knows there are days I wonder why I am here and not in my little cottage back home.” She blushes. “If I become too free with my tongue, please do say. I don't wish to insult you. I know I shouldn’t speak to you so since you are now a First, but I thought...I thought perhaps I might relate a little to a Third in a First’s posi- tion.”
“Please speak. The silence gives me too much time to contemplate the changing world around me.”
We leave the stairs and turn down a hall adorned with Royal portraits. The paintings go back almost eight gen- erations. Counting them distracts me and calms my nerves.
Georgianna stops and pulls out a bronze key. “This will be your room, miss. It hasn’t been used in a while, so the Royals did it up for you. However, the Empress said you might tell me how you wish it decorated and she shall see it renovated to your liking.”
I glance around the room as we enter. The room is much larger than my house, the massive bedchamber be- fore us decorated in gold, silver, and white. A walk-in closet takes up half of the wall to the left of the bed. A dresser and mirror sit several feet from the closet. On the
City of Deception
right, directly across from the closet, is a door leading off to a bathroom and dressing room. A circular window al- lows the sun
shine to radiate throughout the chamber, making the room naturally warm. There’s also a table and four chairs for dining in purposes.
Strolling towards the bed, I sit down on the edge im- agining what it will be like to live here for the length of my mission. The blanket is wonderfully soft and fluffy, my fingers involuntarily diving deeper into it to enjoy this luxury. Back home, the blankets are far too thin and worn to be this soft.
The mattress makes me want to go to bed now. It’s like sleeping on air, and my butt, sore from the hours of trav- eling by carriage, savors the mattress.
Georgianna walks over to me. “The bed has four switches on the left side. Each is marked, but the red one is for adjusting the position in case you wish to sit up in bed. The yellow is for massages.”
“Massages?”
“Yes, it will vibrate and move to massage your back and shoulders. The brown button with the little computer screen above it is for setting the temperature of the mat- tress. If cold, turn it up, if not, down. The last, the blue, is for emergencies. Press it, and guards will come immedi- ately. Please use it if it really is an emergency. The guards don’t like being called in for a hoax.”
“Is everything in here that complicated?” Who needs so many settings on a mattress?
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She smiles. “A great deal of it. Only the finest is al- lowed in the White City.”
“This room is plenty. Please leave it as is.”
“If you wish, miss. A man will bring up your luggage soon, but I suspect you shall wear nothing that you brought with you. The dress you wear now is beautiful for a Third, but rags to a First. Also, a guard should accom- pany you from now on and will always be posted outside your door. In the meantime, I shall run you a bath and prepare you for tomorrow. The Empress sent word earlier that your dinner will be sent up tonight, but you must join them for breakfast tomorrow. She suggested you spend the evening settling in.”
From her cold personality, I suspect she did not send my dinner up out of kindness, but rather to keep me out of her sight.
“Your tutors will arrive tomorrow, and you will meet them in the library. The tutors can prepare you for your new life in the city. Before that, Dr. Mercier will visit you again with paperwork you need to fill out. I will take you to them when the time comes and show you where things are in the palace. For now, come with me, miss,” she con- tinues, the first hint of an accent surfacing. Her family must be from the other side of the planet or Ronyne, the planet next to this one.
When we enter the dressing room and bathroom, she flips a metal lever on the wall. Lights flash, revealing a bathtub surrounded by silk curtains that can be pulled out
City of Deception
in front for privacy. The most intricate sink I have ever seen sits in the corner. Twisted bronze wraps around the porcelain bowl and mirror, and statues of nature and peo- ple rest on the corners forged into the bronze. An entire world, including miniature hills and streams, is etched in the sink. I touch the handles and gasp.
The statues move. The people reach down and hoist jugs at their feet, dipping them deep into the imaginary streams that fill with water and run into the bowl. When the jugs are full, they pour the water down into the basin and start the process over again. Dogs run around their feet barking, though the only sound from their mouths is squeaking gears. I shut it off, and the creatures return to their original positions and the water ceases.
“What is this?” I ask.
“It’s magic,” Georgianna teases. “If you find that amaz- ing, you should meet your maids.”
She flips another lever, and three metal humanoids ap- pear. They have porcelain hands and faces, with rosy cheeks and painted features. Wigs have been attached to their heads, and dresses put on them. They don’t scare me, but I keep several feet between the machines and me. “I will help you undress, and the automatons will aid
you during your bath,” Georgianna says. “I don’t need help.”
Georgianna rolls her eyes. “You’re a Royal now, or as good as one. Enjoy the luxury. It will not last.”
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s
An hour later I emerge from my bath and am handed a plush robe by an automaton, its foreign face staring at me. They make me a little uneasy, but by far, it is better than having a real human watching me bathe. Georgianna told me that it is a tradition that the lady-in-waiting assists the female Royals, but with the invention of automatons, ladies-in-waiting have become more of dressing assistants and dress makers.
At first, I did not understand assistance in a bath, but once I climbed into the deep, long tub, I understood how difficult it was to reach the soap on the opposite ledge of the tub or even to turn the tap on to add water. Besides, it was relaxing to lay my head back in the automaton’s hands as it worked through my tangled hair and scrubbed my scalp with sweet-smelling shampoo. The machines are voice controlled, so I can command them as I please.
“Your dinner was brought up,” Georgianna says. “Do you wish to eat and go to bed, or stay up and explore?”
“Explore,” I say without hesitation. It is my job to spy. Once I have eaten and dressed, as my closet is stocked with outfits, Georgianna walks me through the palace pointing out important rooms. She shows me where I will go to meet my tutors and the hall leading to the Emperor and Empress’s courters. I am not living in the same sec- tion of the palace as them, but I don’t mind. I feel more at
City of Deception
home not next door to the Emperor. I am however in the same hall as the princes and some of the Royal guests.
There’s one room I can’t enter other than private, royal bedchambers. I can’t enter the throne room under any circumstance. The Royals allow few to enter, and I don’t know why.
She leads me through great ballrooms with diamond- studded walls and marble floors, great rooms many stories tall with glass ceilings, and past rooms furnished in rich silks, gold, metal, and all manner of gems. All the halls are held up by marble pillars or steel. It’s as if riches melt from within the core of the palace. How can one family hold so much wealth?
There’re also pools, fountains, and a two-story green- house. Living quarters for servants and kitchens consume less than a fourth of the palace’s space. What do the Mer- siovskys do with the rest?
After we walk awhile, I recall the third and youngest prince. “Why haven’t I met Prince Kir?” I wonder why I haven’t been introduced. I’ve already met the other Roy- als.
“He is with his uncle visiting Ronyne.”
I cannot help but voice my curiosity. “What does Dmitri, excuse me, Orion, do when he is here? I ask be- cause he is the closest I have to a friend in the palace.”
“If you wish to win favor, do not call Dmitri a friend.” “Why?”
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“The walls listen, miss, and while His Royal Highness Prince Orion has many friends, he has strong enemies. If you wish to thrive in this city, you are neither a friend nor enemy of the Mersiovskys. For instance, I would give my life to serve them as I do, but neither would I trust my family near them. It is a strange contradiction, but many Firsts and servants play such a game to win power.”
“Dmitri is respected though?”
She halts and leans near. In a hushed voice, she says, “Already you know how the people truly feel about the Mersiovskys. You are a Third and know the public’s true view. But, if you value your life, you shall praise the Royals and never criticize their choices. They are our sovereigns and shall take your life if provoked. If you learn nothing else while here learn to obey all commands. Please, miss, heed my words.”
“I will take your words to heart, but please don’t call me ‘miss.’ Until a few short days ago, you were above me.” She smiles. “If you allow, mis- Natalia, I think we shall suit each other well and soon be friends. I can always be a
listening ear.”
Let her be my listening ear, for I have many secrets, but none I shall share.
> { 11 }
Chapter 11
HE FIRST FEW DAYS ARE DIFFICULT.
During the first two days, there are visits from Mercier and several seamstresses.
Mercier comes with pages of paperwork to fill out all relating to my health, and I blush as I fill in the bubbles to the yes or no questions. I wonder why the Royals need so much information, but guess, as Mercier mentioned earlier, they fear I carry sickness because of my class. The Royals chose me somewhat at random, and now they want to know what they ended up with.
There’re shots to be had and blood taken for further test- ing. It’s quite painless, but my heart beats madly, fear crawling into the irrational part of my mind.
Mercier is patient and explains what each is for, but his smile is sickeningly sweet. Ever nerve in my body screams for escape from his gaze.
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Eventually, he holds up the last shot. “While here, you are required to have this shot every six months. The Empress demands all unmarried women in the palace have it.”
I narrow my eyes as he prepares the needle. “What
is it?”
“It’s a way to ensure no mistakes or scandals oc-
cur. Too many women would claim to carry a child of one of the princes without it. Of course, their claims would be false. Imposing birth control eliminates the problem.”
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