Homodaiga!
Her hand grasped mine tightly. I could feel the small quivers through our interlocked fingers. I didn't mind. The smell of water lily cluttered the faintly humid summer air. It was bright and a bit hot in the royal garden. Still we stood there together. I glanced over at her quietly without really turning my head.
It was like looking at myself. A little weird. But I was still too young to freak over it. No, at the time it was a convenience to us. We were like twins. The only difference was Esrellia was a girl and looked rightfully so in her dollishly pretty white and green sundress with an expensive, white silk ribbon in her cascade of mahogany hair. Her small, fully, sweetly pink lips were pursed with aggravation. Those royal blue eyes stern and cold with temper as she kept her gaze locked forward ahead of us into the garden depths. Even so young I recognized beauty, and Esrellia was the personification of the word.
She was also the crown princess. While I was…
"Reith?"
I snapped my eyes away from her the second I saw her face turning towards me and felt the soft cling of her fingers tighten. "What is it?"
"I don't want to do this. They'll take me away from you."
If I were older as I would soon be, I would have thought it inappropriate to laugh at her as I did. But at the time we were just best friends. There was no "master-servant" title to bind that friendship. We were children. "It's okay," I told her quietly, confidently, "if they try that we'll do what we always do. We'll trade places. They'll never know the difference and you'll be safe."
She squeezed my hand and looked forward again with a little more bravery. "Okay."
I smiled. We'll just trade places. I'll keep you safe.
It was our defense. Our beautiful faces that looked so much alike. But I was just a kid when I made that promise. I was just a servant. I should have known better. I mean a regular servant…
Can't save the princess.
END PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE Princess & The Pauper
REITH
I blanched. What the hell sort of trick was this?! It took all my willpower not to interrupt.
"You are aware that from this point forward you will be considered the contract to the throne. Whosoever among the heirs possesses you by the time I am forced to resign will be the next to the throne."
I gritted my teeth and dropped my head down. How…how could they do this to her? A bit ahead of me Esrellia stood diligently before her father—the king of our land without expression for me to see as I stood my rightful ground behind her right elbow—a servant in waiting. Why now of all times?! Nothing had been spoken about the scandalous birth of three new princes to the king four years ago. And since each had been born to a different mother, remarkably at almost the same time, it was nearly impossible to fairly decide which was the rightful heir to the throne. Though Esrellia was three at the time of the princes' birth she was female and not legally able to take the throne if a male was born before the king died.
Utter bullshit to me. My jaw was beginning to cramp. Young though I was, stupid I was not. This was ludicrous. Even as the eight-year-old I was I could easily see that!
My grief wasn't noticed. The king's gaze was sympathetic upon his quiet daughter. "Your brothers will be raised to different kingdoms nearby. But they will seek your favor and possession. You are free to choose which you will allow to succeed the throne, Esrellia. I am not so cruel as to leave you as bait to your younger counterparts. But understand that this is the only fair way to choose my next heir."
I watched her dark head slur downward with the curtsey I'd helped her practice this month—she was such a tomboy after all these years of my influence. I almost had to laugh at how determined she'd been when she'd asked me to help her practice everyday in the gardens. Now it broke my heart to watch her use our hard work together only to submit herself to this humiliating role!
"Yes, father. I will do my best."
I bit my bottom lip and glanced away. This was so stupid. Why did she have to do something like this for them? Because her idiot father had made a mistake she was being turned into a pawn?! Stupid. This was so stupid!!
She was turning to face me, lips tight in a secret expression of annoyance only I would notice. She was still my Esrellia. As trained I turned with her to escort her out of the chamber, careful not to expose out close friendship by walking close enough to touch her the way I felt I needed to. Before the eyes of the royal family and guard we were just the princess and some random, faceless servant by her side.
"Esrellia."
I flinched as the king's curt tone addressed her retreating back. She stopped. I did the same, stilling several uncomfortably far feet from her. "Yes, father?"
There is nothing to describe the feel of a powerful king's piercing stare upon your defenseless back. But I felt his on mind then. "Your Tenant…has uncanny resemblance to you, daughter."
A chill pressed against my flesh beneath the protective barrier of my plain, ivory and emerald servant's tunic and slacks.
Tension identical to mine taunted Esrellia's already perfectly straight back. "A mere convenience," I heard her murmur flatly. A flare of brilliant blue flickered over her narrow shoulder back towards the throne and its occupant with a smile I recognized as furious. "Incase I fall under attack. I am…your precious daughter after all."
Before the king was permitted to respond, we left.
She moved quickly at first. I knew no one would be able to read her temper as I could. There wasn't a second that we were not together. I knew more about Esrellia that her own father. And she knew more about me than anyone. There is beauty in every rage I think. But watching Esrellia's storming fury as we made our way through the palace corridors, I figured that only her rage was truly lovely. T was the way her fashionable day robes in the kingdom's sweet green and pure white fluttered and swirled about her bare legs and sandaled feet. The way her beautifully knotted and curled hair caught the morning sunlight and turned itself a rich, honeysweet brownish-red. Even the way her light perfume floated and fanned back towards me in the air.
When at last we had cleared the presence of everyone else in the corridors she dared to slow and fall back to my side, catching my hand almost desperately. The action was so natural to us by now our fingers locked without the fumble of unfamiliarity.
"How dare they do this to me?!" she began venting powerfully.
I smiled sidelong at her. Even so young she carried the air of a truly powerful and educated lady. "It is stupid," I submitted steering her through the familiar twirl of halls down a set of twined marble steps into an open courtyard.
She didn't mind the detour. We both knew that Househands occupied our usual route to the garden at this hour with daily morning rites of cleaning. Gossip would spread if we were caught looking so comfortable together.
"I will not allow this! I cannot become a stoic Daiga for the sake of my father's mistakes!"
I had no idea what "stoic" meant but said nothing to remind her that my education was not the equal to hers. Instead I followed the mod of her tone.
Our pace slowed casually. The open area was in plain view of the main house—the original throne room now used as residence for my kind…the servants. Otherwise we were safe as we were. I sighed and looked up towards the cerulean sky. If only everything were as simple and clean as that.
She stopped.
Returning to Earth I looked at her. "Esrellia…?"
She truly did share my appearance. In the future it would either be our curse or blessing. But for the time it was just something to notice her blue eyes caught and held mine. "Reith, if is ask you to help me in the near future, will you?"
I chuckled and turned to fully face her taking both her hands in my slightly larger set. We were the same height, surprisingly. We shared the same features, identical gaze, and perfectly matched skin tone. But her hair was darker by half a shade. Her lips barely fuller than mine. Hers was a throat slightly more slender. The differences were so minute you had to be us to know and notice each one.
"Reith?"
"What is it?"
"Promise me something."
A quiet breeze fluttered our hair and stole away our voices. But in that time—that split second, I made her a promise. It might have been strange then to see us. A crown princess and a simple Househand in the courtyard. Best friends. But that's what we were.
CHAPTER ONE
"Reith!"
I rolled over onto my back and snarled my disapproval. "Who the hell wakes people up at this ho—?"
Lucid green eyes blazed into my skull from a deceptively kind-looking face. I blinked once…twice… Let's see; ink black hair, unfriendly scowl, and sun-kissed skin with a light dusting of flour on the throat…
"Alazay…?"
A responding bark of barely heard orders confirmed my guess with unappreciated volume. "You lazy ass—you overslept, get up! I need you on floor chores and then help me in the kitchen. The staff are being over-worked tonight since the princes are coming."
I droned and rolled back over onto my stomach—the way I preferred to sleep. "No way. I was assigned to stable shift today and promised two extra hours of sleep." What about princes? I pushed the thought from my mind.
Absently I acknowledged the telltale clatters of Alazay's no doubt devious doings as he rushed about my small room muttering his usual spring of morning obscenities. I barely noticed. Five years of living with the guy did that for you. An extra six made you immune to water wake up calls.
"Reith! Move your ass—I'm serious!"
I mumbled curses into my pillow. "Al," I croaked waiting for a pause in the clatters before continuing. "c'mere."
Obedient by nature my best friend and companion of eleven long years moved sluggishly over to sit at my bedside. "Wha—"
A sly arm hooked about his waist I dragged my reluctant but cooperative captive down into the sheets with me and burrowed my face in the heated clutter of his flour splattered, sweetly foody smelling shirt at the side. Against my nose I felt him draw an exasperated breath no doubt in response to my laziness.
"Reith," he began.
I smirked. "Now isn't staying in bed better than rummaging around baking and scrubbing for snobs?"
He sighed again, slower this time to my delight. Deep down Alazay was just as much a procrastinator as I was. "You're like an evil, unemployed-hopeful disease."
I chuckled, my laughter smothered into his side. "Just as you raised me to be," I countered pulling him further into the bed as he kicked off his shoes of his own free will.
"This is ridiculous," he was complaining, "Why do I always indulge you? Why do I know you?! You'll end up getting us both fired."
Blame it on my tryst of daily selective hearing in the morning but I ignored him. "What were you saying about princes?" plural right? He'd said more than one. Which meant…
"Well the king is reaching the end of his reign. A new heir must be selected from the three princes now."
I frowned and lifted my head to instead place my chin on his side. "They're eighteen by now—the legal age to take the throne solo." Since I was twenty-two and the crown princess twenty-one. It was difficult to believe how much time had passed since…
Alazay yawned and drew his long legs up onto the bed, stretching out like the cat he always reminded me of. "That's right. I hear since birth they've been raised in different kingdoms for one reason or another. Probably a dispute among the many mothers they belong to. Sadly, no one seems to know much about them here in Restold. Even the Daiga Esrellia is oblivious to their personal qualities."
I flinched. I hated that word. Daiga. It meant "contract". Even though our bonds had weakened with our separate roles in the royal family, Esrellia was still very dear to me and it hurt to hear her referred to as a contract and nothing more. I sighed and passed off my flare of irritation as a response to being woken up too early.
"Reith?"
I droned.
Beneath me Alazay squirmed a little. "You're heavy. Move to your side of the bed already."
I blinked. Oh, yeah. Slowly I withdrew to a respectable distance. Our relationship was so comfortable I guess I was used to this sort of contact with him. I frowned. Now that I thought about it I honestly didn't have words to define m relationship with Alazay, did I?
I heard the older male yawn, finally physical proof that he was just as lazy as I was. I couldn't help but smirk. "Alright, ten minutes and then it's back to work."
I shrugged knowing he couldn't see. "Whatever you say, boss."
We both knew we'd extend the time by another twenty minutes.
"Evil, unemployed-hopeful disease."
CHAPTER ONE
Haste spread through the Palace as quickly as a barn fire might have. Night had at last descended. In the grand garden a lavish setting had been prepared for a party of three and two. Three finely crafted silver twine chairs rested on the Garden's white marble platform to the right of the newly relocated master's table. I scowled at the massive thing remembering how long it had taken nearly half the servant's population to move the damned thing.
Behind me the maids were finishing most of the finery plates and utensils for the table. Their gossip was amusing—the only reason I was still standing by them as I oversaw the outdoor lighting arrangements.
"—all of them will be here tonight. One from Galvesi and two from the Deporal castle in the east."
I shifted uncomfortably. Three unknown guests of royal descent? Something about this whole idea was turning my nerves. Rumors had began to circulate through the servant's quarters amount each prince. Of course I was reluctant to participate. Getting involved with royalty never ended well.
"Lydis is the cuter of the three I hear. A powerful man but too reserved to be taken with women."
I sniffed. Or gay. Absently I shouted orders for one of the thin shafted candle lanterns to be placed closer to the table. It had been a special request from the king for the dinner to be held in the lily garden which blossomed only by moonlight. Even now the sweetly temping aroma was intoxicating.
A giggle drew my attention back to my eavesdropping.
"Unlike M'lord Cain. He is the talk of his kingdom! They say his are the eyes of M'lady Dedia."
Esrellia's mother…that bothered me. From the corner of my eye I caught the smooth advance of a clearly stressed Alazay. As he drew closer I forced myself to turn my head away, not wishing to offend or further sour his mood with the leer I felt creeping over my lips at the sight of his disheveled emerald tunic and too-long ivory slacks.
"—and then there's Calin…"
What? I tried to focus on the final tidbits of the gossip but failed as the heady scent of amber and soft herbs floated to me. Secretly I cursed Alazay for smelling so damned nice.
My best friend's expression was bleak. "The women can't stop squealing over our arriving guests from the neighboring kingdoms," he snapped I low tones.
It amused me to no end to see someone so normally peaceful ruffles over common gossip. "Personally I don't care for any of them," I submitted with pangs of my own annoyance. "My only worry is Esrellia."
Did he flinch?
His serene green gaze flickered away from me. "Of course it is."
I opened my mouth only to be cut off.
"Reith, how long are you going to wait hand and foot on that woman? It's obvious she only consorts with you directly because you're the perfect scapegoat for her with that face of yours!"
That's not true…I didn't tell him so though why I don't know. Somehow I just felt like I didn't need to respond. It's not like I was confirming or denying anything. I...just…
Alazay had resumed directing the lower grade staff in the organization of the outdoor settings. Music had already begun in a quiet practice. The smooth melody was familiar and light. And being in the garden at this hour reminded me of ancient memories when I'd been childishly gullible and innocent to the workings of the royal line. I gritted my teeth, a little bitter with the thoughts.
"It's likely," I muttered mostly to myself, not even aware I was speaking loud enough for Alazay to hear, "that tonight will be the last time I'll ever see Esrellia again…since she'll be treated like just a Daiga to the throne."
I didn't notice it then, but mirrored, expressionlessly dim green eyes studied my in silence over the elegant shoulder of my best friend and soon my only companion.
Still, I was lost to myself; thinking only of her.
END CHAPTER ONE