CHAPTER 23 Silk Was My Guilty Pleasure

Henrietta

Practically the first thing I did in Thistlecrick was stab the Lamia chief's son in the throat.

He was wearing a gorget, so I wouldn't have crushed his windpipe even if my perfect execution of a sword thrust had failed … probably.

Honestly, Marik was a good Warrior. His spearmanship was excellent, and he didn't have to worry about poor foot work because, well …

Ahem, anyway, he deserved it.

After the naga delegation had been brought out by the guard, I'd introduced myself again and offered up my basket.

That was when one naga from Clan Lamia had immediately shoved to the front of the procession and accosted me.

Marik was a buff fighter covered in head protection, muscles, and nothing else. His scaled snake lower body had lifted him up to loom over me in a rather amusing attempt at intimidation.

He'd been so passionate with his, "They say you're a Sword Master, so prove it!" that I'd been startled, and a single loaf of bread had fallen out of my basket. Only my high reflexes had saved it from certain dusty doom. However, it had gotten an indent in the crust where I'd grabbed it, and I was embarrassed that one of the three ruling families would have less-than-perfect bread.

So now we were having a friendly spar, and I definitely wasn't taking it out on him.

"I concede," Marik said from where he lay curled on the floor. Or that's what I imagine he tried to say while choking violently from the force of my [Force Thrust]. He may have been suffering from a few cracked ribs, too, but he was a fighter—he'd be fiiiine.

"I apologize for my son." Elder Clarissa of Clan Lamia thumped a fist to her heart as a sign of respect. "And thank the princess for taking the time to show him some pointers." The older woman had the same dark features of her boy, but her eyes shone with golden slits where Marik's were a deep brown. Two naga soldiers from Clan Lamia helped him up and took him away.

I knew who they were because each of the clans had different heraldry. Clan Lamia was an eye inside an oval egg, Clan Melusine had a twin-tail serpent like an upside-down heart, and Clan Kidna was a serpent head and fang with a single drop of venom.

I shrugged. "Anytime. King Keith let me know that you love to battle. I just wasn't expecting to be asked so soon."

"It won't happen again." The other clan leaders looked at Clarissa, who kept a calm face under the scrutiny.

"Thank you again for the gift, Princess," Elder Vance Kidna offered, presumably to move things along. "May we escort you? My daughter Mera would be honored to show you the hot springs."

Elder Draken Melusine cut in, waving a hand at a young naga teen wearing a beautiful silk vest trimmed with embroidered snakes. "And our Planta would be honored to show you around the town."

"That sounds lovely," I said, smiling at Planta. Quite a few of the naga were wearing silk, actually. Thistlecrick was right beside the arachnid dwellings, and most people didn't realize that spiderkin silk passed through here first. I knew; silk was my guilty pleasure. "Is it alright if I visit the town, then swing by the practice ring? I would love to work up a sweat before visiting the hot springs."

The Elders agreed, Clarissa looking relieved, and I set off with Planta. The young woman was very fiery in a way I'd never experienced before. "Princess, this haut pink is a wonder on you, and the cut accentuates your hips. You simply must buy it." Planta slithered around me, trying fabric and dresses up against me. We were at a small boutique in a sprawling merchant quarter carved into a cliffside. "I've heard that Grand Duchess Calisto ordered her niece a tea gown in this exact color. And Their Royal Highness of Peldeep imported a wagon load of this exact fabric from my clan for their newly renovated Rose Parlor. Can you imagine what it must look like?"

I really couldn't. It was a very … exciting shade of pink. Not that I had time to respond.

"Oh my, I just have to show you the accessories designed for this green day gown. They make you look like a woodland nymph! My cousin Sheila handcrafted the gold. It's real dwarven mined, too. We raided an illegal gnome transport vessel from the kingdom of Baldorin trying to cut through the Dark Enchanted Forest last fall, and now we have more gold than we can deal with even after the king's tax."

I will just say that the hour and a half I spent with Planta was more informative, more exhausting, and just more than any other social experience in my life. I came out of it with a surprising two full trunks of new dresses, stunning embossed leather greaves, a parasol, four pairs of shoes—alright, the black leather boots with silver vine threading made my heart happy—and a small chest of matching jewelry.

My wallet was a bit lighter, but honestly, I had been an active adventurer conquering dungeons for the past ten years, and I had the money to spend. My enchanted Valaria-issued Sales and Accounts card from the continental treasury of the Valaria Moniers Guild let me know that I could spend some more time with Planta and not worry too much.

While checking my purchases, I noticed something on my account that I had not accounted to find.

[February 5-15, Pre-Authorized Deposit of 20 Gold from the Kingdom of Nilheim.]

[February 15-30, Pre-Authorized Deposit of 30 Gold from the Kingdom of Nilheim.]

Keith was paying me? A wage? And how had he gotten an authorized signature? It must have been the laboratory aid contract! He'd been paying me for the test subject work, and at two gold a day.

Huh. So much for my [Bureaucracy] skill. It was embarrassing to realize I had overlooked it until now. I'd just assumed that my work over the last month had been without pay.

Sithli and Chikli were right: I needed to respect myself better.

"I'll have your clothes sent on to the castle, Princess." Planta smiled and tossed her long purple hair over her shoulder with flair, looking every bit the confident woman I'd come to admire. "But this is a special gift from me."

Planta opened one of the boxes and brought out a tight-fitting cotton swimsuit with a slight ruffle at the hip and matching white slippers. The second was a long purple silk bathrobe to wear over it all.

"Oh my goodness, Planta! You didn't?!" I reached out and caressed the silk robe.

Usually, silk was a terrible choice to wear while you were damp. The fabric was clingy and didn't absorb a lot of water. It quickly got wet, cold, and generally unpleasant. But this wasn't regular silk; this was high-grade arachnid silk from last season's weave. It was strong, waterproof, and easily regulated body heat. "It's beautiful … Thank you."

I suddenly wanted to cry. No one had ever given me such a wonderful, thoughtful, perfect gift before. I was moved.

"No, thank you," Planta said, blushing slightly. "For not killing Marik after he was so rude this morning. He's not usually that bad, but he does take being the strongest very personally …"

I see. I reached up slightly and lightly patted the girl on the shoulder. "No worries. I have no intention of killing anyone."

Planta put her hand on mine and smiled. "Then why don't I drop you off at the martial plateau? Don't worry about this." She waved at the trunks. "We'll handle everything."

"I'm ready!"