Chapter 33

Chapter 33

AMALIA

A malia chewed on her lower lip, twisting to look at herself in the full-length mirror in her bedroom.

She looked…

Beautiful . That’s what Vee had called her. Beautiful.

Staring at the reflection of herself, Amalia almost felt it. Beautiful. She smiled and ran her hands over the fabric of her new clothes. The fabric was luxurious, soft and silky under her fingers.

She’d decided to ditch the jacket, if only for the moment, wearing just a short midriff top in a lovely turquoise color and matching pants. It felt scandalous, showing so much skin, but… in a good way. It was thrilling. Her fingers trailed over the exposed skin of her stomach, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

Her mother would have hated this, Amalia knew, turning and looking over her shoulder to admire herself from a different angle. Goddess, she would have thrown such a fit if she had seen her daughter in an outfit like this. But these clothes. They looked incredible on her, made her look powerful. And the way they made her feel…

“You look really hot,” came a voice from the open window.

Amalia squealed, twisting around so quickly she almost fell. Vee sat on her windowsill, legs dangling off the frame. Her eyes sparkled as she looked Amalia up and down.

Amalia brought a hand to her chest, heart hammering.

“Vee, you just scared about five years off my life,” she gasped.

Vee laughed, hopping off the window and into her room. She flung herself down on Amalia’s bed, giggling as it bounced under her weight.

“How did you get up there, anyway?” Amalia asked. “Didn’t anyone try to stop you?”

Vee laughed. “Like who?”

“Like the guards?”

“What guards?” Vee answered with a wide smirk. “There aren’t any guards patrolling outside the palace, not anymore. I can come in and out whenever I want, and no one would stop me.”

She rolled over on the bed, propping herself up on an elbow, and stretched her legs out.

“So…” Vee said, smirking. “What’re you up to, anyway?”

Amalia blushed. She wished she’d worn the jacket, now. But the way Vee was looking at her, the way her eyes sparkled, somehow made her even more embarrassed than being caught admiring herself in the mirror.

“I was… I was just trying on my new clothes,” she admitted, giving her reflection another glance. Swallowing her embarrassment and putting on her bravest face, she held her arms out, posing for her friend. “So… what do you think?”

“I think you look ready to break a few hearts,” Vee said, smiling.

Amalia laughed. She turned back to the mirror.

“Oh please,” she said. Yeah, the clothes were great, and she loved the freedom she had in them much more than those stupid gowns. But she was still just… her. She wasn’t going to be capturing anyone’s attention, let alone breaking anyone’s heart. Even displaying a little skin, she wasn’t going to draw anyone’s eyes. “No clothing is that good.”

“I wasn’t talking about just the clothes,” Vee said.

Amalia’s cheeks heated, and as her gaze met Vee’s in the mirror, her heart skipped a beat.

“I brought you something,” Vee said, suddenly .

“A… a gift?” Amalia blinked, shocked. This girl brought her a gift?

Vee chuckled. “Yeah, something like that.” Sitting up, Vee pulled her bag off her shoulder and reached inside.

“I kept thinking about you stuck here, eating cookies and sandwiches with only salad in them, you know?” she said as she searched. “And I thought… well, we can’t have that, can we? A princess deserves a proper meal. Ah! Here they are!”

Vee pulled a parcel from her bag, wrapped in paper, and held it out to Amalia with a bright smile.

“Go on,” she urged when Amalia just stared at the paper, confused. “Take it!”

“What is it?” Amalia asked, taking it from Vee’s outstretched hands. It was warm under the paper. Amalia unwrapped it, frowning in confusion at the white circle of dough hidden inside.

“It’s a pork bun, from Regina’s. Do you… know Regina’s?” When Amalia shook her head, Vee smiled like she’d expected that answer. “Well, she makes the best buns in the city. Trust me, these things are more valuable than gold out there on the streets.”

Amalia raised the bun to her nose and gave it a delicate sniff. It didn’t smell like anything she’d ever eaten before. Not wanting to appear rude, or like a snob, she took a small, hesitant bite.

Oh. My. Goddess.

It was incredible.

“See?” Vee smirked, watching her. “Better than gold.”

The noise Amalia made when she took her next bite was vulgar enough she was sure her mother must be rolling in her grave, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. The spices! The meat! Even the strange, spongy dough that held the whole thing together.

It was sensational.

“This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life,” Amalia murmured, not caring even a little that she was speaking with her mouth full.

“I’m glad you like it,” Vee said. “The stuff they keep giving you here, it’s all… sweet, you know?”

Amalia swallowed. “What’s wrong with sweet?” she asked.

Vee shrugged. “Nothing. But…” She fiddled with the st rap on her bag. “The world out there? It’s not always sweet. Maybe it’s time you experienced a little more of it.”

Amalia considered this, staring at the last bite of pork bun in her fingers.

“Yeah,” she said. “I think maybe I should.”

She offered the bite to Vee, who took it with a grin.