Free Betrothed by Jill Myles

family.
    “You are the betrothed of the prince, first among women. The first betrothed in three hundred years,” a fat adviser said, his voice wobbling as much as his chin. “Money is no object to one of your position.”
    It wasn’t? A mixture of joy and dread swam through her veins. “And what is my position?” she asked lightly, her voice faint to even her own ears.
    “Once we have the coronation ceremony,” the fat adviser said, “you will be acknowledged as the betrothed of Prince Graeme of Athoni, revered and beloved by all, chosen by the One True God. When you marry, you will become a royal princesse of the kingdom.”
    Seri stared into Prince Graeme’s coldly polite eyes and wanted to laugh. Revered and beloved by all, except her cold-as-a-statue betrothed. “I am Vidari,” she protested again, the objection sounding hollow even to her own ears. “I am not Athoni. By your own laws I cannot be a citizen, much less royalty.”
    “The laws of the One God are irrefutable, even by royalty themselves,” Prince Graeme interjected. “I am afraid that choice is not an option.”
    His flat words sounded so final. A frightened whimper slid past her teeth. “I want to go home.”
    His polite, cold smile never faltered. “You are home.”
     
    ~~* * * ~~
     
    Seri woke up the next morning to a very different room than before.
    As Lady Mila’s least-favored servant, she’d been allowed to sleep on a hard hay pallet on the floor of the room of the other servingmaids, in the same corner that the women tossed their dirty laundry. It had been meant to humiliate and degrade, and waking up from a deep sleep when a woman tossed her soiled pantaloons on her was not exactly endearing, but it had all been suffered as part of the deal. She’d wanted the three dru more than she’d wanted a good night of sleep.
    But this—this was frightening. Seri sat up slowly in the bed, looking around her with a mixture of awe and trepidation. It had been too late last night to bother with a candle, and she’d been too worn—mentally and physically—to think about where she was sleeping. That made the shock of waking up this morning that much more powerful.
    The bed she slept in was arguably as large as her room in her father’s cottage. A grand silvery-blue canopy swept overhead, and the entire thing was carved from thick, heavy wood. Four spiraling, carved posters kept the canopy high overhead, and the coverlets were made of matching embroidered blankets, all richer than anything she’d ever owned. She touched one corner wonderingly, then winced when even that gentle touch left a fingerprint of gold on the expensive fabric. Underneath her thighs, a real feather mattress—and a feathered pillow for her head. She wanted to giggle with the insanity of it and wondered if she’d find one of Josdi’s silly feather pillows in this room.
    Guilt surged through her at the thought of her sister and her father waiting in the tiny cottage for her return. Rilen had promised to check on them, and she had to hold fast to the promise he’d made her. They’d be safe as long as he made sure they had enough to eat and tended the chickens. Still, she should see about getting home today and taking care of them.
    Seri swung her legs over the side of the bed, her feet dangling inches from the tiled floor. She slid out of bed reluctantly, noticing that she still wore the slight costume from last night and that the fabric had become wrinkled and stained with gold. Her hair stuck in her face, a mess of feathers and waves, and she shoved out of the way in irritation.
    The floor underneath her feet was icy, and Seri padded a few steps cautiously, wondering what she should do now. Had they brought her things to her room? Would she get her three dru now?
    Light was pouring into the massive chamber, and Seri automatically turned her head toward it. A new set of the expensive windows covered one wall here—not in the colored fragments of glass like she