Page 6 of Oracle's Reign
Once the nature of her power had become apparent, her worth as an individual had disappeared. No one cared what the next Emperor’s Oracle thought or felt, so long as she served her purpose. Her father had never looked at her the same once the elders announced Yslie would serve in that role. He had wanted a child who could be his legacy, someone like Triese, as he’d told Yslie on numerous occasions.
Her mother had never been a part of her life.
No one wanted to befriend the next Emperor’s Oracle, either. There had been people over the years who had been kind enough, or pitying enough, that Yslie hadn’t been completed isolated, but she’d never developed a deeper relationship. And the one time she had thought that perhaps a man... no, she wouldn’t even think about that incident.
Especially not now, when she felt a slow pull of attraction that warmed her blood and made her skin tingle in anticipation in a way it never had for Drexlir. It wasn’t because of how the prince looked, either. Yslie had expected him to be handsome. His ancestors had chosen their consorts for their beauty forgenerations. She knew better than to fall for such superficial traits as broad shoulders, deep brown eyes, and dense black curls that absorbed the light.
If he hadn’t sounded so sincere, hadn’t looked at her and actually seen her, she wouldn’t have even noticed his appearance except to note that Triese would be overjoyed to learn he matched her so well.
In an effort to prevent herself from staring at the prince and daydreaming about stroking her hands over his head, tugging on those curls, Yslie wandered over to thegohtadarplayer near the entrance to the courtyard. Seated in the center of the small platform, he wore clothes that stood out for their simplicity, though their quality was fine. The table in front of his cushion was polished to a high shine, the dark surface contrasting with the bone-pale wood of the instrument atop it. The musician’s hands flew over the instrument, his fingers flexing, causing the tiny hammers he held to strike the strings at a speed Yslie could hardly follow.
She let the music wash over her, but though she had never heard such a mesmerizing performance before, it couldn’t drain the tension from her limbs.
She was going to have to spend the next several weeks watching the prince fall for Triese. Yslie should have been used to such things. Everyone fell for Triese in some manner, from the elders and her father who saw her as the epitome of what an oracle should be, to the women who wanted to be her friends, to the men who dreamed of more than friendship. Of course, the prince couldn’t keep his eyes off Triese. Hearing him compliment her outfit shouldn’t have surprised Yslie. No, that wasn’t the right word. She hadn’t been surprised. She’d been disillusioned. Hurt that the man who had been so friendly in that back room hadn’t immediately seen through Triese’s brand ofcharisma and had instead extended the same courtesy to both of them.
Yslie sighed. She’d have to watch herself. If Triese got even the smallest inkling that Yslie was attracted to the prince, she’d redouble her efforts to win him. Her greatest joy was to steal anything that brought Yslie a measure of happiness. That was why Yslie hadn’t been able to answer the prince’s question about what she loved. If she had found something to love, Triese would have ruined it. It had been safer not to look.
“Aren’t you supposed to be talking to Prince Peroen?” The low rumble of Qilar’s voice jolted Yslie from her reverie.
She turned to face him. His calm demeanor and clear love for Pianti had quickly helped her move past feeling intimidated by his size and watchful eyes. “It’s not my turn yet.”
“That didn’t stop you before.”
She blushed. “That wasn’t on purpose. I didn’t even realize he was the prince.”
“And now that you know, are you disappointed?”
“Disappointed?” She was in a way, but only because it made him out of her reach, despite the fact that she was in Kalitalo to be considered as his bride. But she didn’t think that was what Qilar meant. “I am only disappointed that I made a ridiculous first impression. He must think I am a fool.”
“I doubt that.”
“A schemer, then. He probably believes I purposefully tried to meet with him before the others.”
“No. He believed you when you told him you had been looking for Pianti.”
Yslie tried not to let it show how much that faith impacted her. “It was the truth.”
“Were you hoping to arrange preferential treatment, like getting the first—official—private conversation with the prince?”
Yslie couldn’t help but look over to where Odela still sat across from him. “Did she really? And Pianti agreed?”
Qilar shrugged. “My wife wants to know that the future empress will survive at court. She will reward anyone who shows they have the right mindset.”
She looked down at her toes. “I’m afraid that won’t be me.”
“What did you intend to ask Pianti?”
“I had hoped she could tell me a few of the prince’s personal interests. It occurred to me that I know nothing about him apart from who his father is. I wanted to find a topic we could both be comfortable discussing.”
Qilar smiled and gestured at thegohtadarplayer. “Prince Peroen chose tonight’s musician. When he isn’t painting, he is usually playing or listening to others perform. If you want to set him at ease, I’d focus on the music itself, not his own accomplishments.”
She gaped. “Are you giving me an advantage when your own wife favors Odela?”
“Pianti has not made up her mind. And her focus on finding an oracle who can navigate the court is not the same as mine, which she knows.”
Feeling daring, Yslie asked the obvious question. “What is your focus?”
“That this union, despite its political nature, is one that brings at least contentment to both parties, if not true happiness.”
