Three summers later

“How do you do it?” Frederick asked me, after I’d just helped him answer one of his conundrums.

I shrugged and slid back into my seat. “Practice, and a lot of work.”

The paunchy twenty-year-old scholar added, “Some talent, too.”

I studied my nails, feeling satisfied with myself, and smiled. “I won’t deny that.”

We were in the Council of Intelligence’s library. Its ceilings rose far above me, and the smell of books surrounded the place. I used to love books. They’d been things of intrigue and possibilities. These days, I’d stressed myself out so hard that books only reminded me of work.

I was pretty sure the chair I sat in was worth more than a month’s worth of food back in Aere Grove. It was made of marble and had carvings so detailed that it couldn’t have been cheap. Everything in the palace screamed opulence, glittering and shining with excess.

Frederick leaned his chubby cheek into his palm. “We need to quickly redraft these laws into proposals before tomorrow,” he muttered. “I think my brain’s going to turn into mashed potatoes.”

My gaze wandered back to my thick stack of papers. “If we do manage it, we’ll make a good impression with the elders.”

“Which will help you with the council vote.”

“Yes.” I nodded, picking up a quill. “Which I need to win.” The Council of Intelligence needed a new head secretary. Rumors had been spreading that the elders were interested in having me as one of the candidates, and I wanted nothing more than to be head of the council. Being head secretary was one step closer to my goal.

I was still too young for something bigger, but everyone knew the secretary of the council always led it eventually. He or she would go under the tutelage of the head, to be molded into the next leader.

This opportunity was once-in-a-lifetime, because the last secretary had to step down for it to happen. I needed this so badly that it was starting to consume my thoughts and actions.

If I got picked, I’d be the youngest person in the position. Something to add to my long list of accomplishments.

Frederick stood up. He stretched and yawned, pushing out his belly, before cracking his knuckles. “I need to get something to eat.”

“You always do.”

“Perks of being in either of the councils. I get a free flow of food.” He left, walking with a spring in his steps, leaving me behind with the work. I sighed and went back to business. My eyelids were drooping and I wanted to sleep. But being overworked was a small price to pay for what I wanted.

Moments later, a colleague interrupted me. “Sera, can you help me with this problem?”

He was a young man, barely older than my nineteen years. “What is it?” I asked, smiling to seem friendlier.

“People have been exchanging their coppers and silvers for bank notes. It’s a new way of dealing with money, and I’m not sure how I should propose a tax system on these institutions.”

“I’m in the agricultural department,” I said.

“I know, but you’re just so knowledgeable about most things.”

I withheld a grin. My reputation was starting to inflate, and I loved it. I’d left the scorn of Aere Grove behind. Nobody around here knew about my curse, although I did get strange questions about my gloves sometimes.

I took the document from my colleague and skimmed through it. “We usually tax profits, correct? Would you mind if I scribble on this?”

“Feel free. It’s my own notes.”

I dipped my quill into the inkwell and added to his findings. “You can’t think of it as just coppers in, coppers out. These institutions are making money some way or another. They charge interest and have investments. You need to look at their ledgers, treat them like any other business. Tax their profits.”

“That’s brilliant.”

“It’s common sense.”

“It might be to you, but this is so new. I’m not sure I would have thought about that. Thank you so much.” He beamed at me, taking his sheet back.

“You’re welcome.” A sense of pleasure from seeing his expression light up flickered through me.

The young man scuttled away, eager to jot down his new proposal. People back home would have never dared approach me like that—eyes twinkling and with a bright smile. The scholars here appreciated me, likely because of what I was capable of, and because they saw me as somebody to look up to. You had to be somebody worthy of other people’s time to receive their attention.

Frederick ambled back into the library, looking satisfied.

“So, had your fill?” I asked, letting a mock tone of sour indignation slip into my voice.

“Lots of cake, some dynfowl thighs…”

“And the vegetable?” Frederick always had some vegetables on the side because he thought it negated all the other junk he ate. It defied all the logic we’d been trained with, but he believed what he wanted to.

“Carrots.”

“I might have some myself later.”

“There’s plenty.”

I wondered if I’d been eating too much. The endless supply of food made me gorge sometimes, and snacking was often a side effect of long hours of academics. Were my undergarments getting tighter? I didn’t have the faster metabolism most dragon-kind did, and had to worry about my weight. Frederick was only a darmar—dragon-kind with superficial, useless traits when they shifted, so he didn’t have quick metabolism either. Only the dreryn and stronger kinds of dragons had that perk.

Frederick was the only darmar of his family. His parents and siblings were draerin, but nobles often gave birth to less physically gifted offspring.

It seemed to have started happening a couple thousand years back—or, at least, that was what history stated. Previously, everyone born were hidraes—dragon shifters of the most powerful type.

“Lettuce convene.” Frederick looked up at me. “Get it? Lettuce—let us?”

I rolled my eyes. “Enough with the vegetable puns.”

“It’s funny, isn’t it?”

“Yes, when you made those jokes the first time.”

“The first thyme,” he said, snickering.

I resisted the urge to throw my quill at his face. He could be so lovable, yet annoying. “Enough fooling around, get back to work.”

He murmured a disgruntled “Yes, ma’am,” then returned to his duties.

“We need to finish this before tomato, remember?”

He stilled, then choked back some laughter, but continued flipping through his tome.

I appreciated Frederick’s help greatly. He was supposed to aid me, since he was in the team I led in the agricultural department. Still, his abilities made work so much easier. He could read as quickly as a hidrae dragon could fly, and if not for his summarizing of our enormous stacks of laws and census data, we’d take twice as long to finish work.

It was nearing midnight when we were done. The lanterns were dimming, and most of the library had left. We didn’t have to finish the reports by today, but I would make a better impression if I was exceedingly punctual, and Frederick was kind enough to help me out. Maybe he wanted praise and a raise after I became secretary. I wanted to believe he was doing everything altruistically, but often, I thought the world too cruel for that.

“Done and done,” Frederick said, checking out the last two boxes on our checklist. “That’s a relief.”

“Thank you,” I said, yawning. “You can go ahead first. I’ll pack up and put the books back in their shelves.”

“You sure about that? I could—”

“It’s all right. You stayed up for me anyway. Get some rest.”

“Thanks.” He slumped backward, gathering himself. The last few hours had been too intense on our brains. He shoved his objects into his satchel and stood up. “Do you want to join me for supper?”

“It’s a bit too late to eat now.”

“Suit yourself.” He shrugged and moved on.

It took me another ten minutes to sort the books. I was more than ready to return to my dorm by then. My eyelids felt heavy, and sleeping on the desk was beginning to seem like an enticing possibility, because the walk back to the dorms was so long.

Then I saw them, and it woke me from my daze.

At the entrance of the library was the head of the council. A tall, slender draerin named Tindyll. She wore a monocle over her eye—probably for fashion, since she had perfect eyesight—and had the robes us scholars often had.

But never mind her. Next to her was a man with gorgeous, long white hair and strong features. He towered over Tindyll. He had to be at least six feet tall or more.

Then my eyes traveled downward, and I realized he had to be one of the princes, for he wasn’t wearing a shirt, and had tattoos that curved around his body—traits of males of the royal family. He had two long daggers at his side and stood with a nonchalant posture.

“Prince Kael,” I overheard Tindyll say into the silence. “I’m not going to help you with another one of your games.”

“Please, Tindyll? I need this.”

“You always need me to help you with your tomfoolery.”

“All you have to do is change the dress code for a day. Imagine that, officials stumbling about dumbfounded, having to wear silly, big noses. It’ll be hilarious. Say that it’s for a social experiment or something.”

“That hardly sounds like a need. It’s late, Your Highness—”

“I have to see it so badly it hurts.”

I picked up my bag and walked across the library, having to stride past them because they were blocking my way. I couldn’t stop myself from staring. He looked stunning. It was common knowledge amongst the court that the princes were not just strong, full-born dragons, hidraes, but they went above that. Instead of just fire, they controlled lightning too, and were more adept than any other dragons out there.

Kael was gorgeous. I’d only seen him from a distance, but up close, I could see his sharp jaw, thin nose, and facial features that were so perfectly balanced, they probably belonged to Gaean himself.

“Why are you gawking at?” he said, turning to me.

My stomach somersaulted and I felt like hiding under a rock. He’d caught me staring. Dragons be damned for my curiosity. “N-nothing, Your Highness… I’ll just leave.”

Then he turned toward me, and I almost melted into a puddle. Where was my strong-headed self now? I needed her.

“It’s rude to stare,” he said, leaning over. “But you’re a pretty thing, so I’ll let that pass.”

The prince called me pretty? I blushed. It was completely unlike me to do girly things like that. “Th-thank you, Your Highness.”

He lifted his hand toward me. My mind went blank for a second, but by then it was too late. He patted me on the cheek in a nonchalant gesture. Flashes from my childhood came back, plaguing me. “Wait!” I screamed, but his skin had already touched mine.

And nothing happened.

No wailing, screaming.

Just silence.

My gaze traveled back to Prince Kael. “You’re… you’re okay.”

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked, frowning, a question in his eyes.

“You shouldn’t be shouting at His Highness,” Tindyll said.

I bowed. “I’m sorry.” I was supposed to be embarrassed, but was intrigued and hopeful instead. “I overstepped my boundaries. I won’t bother you anymore… Your Highness.” I was trying hard to settle my emotions. My heart was racing. “Good luck with your plan.” I rushed away as quickly as I could, not daring to look up. I hoped I hadn’t offended him. I had to sit down and think properly about this.

He didn’t suffer the effects of my curse. He hadn’t shrieked in agony, like every other dragon-kind who had touched me before. What was that supposed to mean? Had I been cured? Did I no longer have to wear these wretched gloves?

Was I finally free?

I had to talk to Frederick about this. Test this out. Newfound energy surged through me, and I breezed through the corridors.

* * *

I reached Frederick’s room in half the time it normally took. I had sped into a light jog because I couldn’t contain myself any further.

“Frederick, open up,” I said, knocking on his door. I shifted my weight from foot to foot as I waited. He was taking too long. When he didn’t answer soon enough, I rapped my knuckles on the door once more. Was he still having supper?

It was another couple minutes before Frederick answered. “What is it, Sera? It’s the middle of the night.”

“You’re not sleeping yet.”

He was munching on crackers. “I have to take care of my belly first. It was nagging at me.”

I rolled my eyes and walked into his room.

“Hey, I didn’t say you could enter.”

“I’m always invited into your room. I’ve seen everything.”

He scowled. “Not everything.”

I sat on his bed.

“So, what’s gotten you so worked up?” he asked.

“Kael touched me just now.”

His eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets. “Kael? As in Prince Kael? The one with two daggers and white hair?”

“Yes,” I replied. The excitement bubbled in me. I was starting to become increasingly convinced that I’d been cured of my curse.

“He is so ridiculously dreamy.”

He was, but that wasn’t my main concern right now.

Frederick frowned. “So, he touched you. And… did anything happen?”

“Nothing. That was the problem…” The sensation of his skin on mine, however brief that moment lasted, lingered in my mind. I’d forgotten how warm another’s touch could be, and the texture of another person’s fingertips.

“Right.” Frederick nodded. “You wanted him to ask you out or something.”

“No!” I shifted my gaze, wondering if I should let Frederick know about my curse. I hadn’t mentioned it to anyone since I’d arrived in the palace. I played with the fabric of my gloves. “Do you know why I always wear these?”

“Because you’re cold for some reason?” Frederick replied. “I’m not sure. It’s hardly weather for gloves this time of the year.”

“There’s something…” Maybe I could tell him. The curse had probably left me, judging from what Prince Kael’s touch meant. So it was okay to tell Frederick… right? “I wear these because of what happens when I touch someone.”

“Huh.” Frederick narrowed his eyes. He bit another cracker. Slowly. “What happens?”

“They fall to the ground in excruciating pain. It doesn’t kill them. But uh, I think… think someone went mad after I touched them for too long because of the pain.”

“Am I missing something? Why are you trying to play jokes on me now?”

“I’m not!” I pressed my lips together and stared at him. “I’m telling the truth. But I think it’s not going to be a problem anymore. Kael touched my face just now, my bare skin, and nothing happened. I need to test this out. So… Frederick?”

“Oh no,” he said, talking through the crunching of his crackers. “It’s never good when you address me by name.”

“Can you help me?”

“You said something about excruciating pain?”

“That’s what I said.” I nodded. “I don’t think anything is going to happen, however.”

“You still want to do this.”

I was judging his reaction, wondering if he’d cast me aside like my parents and the townsfolk had. “How else am I supposed to find out if the curse has been lifted or not? The only way is to touch someone else again.”

Frederick sighed. “You’re not kidding.”

“Why would I be?”

He slumped his shoulders and set down his packet of crackers. He offered his hand. “All right, do what you have to do.”

“You’re agreeing?” My chest fluttered. Frederick was such a good friend.

“I can’t convince you otherwise.”

“It’ll only last a moment.”

“I’m terrified.”

I took off my right glove. I hadn’t shown my hands to anyone else in ages. This almost seemed intimate. “Sorry about putting you through this.”

“You owe me. Big time. Now hurry up, because I carrot take this tension.”

I lifted a brow. “Really? You’re doing this now?”

“It’s a way to destress.”

I let out a deep breath and reached my hand out. I had to do this, even though dread took over me. I steeled my resolve and placed my hand on Frederick’s.

And he screamed.

I drew back immediately, but he had already fallen to the ground. Sweat beaded all around him.

“Gaean bless me,” he said.

“I’m sorry!” I jolted toward him, and almost wanted to lift him up, then realized that would be a horrible thing to do. I wore my right glove again. “I’m so sorry, Frederick. I honestly was counting on that not to happen.” Fear gripped me. Would I lose him as a friend now that he knew?

He pulled himself up. Hesitating, I helped him out. He didn’t reject my aid, much to my relief. “Aereala’s teats, Sera. You weren’t kidding when you said it was terrible. Do you think I lost a few pounds? Feels like I sweated that out.” He wiped his brow. “Felt like I was getting torn apart by two dragons.”

“I don’t know how to make this up to you,” I said, panicking.

“You could have breakfast with me.”

My mouth fell open. “That’s it?”

“And maybe take over some of my work.”

I was swamped as it was, but I agreed anyway, “Okay.”

He lowered himself onto his bed and brushed his hands over his face. “I need to get some sleep.”

“Probably. We have to report to the throne room early tomorrow morning. King Gisiroth has something to announce. I’m so, so sorry.” I wanted to believe that I’d been cured. That if I hoped hard enough, it’d be a reality. I was still studying Frederick for signs of his leaving, but he actually wore a smile, and wasn’t shoving me away. Somehow, I found that suspicious, probably because of the paranoia my childhood gave me.

Maybe Frederick was really just a nice guy. Did people like him truly exist?

He waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it. You should get some rest too.” He paused. “Does that mean your curse isn’t lifted?”

“Apparently not.” Disappointment trickled through me. I was hoping it was gone. “Maybe it has something to do with Kael. I’ll have to investigate.”

“How?”

“Talk to him.”

Frederick did a double take. “What? You can’t just waltz up to a prince.”

“What else am I supposed to do? After the king’s hearing is over tomorrow, I’m going to ask him if he knows anything about this curse. There has to be a reason why he’s the only one immune. Maybe… maybe I can get rid of it, then I won’t have to be judged for wearing these anymore.” I gestured to the gloves.

“Don’t get your head chopped off. You still have the secretary position on the line.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll try and be smart about it.”

“All right.” Frederick was still panting from the ordeal I’d put him through. The guilt swarmed through me. “Good night, Sera.” He blew out his lantern, casting his room into darkness.

“I’ll meet you here for breakfast tomorrow.”

I walked out into the corridor, wondering how in Constanria was I going to approach Kael tomorrow.

I headed back to my room, then remembered a law I’d missed editing when at the library. I fished through my stack of scrolls, searching for it, only to find it missing. A pounding began in my mind. I needed that scroll. I hurried back out into the corridor, down the steps of the scholars’ dorm, and toward the library as quickly as I could.

Cursed dragon’s teats—I thought I finally could get some shut-eye. I was sleep-deprived most days, and every minute of rest counted. I was grumbling under my breath when I made my way to the library. I hadn’t watched where I was looking, then slammed into a wall. It sent me stumbling backward.

Only the wall hadn’t been a wall, but a man.

A prince.

I glanced up, seeing cold blue eyes staring down at me through a short fringe of crimson hair. I had just crashed into Prince Micah Everborne—the youngest of his four brothers. His statuesque form was silhouetted against the moonlight. My brain seemed to have stopped working as I looked at him. He was so beautiful that he left me at a loss for words. Apologize! Some part of me pushed me into action, and my lips managed to move somehow. “S-sorry, Your Highness.”

He studied me with a calculating glance, not revealing any of his thoughts. Without saying anything, he dipped down and picked up the couple scrolls that had fallen to the ground. He passed them to me, and with shaking fingers, I accepted them. He wasn’t angry. That was a good sign. “Have you seen Kael?”

“Kael? Your brother?”

He nodded.

“He was here about thirty minutes ago.”

His cool gaze was so striking that it felt like he could see into my soul. I controlled my breathing, hoping he didn’t hear how unsteady it was.

He sighed then strode past me, not bothering to say a goodbye.

I watched as he grew wings from his back—white, with a shine similar to pearls. I was awe-struck as I saw him fly away into the night. He almost reminded me of an angel—a dark one, who wore a shroud of mystery.

The document, I reminded myself. I’d met two princes and hadn’t gotten burned to a crisp by them yet, escaping with my tail still intact. I had to get back to work.

I let out a heavy breath and padded back to the library. The scroll I was looking for was right where I had left it. I picked it up and placed it in my satchel.