The Revelation

I looked down at the photo again. I wanted to ask which one, but it didn’t really matter.

“Who is she?”

“As far as I can tell, she’s one of the daughters of the Countess Bloom. The other woman is her sister.”

I barely heard him. Cynder was married. He’d kept his involvement with the Freedom of Magic group from me, and I’d forgiven him for that, but this? Not once had he mentioned having a girlfriend, let alone a wife.

He looked so young in the picture; he couldn’t have been more than sixteen years old. Neither woman was holding his hand. They both pouted into the camera while he stood in the middle looking sullen. Nothing about the photo shouted out that he and one of them was a married couple. They looked quite a few years older than him for a start. It didn’t add up at all, and yet, when had Leo ever been wrong? He had friends in high places, and when they couldn’t help him, he used money to do the talking. Not once, had he steered me wrong, and what reason would he have to lie about it?

“Are you ok?” Leo asked in concern. “I thought that if you knew about him, it would make it easier for you. Both Elise and I thought having Cynder back was a mistake. Elise is really worried about you.”

“I’m fine,” I lied. I was anything but. Leo was right though. Knowing Cynder had lied to me, or at least not told me the truth about having a wife, would make this ridiculous competition a whole lot easier for me. I’d do what I had to do and when the time came to pick, I’d not have a problem choosing Luca again. Maybe I’d even show the photo of Cynder and his wife to the public. They’d understand then, why I couldn’t marry him. No one would blame me, and maybe the Magi would stay.

“What else do you know about her?” I asked, fingering the corner of the photo between my fingernails. I had to resist the urge to rip it into shreds.

“Not so much. The Countess Bloom is a very wealthy woman, and her two daughters have been trying to marry into royalty for years. I’m not sure what prompted Drusilla to end up with Cynder when her taste in men, much like her sister’s, is one of position, power, and money, of which, Cynder has none. Her sister, the one on the right is still unmarried as far as I’m aware.”

I looked down at the photo again, this time, focusing on the woman to Cynder’s left. She was so unattractive and overly made-up that I couldn’t see what Cynder saw in her. I knew I was being shallow, but I was feeling angry.

“Can I keep this?” I asked Leo.

“Sure. Listen, I’ll find out what I can for you. I’m sure this is all for the best in the circumstances.”

“Yes, you are probably right,” I sighed. I slipped the photo into my pocket and headed upstairs to get Cynder a suit.

Elise was in her room as Leo had said.

“Charmaine!” she squealed as she opened the door. I put the photo to the back of my mind as I took in the scene before me.

Her bed was covered in hundreds of tiny pink silk roses, and she had a needle and thread in her hands.

“I’ve been sewing these for the wedding. Do you think there are enough?”

“What exactly are they for?” I answered with a question of my own.

“I’m not exactly sure,” she laughed. “I just thought they might come in handy. Maybe we could sew them onto the wedding gown?”

“If they are for my dress, then there are too many!” I replied, filled with horror at the thought of it.

“Well, I guess we could use them for the tablecloths instead,” mused Elise. “What can I do for you? I’m surprised you aren’t spending time with Cynder. I can’t wait to meet him.”

I tried not to show how much my stomach churned at the thought of it. Elise knew how I felt about him. To her, Cynder was a wonderful fairytale. If only she knew that not all fairytales have a happy ending.

“Actually, I just saw Leo in the library, and he told me I could borrow one of his suits if you don’t mind getting one for me. A nice one.”

“All of Leo’s suits are nice. So, can I meet Cynder?”

“He’s having the Xavi treatment, but I’ll introduce you to him before the interview if you like.” No point telling her the truth. Perhaps, Leo would tell her, saving me a job.

She grabbed a suit out of the closet and handed it to me, managing to hug me at the same time. “I’m so excited!”

She jumped up and down on her feet like a child who’s just been told they can have candy.

Were we really sisters? We were so different personality-wise, and she was much prettier than I could ever hope to be. With her, it was effortless.

I said a quick thanks and bounded back down the corridor to the dressing room. I’d already been gone more than half an hour. Xavi would be waiting impatiently for the suit.

I rushed through the door to find Cynder sitting in a chair having his hair cut, and wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. I couldn’t help the flush that rose to my cheeks as I handed the suit to Xavi.

“About time!” she admonished. “The poor boy’s freezing.”

I looked over at him. He appeared perfectly content to be sitting there with Jon washing his hair. Alezis would take over soon to cut it into a style.

“He’s very cute, though,” Xavi carried on under her breath, before winking at me.

I’d never seen her lose her cool once, so to see her blushing over a man, was strange, to say the least. Not that I could blame her. He was way too skinny for his height, but his lean body had muscles in all the right places. His washboard stomach rippled with the hint of a six-pack, and his arms were much thicker than I had expected them to be. He was still way too thin, though, and would benefit from a good meal or two. I made a mental note to tell the kitchen to give him extra portions at every meal. He might have been married, and a liar to boot, but I couldn’t bear the thought of him starving.

I took a spare chair and watched as Alezis played with Cynder’s hair for way too long. Just as he had done with mine, he examined every part of it in great detail before even beginning with the first cut. I was used to him by now. A haircut, even a simple trim could take upwards of two hours, but I could see Cynder getting impatient.

I walked over to the two men. Almost without thinking, I rested my hand on Cynder’s bare shoulder. The thrill that ran through me was not entirely unexpected, but the intensity of it took me by surprise. How could that happen when I was so angry at him? I tried to ignore it as I spoke to Alezis.

“Please, can you work a little faster? The interview is in a couple of hours, and we still have to fit in lunch.”

Alezis hated to be rushed, but he sniffed and nodded his head.

“I will do it, but don’t expect my usual excellence if you are going to rush me.”

“I know whatever you do will be a work of art, Alezis,” I said, laying it on thickly. “It always is. Just don’t cut too much off. I like his curls.”

He brought his hand to his chest in mock horror. “I wouldn’t dream of cutting off these gorgeous curls!”

I smiled as I went back to my seat. I had a feeling that Alezis might have developed a crush on Cynder.

Once I was finished with makeup, and someone had brought me a pair of blue shoes to match the dress. I found myself waiting for time with Alezis. He didn’t seem to notice me waiting as he continued his conversation with Cynder. As far as I was aware, he’d not chopped a single hair on Cynder’s head, although I noticed he was spending quite a lot of time running his fingers through it.

Cynder saw me through the mirror in front of him and gave a small cough. “I think Her Majesty is waiting for you?” he said to Alezis.

With great reluctance, he let Cynder up from his chair. Both Alezis and I let our eyes fall to the towel. Cynder was whisked away to the room with the dresses in it where he would no doubt be getting dressed in Leo’s suit.

As Alezis had taken so much time with Cynder, I had to be content with a quick style. He pulled my hair up and loosely put it up into a high bun. It was not what I was used to with him—Alezis liked extravagance, but I liked it. I looked a little like a smart secretary with my smart suit.

I glanced at my watch and noticed how late it actually was. We would miss lunch if we weren’t careful.

Cynder appeared from the dressing room. I heard Alezis gasp as he took in the sight of Cynder in a suit. He looked breathtaking. The suit was a little too large for him as Leo was slightly more muscular, but it made such a difference to see him in something so smart and distinct from the uniforms and rags I was used to seeing him in.

“Purple flower or not?” asked Xavi.

“Sorry?”

“The suit is black. Do you want him to wear a purple flower to mark him as a Mage?”

“No!” I hated that the Magi were marked in some way. It was a practice I wanted to get away from.

“I’ll wear the flower,” smiled Cynder, plucking the dyed rose from Xavi’s hand. I could practically feel her melt next to me. This guy had more magic than he knew. The whole of Xavi’s team was mesmerized by him. He turned to me. “Showing the kingdom I’m a Mage is what this is all about right?”

I nodded.

“I’m going to need some socks and shoes too,” he said. I looked down at his bare feet. He wiggled his toes.

“I forgot, sorry,” I said, feeling flustered. “I’ll take you to Leo and Elise’s room to get some.”

Much to the disappointment of the team, I took Cynder’s arm and pulled him from the room.

“I don’t have any underwear either,” he whispered, causing my blush to deepen. I could hear the amusement in his voice. He knew exactly what he was doing to me, and for the first time, I was beginning to hate him for it.