Talori really, really didn't want to go to the banquet. Despite being an opportunity to leave her cage, she had never liked those things.
Why would she? No one there liked her aside from Zale and he was too busy acting as brainless as a jellyfish to spend time with her. They had to solidify their roles as merfolk not to be taken seriously at such parties. The two worthless children of a dead traitor.
If they weren't deemed as harmless, they would have been disposed of already too. They were only allowed to live because they stayed out of the way except when they were summoned so people could laugh at them.
Talori didn't like being laughed at. She wasn't crazy. She knew it. Zale knew it. His mermen knew it, even if they thought she was odd. But no one else did.
She tried not to let it bother her. She knew it was a part of her brother's plan so she cooperated with him to the best of her ability. There wasn't anything she wouldn't do to make it so she could properly live in the light instead of being cooped up all the time.
Unfortunately, going to the banquet she already didn't want to attend cut into her limited time with Brennan. He had already been here for two days and she knew he wouldn't be able to spare more than a couple more at most.
He had mentioned it earlier. He said he needed to get back before he lost his job. That seemed to be what he cared about most since he didn't had any family and only mentioned a few other fae by name in all the time he had been talking to her. His witch friend Harmony was mentioned most often but she seemed to be the only fae he saw regularly.
Talori didn't fully understand Brennan's job or how such things worked on the surface but she could tell it meant a lot to him because of the way he talked about the ocean. He loved it more than she thought a surface-dweller would have been capable of.
Maybe when she was bored out of her mind at the banquet, she could think of the most pressing questions she had for him since their time together was limited. She didn't want him to go yet but knew she had no right to keep him here any longer. She was used to being on her own most of the time. Going back to that would be fine.
Brennan was currently hiding in the wardrobe because Marlowe had arrived with the jewelry selection Zale promised. They were much fancier and more befitting of a princess than the usual stuff she made herself with misshapen pearls.
Talori frowned. This was far more befitting a princess than what he normally sent.
They were the most neglected of the merking's children. Their palace was nice because their mother had been favored before she was framed for having two children but they didn't have as many servants as Merrick's palace did so those they did have worked hard to manage its upkeep.
But because they tried to stay under the radar, they didn't get the most luxurious items. On the rare occasions she did get something nice, it was because Zale had been working on collecting the materials for quite some time.
Even so, it had never been to this extent. She was willing to bet this quality of jewelry had come directly from the merking. The real question was why.
The merking didn't care about her. She could count the number of times he had directly spoken to her in her life. There was something oddly foreboding about this gift. She would have to ask Zale his opinion on it when she got the chance.
She wasn't sure when she would get that chance though. They would be arriving separately, as they always did. He didn't want anyone knowing how close the two of them were because that was dangerous.
Zale had carefully cultivated his image so he wouldn't be seen as a threat but he also made it seem like he was ambivalent about his supposedly crazy sister as an extra layer of precaution. If any of his enemies knew how much he valued her, she would be in more danger.
Those who worked in their palace were all carefully vetted by her brother. None of them were about to snitch to Queen Nerida or Merrick.
Marlowe was working on making her look as beautiful as possible. Dangling clusters of eight pearls hung from each of her ears, multiple pearl bracelets adorned each wrist, a heavy necklace crafted from dozens of interwoven pearls in various sizes was around her neck, and additional strings of pearls were woven through her intricately braided hairdo.
"You look absolutely stunning, Princess," Marlowe said with satisfaction once she had finished her work.
Talori could hardly recognize herself. She never wore jewelry like this. Her hair was usually much less adorned for parties so the hairstyles Marlowe did for her were simpler as well. To top it all off, her lips had been painted a shade of red that stood out against her yellow skin.
The only time she ever painted her lips was for parties because it was the expected thing to do. She was supposed to act crazy but if her appearance was bad, the servants would get in trouble. That was the last thing she wanted.
A knock sounded on the door. "Princess? May I enter?"
Talori knew that voice. It belonged to her one of her brother's mermen. A long-time recruit named Aeces.
"Yes, you may."
Aeces wasn't nearly as serious as Beck but still typically didn't talk to her much. He bowed with a fist against his chest as he complimented her.
"You shall be the most beautiful mermaid at the banquet, Princess. It is my honor to escort you."
Talori couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, Aeces. Shall we?"
She took his proffered arm and hoped that Brennan wouldn't get too bored. Knowing him, it was likely he would block the door and go to sleep as soon as she was gone. She would much rather be talking to him than going into battle like this but she didn't have a choice. No one could ignore the merking's summons.