Amelia, a master of deception in her own right, kept her face neutral, the subtle flicker of excitement that danced in her eyes the only sign of her true emotions.
I, however, was not fooled. I knew, with a certainty born of instinct and experience, that there were no robes sent by the empress, that this was all a ruse to get me to talk, a ploy that I was all too eager to follow.
My mind raced ahead, conjuring a vision of what awaited me in Amelia's chambers.
A plush room, a place of luxury and privilege, where the princess would greet me with an expensive set of robes, a laughable attempt to maintain the illusion of propriety.
I knew that the robes were a sham, a thin veneer of deception that Amelia would use to lure me into her private domain.
I followed in Amelia's footsteps, her dainty form leading the way through the palace corridors, my mind whirled with speculation.
