"No, of course not. The seamstresses had some questions and suggestions, though." She pulled out the original sketch and handed it to me.
I sat next to her on the bed and studied the new annotations, nodding along with what I was reading. "Did you really need me to approve this?" I asked, handing the sketch back to her.
Mother chuckled. "No, of course not. But I've barely seen you since your cousin arrived, and I wanted to check if you were alright."
"Thanks, it's all fine. I'm just tired. One of Adam's friends is teaching me about magic," I said.
"I know. I saw you the other day."
"Oh." It hadn't crossed my mind that my parents might have been watching me while I practiced with Topher.
"He seems like a good teacher," she said off-handedly.
"He is."
"And perhaps more than that?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Topher? No. We're just becoming friends," I assured her.
"Mmhmm." She didn't seem convinced, but I knew she wouldn't press me on the matter until I was ready to talk about it.
"Are you feeling okay?" The question slipped out before I meant it to, but she was looking more tired than normal, and it was starting to concern me.
She reached out and stroked a strand of dark hair behind my ear. Even if I was adopted, we had that in common. It was probably why none of the Enchantian people had questioned the circumstances of my birth.
"Your father said you were worrying about my health."
The fact that wasn't an answer didn't escape me.
"I'm fine, Kelis. I promise. I just don't think your father and I understood how much you'd been doing for us. It isn't fair for us to have relied on you so much."
"I'm sorry, I hadn't realized I was letting my duties slip. I'll put some time aside tomorrow," I promised. It had only been a couple of days, and I'd spent time in my office on both of them.
"Oh, Kelis, that's not what we're getting at. We're both glad you're getting to spend some time with your cousin and his friends. You need to be with people your own age sometimes."
I opened my mouth to protest, but she held her hand out to stop me.
"I don't want to hear about you being in your office for at least a week," she instructed.
"But..."
"Kelis," she warned.
I chuckled. "You know me too well."
"I do." She rose to her feet and leaned in to kiss me on the forehead. "We love you. We want what's best for you."
"And for Enchantia," I prompted.
"Yes, and for Enchantia," she acknowledged. "I'm heading to bed now. Sleep well."
"You too."
I watched as she left to return to her own bedchambers.
The moment the door had closed behind her, I made my way over to the mirror. There was something off about what had just happened. Why hadn't it fawned over Mother? That wasn't normal, and I wasn't sure what to do about it. First things, first, I needed to check on whether the mirror was working. And the easiest way to do that was to get it to insult me.
I sighed loudly. "Mirror, mirror on the wall," I muttered, remembering the words Mother had told me was part of her story.
"He had to have been drunk to have wanted to kiss you," the mirror taunted.
"They do say that your true feelings come out when you've had a bit too much to drink," I mused.
If it were capable of it, then the mirror would probably have chuckled. "Keep telling yourself that."
The mirror was working just fine. It insulted me as if it were any other day, potentially, even worse. So why didn't it say anything to Mother?
I half-wanted to ask the mirror what was wrong with it, but I didn't think it would give me an honest answer, so there was no real point. But that only left one explanation.
If the mirror no longer plied Mother with compliments, then that meant that she was no longer the most beautiful woman in all the lands.
Continue the story of Kelis in Heiress of Mirrors
After the Happily Ever After…
There is more to these stories. You want to know what happens next right? Fast forward eighteen years…
Pick up book one now
PREQUEL
SLEEPING BEAUTY
1. Queen of Dragons
2. Heiress of Embers
3. Throne of Fury
4. Goddess of Flames
LITTLE MERMAID
5. Queen of Mermaids
6. Heiress of the Sea
7. Throne of Change
8. Goddess of Water
RED RIDING HOOD
9. King of Wolves
10. Heir of the Curse
11. Throne of Night
12. God of Shifters
RAPUNZEL
13. King of Devotion
14. Heir of Thorns
15. Throne of Enchantment
16. God of Loyalty
RUMPELSTILTSKIN
17. Queen of Unicorns
18. Heiress of Gold
19. Throne of Sacrifice
20. Goddess of Loss
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
21. King of Beasts
22. Heir of Beauty
23. Throne of Betrayal
24. God of Illusion
ALADDIN
25. Queen of the Sun
26. Heiress of Shadows
27. Throne of the Phoenix
28. Goddess of Fire
CINDERELLA
29. Queen of Song
30. Heiress of Melody
31. Throne of Symphony
32. Goddess of Harmony
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
33. Queen of Clockwork
34. Heiress of Delusion
35. Throne of Cards
36. Goddess of Hearts
WIZARD OF OZ
37. King of Traitors
38. Heir of Fugitives
39. Throne of Emeralds
40. God of Storms
SNOW WHITE
41. Queen of Reflections
42. Heiress of Mirrors
43. Throne of Wands
44. Goddess of Magic
PETER PAN
45. Queen of Skies
46. Heiress of Stars
47. Throne of Feathers
48. Goddess of Air
URBIS - Coming soon
49. Kingdom of Royalty
50. Kingdom of Power
51. Kingdom of Fairytales
52. Kingdom of Ever After
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