“Absolutely.”
He found his valet, a jittery little man named Cashon, pacing. His face lightened with relief at the sight of Jaryk.
“I need to clean up,” Jaryk said. “I will need fresh undergar—”
Cashon handed him a small pile of folded clothes.
“Ments,” Jaryk finished. “Thank you.”
“Do you have a preference of formal wear, Your Highness?”
“Just something appropriate. You pick. You have better fashion sense than I do.”
“Your Highness is a man of the world. You flatter me,” Cashon said, but his entire face lit up as if he’d received the ultimate compliment.
After emerging from the cleansing unit, Jaryk donned his clean underwear and reentered his bedchamber. He stifled a groan at what Cashon had selected. He found no fault with the pale-orange color of the two-piece suit, realizing his valet had chosen it because it would complement his blue hair. But a row of at least a hundred tiny darker-orange button gems ran down each sleeve of the tunic from collar to cuff. He couldn’t just pull it over his head and be done. The garment required a special tool to pull the buttons through the tiny loops. It would take forever to get dressed.I hate formalwear.
“I don’t have a lot of time,” he said.
“That’s why I’m here. I am very quick,” Cashon said.
Criticizing the selection would undermine his earlier compliment, so he said, “Fine. Good choice.”
Cashon beamed.
Jaryk donned the leggings then pulled on the tunic, the unfastened sleeves hanging like folded wings. Beginning at the collar and working downward to the cuffs, Cashon nimbly pulled the jewels through the eyes, zipping up the garment. The valet’sspeed had been no boast; he got him dressed in less than a tenth of the time he’d expected.
Ankle boots completed the ensemble, then Cashon pinned the Crest of Kaldor to Jaryk’s chest and stood back to examine his handiwork. He nodded. “Now, your hair.”
“What’s wrong with my hair?” He’d combed it before leaving the cleansing chamber.
“It is not quite right.”
With a suffering sigh, he sat, and the valet combed his hair into perfect order, trimming a little around his ears before spraying it into place with a light adhesive.
Jaryk preferred simple attire. A man should be able to dress himself with little time, effort, or fanfare. His lips quirked as he envisioned the time Kismet must have spent getting ready—she probably had hours invested with the hairdresser alone. He couldn’t wait to see her—eager to put things right and just be with her. After tonight, everyone would know she was his wife.
Lastly, Cashon picked up a brush and carefully added three stripes across Jaryk’s nose and cheeks. He leaned back to take a look. “You are ready now, Your Highness.”
“Excellent work, as usual.” Jaryk dismissed him with a word of thanks.
“It is my pleasure.” Cashon departed.
Jaryk ran his finger inside the too-tight collar of the tunic jacket. He could still breathe, so he supposed he could suffer it one evening.
He’d forgotten to eat, but he had little appetite anyway, and servers would be strolling the perimeter of the ballroom with trays of delicacies. He wouldn’t starve.
With a spring in his step, he went to rendezvous with his wife.
* * * *
No fewer than a dozen people, mostly relatives, waylaid him, delaying him further. Word of his marriage had spread, and they sought to offer their congratulations. By the time he reached the anteroom, an hour had passed since his arrival at the palace, and the ball was already underway. His tardiness didn’t matter—he would be expected to make an entrance—but he’d hated to keep Kismet waiting.
She sat on a settee, clasping her hands. “Jaryk!” She got to her feet.
Her hair had been curled into ringlets and swept off her face, the better to view her eyes highlighted by a skillful application of color. She wore an iridescent off-the-shoulder gown in Kaldor blue with sheer sleeves, a clinging but modest bodice, and a full skirt, its hem skimming the tops of her matching low-heeled slippers. She looked stunning, amazing, beautiful.
His heart swelled with pride and longing.I must make things right between us.“I’m so sorry I kept you waiting.”
