𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐇 ❧ 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐞

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑

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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖

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The Darkling's words bounced around in Inessa's head as she walked through the halls of the Little Palace. She didn't know how she felt about being essentially a spy for him. It just felt wrong. And on top of it all, lying wasn't something she was trained to do and she had a feeling that would come into play. Especially when it came time for Inessa to join Alina's sessions with Baghra. That woman had a way of sensing if the Smirnoff girl was hiding something and eventually bringing it to the surface. Inessa also didn't like the idea of using Alina for the Darkling's gain, especially when the Smirnoff girl had no idea what he would get out of it.

It wasn't long before Inessa reached her destination. She just stood outside Alina's bedroom door, not ready to begin her assignment. She did her best to slow her breathing as she listened to the muffled voices within. Genya and her staff were sent by the Darkling to prepare Alina for her meeting with the Ravkan King, something else Inessa wasn't looking forward to. She rarely saw her uncle or the rest of her family since she was forced to join the Second Army. And when she did see them, they barely looked at her. It was as if she was never part of their family. That thought alone was enough to make her miss Nikolai all over again. And it wasn't because he was the only one who treated her like family. It was because he was the only one who treated her like a human and not some game piece.

A small sigh passed over Inessa's lips before knocking on the door. After hearing someone shout for her to come in, she quickly walked into the room before shutting the door behind her. She walked further into the room until she found the Tailor sitting in an armchair in the bathroom. The Smirnoff girl did her best to hide her smile when she saw the distress on Genya's face as she studied the Starkov girl.

But Inessa's attention was soon drawn to two members of Genya's staff when she heard how they were talking about Alina. However, right as she was about to speak up and tell them that their words were uncalled for, Alina beat her to it.

"Stop, stop, stop. I am perfectly capable of washing myself. And yes, I smell like horse. I was on one for two hundred miles. After nearly being killed. Twice," the Sun Summoner ranted. Her words made small smiles appear on Inessa and Genya's faces, something that went unnoticed by Alina as she continued. "And I understand Old Ravkan, and that was really quite rude."

The smile on Genya's face slightly grew, which only Inessa seemed to pick up on. It wasn't long after that when the Safin girl began speaking. "In an hour, you'll be presented to King Pyotr, and General Kirigan has asked that I make you look presentable."