The Eighth Gate

Origins

It turned out, she didn't have to prepare herself to face Ajax's wrath.

Almost immediately after she had splashed her drink onto the prince, one of the palace guards had quickly stepped forward to escort her out of the hall before anyone else could bear witness to the scene they had caused. Valeria hadn't dared to glance back over her shoulder once she had left the party, though she could've sworn the sound of Ajax's outraged snarls followed her through the halls, even as the guards ushered her all the way back to her personal chambers.

The second she arrived back in her room, Heema had rounded on her, somehow already informed of her 'wildebeest-like behavior'. She had stood there at the foot of her bed with her hands on her hips and a frown so severe, it made Valeria want to crawl further into her silk sheets and never face the light of day again. Heema had certainly given her an earful, though once she had pretended to fall asleep, the old woman had mercifully stormed off without further argument.

Unfortunately for her, it seemed Heema's disappointment was not something that had cooled overnight.

As soon as the first light of dawn filtered through the clouds that morning, the governess promptly returned, taking far too much pleasure in yanking away Valeria's still-warm blankets and rudely shaking her awake.

Though she was not to depart for Rajvihar until midday at the earliest, Heema had insisted on dragging her out of bed at sunrise, claiming there was still much to do before she was to embark on the stifling six-hour journey.

Valeria couldn't tell if the governess was being wholly truthful, or if this was just another punishment for her impulsive actions the night before.

The answer became quite clear to her after she came to spend the greater part of her morning being plucked, prodded, and polished to perfection by the handmaidens that flocked around her. And as if the rather aggressive sea-salt scrub that had left her skin feeling painfully raw wasn't enough torture, Heema continued to endlessly lecture her throughout.

She had only managed to get a brief moment of respite when she went to bathe, but the freezing water that awaited her ensured she could not simply submerge herself in the bathing pool until it was time to leave the palace.

Eventually, Valeria slinked back into her room with a linen dressing gown wrapped around her shivering frame, only to find her governess already waiting beside the large vanity in her chambers.

"Sit," Heema's tone was curt and non-negotiable as she all but shoved her into the cushioned seat that sat in front of the gleaming, bronze-plated mirror. It had been a present from her father years ago, one she couldn't help but admire each time she sat before the polished glass.

Something heavy settled in her stomach at the thought of her father, and she wondered if word had reached him about her transgressions the night before. It was wishful thinking, to hope he had been woefully ignorant of the fact that she had humiliated not just one of their guests, but the crown prince himself. Even if she had not heard from her father, she could've sworn she felt his disappointment from all the way across the palace.

Valeria's eyelids fluttered as Heema's expert fingers began to run through her hair, tugging the dark, silky strands into an intricately braided hairstyle that allowed half her hair to remain loose and fall down her back. The sensation was soothing, but the constant, passive-aggressive buzzing of her governess in her ears was not.

Heema tsked as she worked through a particularly stubborn knot. "All these years and you still cannot manage to tame your own hair?" The older woman did not bother to wait for a reply as she moved on to apply a light layer of cosmetics to her tanned skin. "And you've gotten darker," The governess's disapproval continued as she studied her reflection in the mirror with a slight frown. "You know better than to roam outdoors in the summer months. Heatstroke is rampant these days."