Since the yaoguai had pulled Tauram away to be locked inside a vault, Esmera expected they were leading her to an enclosure with wild, hungry snow leopards, where they would both know an equally short and miserable existence before their painful deaths. What else could a tyrant king be referring to when he said, "snow leopard chamber"?

So, Esmera was very surprised when the yaoguai shoved her into an apartment on the first floor of the palace. The comforter on the bed was of gleaming grey satin, embroidered with threads of silver and gold and embellished with round cushions of blue and charcoal stripes radiating from the centre like sun rays. Cloudy blue organza leaked from the canopy of the bed, tied to the four posts of the frame.

Two snow leopard statues flanked the steps leading down into the dining room area that opened into a balcony, their carved white paws stark against the dark grey tiles. They were life-sized, and Esmera could say that with confidence after having seen a snow leopard in the flesh.

The room reminded Esmera of the Finnaaz Manor. The biggest difference was the view beyond the window. Parnakshi lay spread at the palace's feet like a vibrant, elaborate carpet. Even so, it gave Esmera a nostalgia for a home she had known once, for a very brief period, but no longer. She banished the feeling. For all she knew, that was what Ruagu wanted to manipulate her into feeling so he could bend her will to his, but she would never yield to him. Ever.

The yaoguai released Esmera, leaving her standing alone in the centre of the room. She sat on the bed, careful not to crumple the smooth covers as she clasped her hands in her lap, gathering her thoughts.

As beautiful as the snow leopard chamber was, it was a gilded cage. Esmera was every bit a prisoner here as Tauram was in the vault. The yaoguai standing at all four corners of the room reminded her of that. They may not be restraining her physically, but their eyes fixed on her, fixing her in place.

Esmera nearly jumped out of her skin at the knock on the door. Inside, there was no denying that her nerves were taut even as she may look calm on the outside. The nearest yao yanked the door open. A trembling maid stood outside, clad in the dark green livery of her tyrant master. She cradled a sparkling garment the colour of pine needles that had gotten wet in the rain, the precise shade of Ruagu's heart and soul.

"The king requests that Lady Esmera wear this to dinner with him this evening," the maid mumbled. Even so, Esmera heard her words loud and clear.

The yao held out his clawed hands to take the garment, gentler with the fabric than he had ever been with anyone Ruagu told him to murder.

Esmera spoke behind the demon, her voice tight. "I'm not going to dinner with him, and I certainly won't be wearing what he tells me to wear." She set her jaw.

After everything Ruagu had done, after murdering Esmera's family, after destroying Tauram's, after killing Belaren in front of some of the people who loved him the most, how could he expect her compliance? The usurper king must be emboldened by his terrifying power. And yes, Esmera did fear it, but she had pushed through fear before, and she would do it again.

"You won't need to go to dinner with the king, per se." The maid folded her shaking hands against her, her narrow, dark eyes searching and finding Esmera. "King Ruagu will be joining you."

Esmera followed the maid's gaze to the dining table past the doorway. Of course. It had to be part of Ruagu's sick game to force Esmera to host him. She may have to endure him, but she didn't need to play along. The dining room was bare for now, but probably not for long. She didn't know how long it took to set up dinner for a tyrant king, but it would be longer than for a banished prince who loved tweed coats and kissing beside the piano.

Everything was so wrong, that fact that Tauram wasn't sitting on the throne but in a prison, the fact that Esmera was having dinner with his usurper instead of him, but she would make it right. She had to.

"All you need to do is dress up for King Ruagu. It is what he has decreed." The maid stuttered out her last words and then the yao closed the door, leaving Esmera glaring at the ground.

A bundle of flowers fell through the window, singing out a sound as they hit the ground one at a time in quick succession, first the deep blue one with petals arranged in a cross shape and a sphere of shimmering reddish pollen stalks, then the light purple mass of pointed flowers that looked like a spike bomb, then the purple and white one that looked like a bird with an impressive tail.

The-heart-stone.

Esmera frowned. Was that really what the petals meant to whisper to her? Or was she imagining things?

She shook her head before standing and ambling over to the dresser, where the yao had set her captor's gift to her. Esmera trailed her fingers over the heavy fabric and the glittering beads that adorned it in curiosity. It was beautiful in a dark way, the sort of outfit a villain's bride would wear, which was what Esmera supposed Ruagu was trying to make her.

Esmera withdrew her hands, clenching her fists at her sides. She would no longer let anyone but herself determine who she was going to be. Ruagu could do whatever he wanted to her. He was probably going to do that anyway. She didn't have to give him the satisfaction of letting him know that her fear gave him power over her, made her obey the man she resented most in the world. She would defy him every step of the way because that was the only thing that would allow her to save Milatanur.

But that was only the first step of the plan. What would come next? Defying the king would only lead her to an early, agonising death if she didn't know what to follow it up with.

The same flowers once again fell through the window, hitting the ground and coming to rest in the same order.

The-heart-stone.

Esmera frowned. Was she being mocked for failing to retrieve the object that amplified Ruagu's power, for failing to stop him when it mattered most? Was that what this was about?

Esmera thought of Belaren, of how she would never get to laugh at him teasing Tauram again. She fought back tears as she tried to get to the flowers to examine them for clues that might tell her what they were and who had sent them to her, but the yao nearest to the window stepped forward, blocking Esmera off. He shoved her back when she reached past him. The petals continued to whisper their cryptic message until the yao crushed them under his heel and threw their mangled remains out of the window.

Esmera returned to the bed. Her shoulders slumped in defeat even as her mind refused to concede. She thought about her objective and her plan. She mulled over the flowers' mysterious words.

There was another knock on the door, and this time, Esmera didn't care to see who entered. There was no hope of Ruagu sending someone or something that could help her. If she had Jammas, she might've been able to outplay the immortal sorcerer, but Ruagu probably knew that.

That was probably why he had separated them, sent Esmera's familiar somewhere she didn't even know. Her head felt light without his occupying the nest he had built on top of it, but it still allowed her to think.

A line of staff hurried through the door the yao opened, avoiding eye contact with the demons and each other. They carried cutlery, crockery and candles in their quivering hands. Esmera nearly gagged. The last thing she wanted was a romantic dinner with a murderer, but she didn't think there was any escaping it.

Esmera just happened to be looking out the window, searching her mind for a solution, when the mysterious flower deliverer visited again. She caught a flash of glittery green wings, and then her little ally flitted off before the yaoguai could spot him. The flowers fell through the window again, again saying the-heart-stone.

Esmera's heart skipped a beat. She should've seen it sooner. There was only one being she knew who gave her flowers as gifts, and just because he had stopped doing so after they were reunited was no excuse to forget about his habit. Anjarah had even said he used the flowers to communicate now that he had no voice to use.

Of course Esmera's mysterious flower sender was Jammas. And of course he wasn't mocking her. He was helping her.

He was telling something she might've figured out for herself if her mind wasn't so addled by grief and confusion.

There was still hope if Esmera managed to separate Ruagu from his heartstone. She may not render him powerless, but If she took away the object that amplified his dark magic, made him and his yaoguai undetectable, the Finnaaz army may just be able to overpower him and his minions. If Esmera tried to battle him while he still possessed the heartstone, they stood no chance. Tauram had said as much.

Esmera thanked Jammas silently and vowed to put her gratitude into words when she saw him again. He had kept his composure and his good sense when Esmera had been floundering. She didn't feel she deserved a familiar like him, but she appreciated him more than words could express.

She glanced at the glittering outfit and the dinner table that the servants stood around, spreading a white tablecloth over its surface, setting down two emerald placemats and an array of sparkling crockery and gleaming gold cutlery. Esmera's worst suspicions were confirmed, but now she saw the opportunity in it that she had missed before.

Ruagu may have thought he was trapping Esmera, but he may just have given her the chance to defeat him, the chance she had prayed and begged whichever of Milatanur's deities may take pity on her.

Esmera would join the king for dinner. She would wear whatever he wanted, do whatever he asked for, even address him by a title he had stolen to get close enough to the heartstone. It would take only a moment to act, to summon the army, but Esmera had to be quick. Quicker than a sorcerer who had lived a hundred lives and probably seen everything.

Feigning an exaggerated, heavy sigh of resignation, Esmera gathered the outfit from the dresser into her arms. It was heavier than she had expected, and it took her a moment to steady herself under the weight.

Esmera crossed the apartment towards the ensuite bathroom hidden behind a silver door at the back of the bedroom, and one of the yaoguai trailed after her. She turned to glare at him.

"Am I not allowed to change clothing in private?" She held the bundle of clothing in her arms up in case he had missed it.

The yao's red eyes bored into her. "The king's orders were clear. You are a Finnaaz and not to be trusted."

Esmera wanted to retort that the king the yaoguai served so unquestionably was the one who had proven to be untrustworthy, but she couldn't give in to the urge. Not if they were going to buy into her act that she was willing to consider marrying Ruagu, an act she would have to perform even as the thought of it made her sick.

Esmera rolled her eyes as she strode into the bathroom. The yao guarding her had the decency to turn his back on her as she undressed, but she knew that he'd be onto her if she tried anything. Escape was not worth considering, even as an open window presented itself. Esmera would be dead before she could even reach it, and everything she was fighting for would crumble soon afterwards, including Tauram and Milatanur.

Esmera smelt the food before she saw it. Her eyes were otherwise occupied with fastening her blouse, but once it was secure, she peeked out of the bathroom door. A new group of servants entered the apartment, bearing golden dishes with lids that failed to contain the warm, spicy, tempting aromas.

Esmera's stomach growled, even as her throat tightened. She was starving, but she was also certain that Ruagu would be the next person to arrive. She pulled her skirt on and did the clasp at her hip, then wrapped the scarf around her neck.

She looked at her reflection but noticed a box on the counter. It must've been buried among the clothing, and she hadn't seen it sooner. She opened it to reveal a set of gold jewellery with emeralds that were probably worth more than Esmera's annual wages.

She couldn't imagine wearing something so impressive, so valuable, but if that was what Ruagu wanted, she didn't have a choice. Her hands steady with purpose, she added the final touch to her look and took a breath.

Now she felt more like a villain than a victim. Her mouth quirked. Ruagu's story was about to take a turn he didn't expect.

She ran her fingers through her mass of curls. Her hair was messy, but she liked it. Besides, Ruagu hadn't told her how to style it. This was her tiny act of rebellion, the only authentic aspect of her appearance.

When a knock sounded on the door, Esmera hurried out of the bathroom, smoothing her clothes so that she looked as presentable as possible. When the yao opened the door, the last person she had expected to see stood on the other side of it.

It was Tauram, wearing a simple white tunic and pants. Esmera stared at him, speechless at his presence, breathless at his beauty. Tears rose unbidden into her eyes when she noticed the bruise on his otherwise perfect jaw.

In that moment, Esmera wanted more than anything to go back to the previous night where everything was so perfect, to go back to this morning and apologise for what she had said, but there would be none of that. Yaoguai surrounded her and Tauram, their weapons and eyes trained on them. She felt certain that, as in a court of law, anything she said could and would be used against her.

So, all she said was, "Hey," her voice soft and of as much substance as the wind formed by the mosaic tiles covering the bathroom walls.

Tauram gave her that half smile that had so enamoured her, that enamoured her even now. "Hey."

His eyes remained on Esmera until the yao accompanying him punched him in the jaw. She only just realised that his bruise was shaped like the knuckles of a fist, another conclusion her brain had been too slow to reach.

"Tauram." Esmera rushed towards him, but the yao flanking her pulled her back.

The one beside Tauram growled down at him, holding his face forward by his hair. "You are here to serve the king and his guest dinner. You may not speak to the lady, but you may reply if His Majesty addresses you directly."

Tauram said nothing, only hardened his jaw and looked ahead as the yao tugged him towards the dining room.

Esmera glowered in their direction. To think that they would dare to treat the rightful king and the best, funniest, sweetest man she knew as if it was him who didn't belong in the palace when it was them who had taken over it wrongfully.

There was no knock in warning before the door flew open to reveal Ruagu. Four yaoguai stood around him, but unlike in Esmera's case, they were to protect him, not hold him hostage.

Ruagu's black eyes fell on Esmera. A smirk slithered onto his face with the same unsettling swiftness as his viper familiar entered the room, hissing in warning. "I see you decided to comply with my request. Very good choice." He nodded his approval, but there was unmistakable smugness in the gesture.

Esmera wanted to spit in his face, but all she did was smile as she imagined a noblewoman would. "Anything for Your Majesty."

She fought back a flinch at the syrupy sweetness of her words, as much because of the falseness of them as at the thought of Tauram hearing them without knowing what Esmera's plan was. His presence gave her comfort and strength, but it was also about to complicate everything.

Esmera swallowed, hardening her resolve. She had already hurt Tauram so much, but she'd hurt him a little more now and apologise later if doing so would save him in the end.

That's what this was all about—the bright, happy end, not the dismal present moment.

"That's music to my ears, my lady." Ruagu's choice of words made Esmera's breath catch. She wondered if he had chosen them on purpose, if someone had told him music was the language of her heart.

He simply smiled, betraying no answer as he held an arm out to Esmera. She took it even as her skin crawled. Together, the usurper king and the destined queen walked the few steps that would take them to the dining room, where their dinner and Tauram awaited them.