I looked down at the cream and gold silk dress Maegel had insisted I wear. The feminine gold bows felt like a hilarious joke considering the red in my veins, but it will do for now.
Inside, Vivienne finally found her voice, though it sounded thin and desperate.
"Your Majesty... we... we only meant that the girl's influence is... unnatural..."
Ah, that was my cue.
I gave the guards a sharp nod, and they, who had been secretly stealing glances at me even at the cost of warranting Maegel's wrath, finally grabbed the handles and swung the massive door open with a slow, agonizingly smooth movement.
I walked in, the light of the morning sun catching the gold ribbons on my dress, though my eyes were anything but innocent.
My eyes landed directly on the three women who were currently trying to dig my grave but were falling deeper into their own.
