Chapter 152: [152] Divinity on a Leash
Across the city in the noble quarter, Calypso paced her chambers like a caged lioness, her mortal form burning with divine frustration. The wine-red hair that had replaced her silver locks swished with each agitated turn, while her deep purple eyes blazed with barely contained fury.
"You must sit still, my lady," Agna said from her position near the wardrobe, her weathered hands folding another gown. "The seamstress cannot take proper measurements if you keep moving about like that."
Calypso spun on her heel, silk slippers sliding against the polished stone floor. "I don’t need new dresses. I need to see the heroes who arrived from the north. Now."
"I’m afraid that’s quite impossible, Lady Selene." Agna didn’t even look up from her work. "The men are being debriefed by the High Burner and Duke Haverford. It would be highly improper to interrupt such important proceedings."
"Improper?" The word escaped Calypso’s lips in a register that made the crystal chandelier above them chime softly. "I am the High Burner’s niece. I outrank half the people in this city."
Agna finally paused in her work, turning to face her charge with that infuriatingly patient expression. "Indeed, my lady. Which is precisely why your behavior must be above reproach. Especially with Duke Haverford requesting your presence at a private dinner this evening."
The walls of Lady Selene’s bedchamber were the confines of a tomb. Rich tapestries depicted ancient battles fought by men long dead. Furniture carved from volcanic obsidian stood like sarcophagi. Even the spectacular views from the windows were just vistas from a prison cell—beautiful, meaningless, and distant.
Every day brought new obligations, new expectations, new attempts to bind her to this identity she’d never chosen. Lady Selene’s life was an endless maze of social requirements and political maneuvering that left no room for the direct action that defined her very nature.
"I don’t want to have dinner with Duke Haverford," she said, her voice carrying undertones that made the air shimmer.
"What you want, my lady, is considerably less important than what is required of you." Agna moved to the window. "Your uncle has been most patient with your... illness-related delays in fulfilling your social obligations. But patience has limits, even for family members."