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It was all there in black and white now. Someone was undoubtedly out to cause harm to the mother of my child and my baby.
I wouldn’t rest until I had the head of the being responsible for such an unforgivable atrocity.
Chapter 4
Maren
It was strange seeing my belongings on the third floor of Steelshire Castle, and not necessarily in a good way. I hadn’t been in the apartment where Nyx had set me up very long, the new furnishings barely taking hold in the brand-new setup after moving from my dingy, one-bedroom unit downtown into the castle and out again. But now I was back and settled here with all of my own stuff…
Did I really belong here?
It was an age-old question of mine, one that I had asked myself for as long as I could remember, no matter where I was. Had I truly earned my place in the castle?
I bet Odette still doesn’t think so.
My hands touched the hard roundness of my belly, remembering the life growing within. My baby’s birthright was this castle. I owed it to them to stay and do my best. I couldn’t keep running off every time I got scared. That was my father’s trait, not mine. My child deserved better, and I would ensure that they got everything they needed.
Or at least that was what I kept telling myself.
I brushed a stray strand of hair away from my face and peered at the new setup, trying to ignore the four guardslingering nearby. A female guard had been added to the mix now, and even though the movers were gone, it still felt too crowded on the third floor of the castle.
Just when I was getting used to having Drakias around, Nyx goes and adds ten more guards.
It was an exaggeration, of course. There were only four guards in total, two by two, just like always. But they felt like ten to me.
“Where is the king?” I asked Drakias, stalking toward him from the threshold of the bedroom. He stood at the top of the stairs, staring downward like he expected an army to attack.
And if an army does attack, are the Royal Guards enough to stop them?
I wished I could clear my mind of all the overthinking and anxiety.
“He’ll return soon, Miss Maren.”
“That’s not really what I asked,” I sighed, glancing at the other guards, but I realized that no one was going to give me a definitive answer. “I’m going to take a shower.”
I spun around and ambled toward the double bedroom doors again. To my surprise, the female Royal Guard followed me and didn’t falter at the threshold like Drakias usually did. I stopped in my tracks and gaped at her. I’d never had any of the guards chase me into the privacy of closed doors before.
She returned my stare evenly, nonplussed by my dubious expression.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Protecting you, miss.”
I arched an eyebrow.
“You must be new,” I said, shooting a look at Drakias, but as usual, he stared straight ahead, on high alert but not looking at me. “You don’t follow me inside my bedroom.”
She wasn’t remotely fazed by my instructions.
“I have orders to stay in your chambers with you, miss,” she informed me.
Taken aback, I gaped at her. “No.”
“Yes, miss,” she insisted.
I started to shake my head again, but Drakias interjected. “She does, Miss Maren. The king has ordered it himself.”
“What?!”
