“My guess is that she will want to come speak with you herself,” I muse. “I’ll bring her the information and let her decide how she wants to proceed.”
Hennig raises a brow. “How magnanimous of you, sire. I can’t imagine the king would have done the same for your mother. He was most controlling.”
“Tell me about it.” I sigh. “My gut is telling me she needs to wean off this shit, but I think she should be allowed to decide for herself.”
“Very good, sire.”
He hands me back the vial before making a careful note in his ledger. “I’m available for Princess Raelyn any time she’d liketo speak, but for now, if she decides to wean herself off, I would recommend taking half of a dose today and half tomorrow and then continue to decrease the amounts. I can prepare more and have it delivered to you.”
“Thank you so much.”
When I getto my wing, an unfamiliar blonde maid is leaving the bedroom.
“Are you Sera?” I ask.
She dips into a curtsy and nods. “Thank you so much for the employment, Your Highness.”
When she lifts her head and meets my gaze, I’m taken aback by the intense violet hue of her eyes; they’re almost otherworldly.
“I’d do anything for Rae.” I smile.
“I’m very happy for her, Your Highness.” She straightens and appears to take an interest in what I’m holding. “Is that my lady’s tonic?”
“Yes, it is. I need to speak with her. Is she awake?”
Sera shakes her head. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. She passed out pretty quickly upon her return. Would you like me to hold on to that for you?” She shifts on her feet, no longer meeting my gaze. “I can give it to her in the morning.”
I purse my lips. Hennig said she might want to take some tonight, but I hate to wake her. “Thank you, Sera, but I’ve got it. I won’t disturb her until the morning, and I will give it to her then.”
“If you’re certain. It’s no trouble,” she says.
“I’m certain. Thank you.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” She scurries off, and I lean against the door and sigh.
Something about Sera’s response to the tonic gives me pause . . . Does she know something? I can’t quite put my finger on it, but things are not adding up—from the tonic, the gold flecks in Rae’s eyes, the almost shimmering quality of her blood, the unnaturally quick healing of her cracked fingers . . . Hells. There’s no way . . . She can’t be, can she?
Pocketing the tonic, I make my way toward Alex’s rooms. Rae didn’t seem too keen on sharing a bed, and I really don’t want to make her uncomfortable. Gods willing he’s back. Though with each step away from my sleeping wife, my heart aches and my mind whirs with possibilities.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
RAELYN
Shock. Utter and complete shock is the only way to describe how I’m feeling after Kian explains the alchemist’s findings. I was betrayed and lied to by the person I thought had been protecting and caring for me all my life.
“What in the realms? I don’t understand . . . How could he?”
Kian lays a hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “I’m sorry you had to find so many things out this way . . .”
I palm my face and take a breath to calm myself before I start crying or screaming. “What do you think I should do?” I ask.
“I think you should wean off the tonic unless something serious happens when you get off it.”
I bite my lip. “I agree . . . but I can’t help but wonderwhatit’s suppressing and how that could alter my life even more.”
“Hennig is one of the best in our realm, and I trust his skill. I’m sure he will help you with whatever comes up.”
“I sure hope so.” I fling my hands in the air. “I just wish I had some clue of when Father will be back. I have so many damn questions for him to answer. If he’s not my actual father, who is? What has he been hiding by forcing this tonic down my throat?”
