As always, whenever I thought of it, I frowned. Granted, we’d been quite busy in the libraries lately, but it still struck me as odd. I’d freely offered myself to the warrior on several occasions, and his visceral arousal was obvious every time we’d fooled around, but he’d always had some flimsy excuse for why we couldn’t progress our physical relationship further.
The cryptic words he’d uttered the previous week still tingled in the back of my mind.“Stars, Princess, Iwantthat. Believe me, I want to fuck you so hard that you scream, but we can’t. Not yet.”
I’d tried to get him to explain several times what he’d meant by that, but he’d always changed the subject.
I sighed. Whatever his reason, Kole held firm on that decision, but so many weeks had passed since I’d first met him that my body was ready to go up in flames. But until Kole allowed it, I knew our secretive tryst wouldn’t progress past touching and kissing.
Forcing a smile, I dipped my head at the lady’s attendant. “I’ll see you later this afternoon.”
I joined Kole at the door, and his gaze flickered appreciatively to my cleavage. As in most of the fine gowns Iowned, the corset was so tight that my breasts almost spilled out of the top.
“Are you ready?” he asked huskily.
I gathered my skirts and tried not to wish that I was going anywhere but a council meeting. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
The king’scouncil convened in the north wing at the beginning and middle of each month. I’d been prepared by my father for what was to come. Usually, their meetings lasted anywhere from an hour to all day, depending upon what was occurring in the kingdom.
I had a feeling that today was going to be a longer gathering.
In the previous week, the Imperial Council had also finally identified the fae who’d been turned into the creatures that had permeated the maze. Strangely, they’d all been fae from all areas of the continent, with varying ages, backgrounds, and interests. None of them seemed to have any connection to one another. At least, none that they’d found yet.
So given that fae were being turned into monsters and pursuing me, I had a feeling I knew exactly what today’s agenda would mostly entail.
The only blessing was that no further attacks had happened on palace grounds. Kole had informed me that half a dozen more creatures had been killed in Whiteolf the previous week, so they’d returned. But thankfully, none of them had been able to breach the palace’s wards again. I took some heart in that.
The guards at the council chambers’ door dipped to the side the second I entered the room. “May I present, Princess Primelle,” one of them declared.
Around the circular table in front of me sat the ten House leaders, my father, and Koraline, the crown princess, who would one day be sitting in our father’s chair.
Koraline’s lips pursed, but that was her only outward reaction. No words of greeting. No conspiratorial winks. Nothing. It was as though we weren’t even related.
I quickly turned my attention elsewhere. On the far wall, a map of our continent hung, and around the chamber, vases of fragrant flowers perfumed the air. In the corner nearest me, a table of refreshments waited. Tea, scones, petite pies, platters of fruit, and other morsels to appease one’s hunger were free for anyone to take.
But I couldn’t have eaten if I’d tried. Anxiety made my stomach feel as though it was constantly clenching.
“Good morning, Primelle.” The king of Mistvale Kingdom stood from his chair, and everyone else followed suit. It wasn’t lost on me that Koraline was last to rise.
My heart pounded, and I took some strength from Kole’s presence behind me.
I walked purposefully forward to the open chair, and the warrior moved to the wall, standing stoically. Lady Ryderdim’s eyes narrowed, and her piercing gaze raked over him.
“I see the princess is still traveling with a warrior wherever she ventures, which just goes to show how dangerous this kingdom has become since she’s returned.”
I stumbled but righted myself quickly, just as my father gave the elderly lady a sharp look. “An Imperial Warrior follows Primelle to ensure her safety. Surely, you’d demand the same if your child were at risk?”
Lady Ryderdim stared down her nose at him. “My child would neverbeat risk. That’s my point.”
My father’s expression turned glacial. “Then consider yourself lucky that you were never blessed with a child who hadmagic so potent that others sought to harm her. But I, for one, couldn’t be prouder of the daughter my queen birthed.”
My father’s fiercely protective demeanor made a flush of gratitude rush through me, but the elderly House leader’s nostrils flared more. Thankfully, the other House leaders were more welcoming, even if their wooden greetings and plastered smiles were entirely fake. Koraline’s greeting was no better, and I was beginning to wonder if my sister and I would ever reach some kind of resolution.
I sat down and endeavored not to intervene as they began to discuss the current state of the kingdom, which my father had told me was how they began each meeting.
They went through everything: financials, crop yields, mining exports, and so forth. It was fascinating in its own way, and I took particular interest in the crops since my inherent interest had always veered toward plants.
Despite my sister’s hatred of me, I was impressed with Koraline’s knowledge and behavior as well. It was obvious she was being groomed to one day rule as queen. She knew just as much as the House leaders and wasn’t afraid to voice her opinion.
After a slightly heated argument she got into with Lordling Messepire, I smiled at her in awe. She caught me staring, and when she looked at me, her usual scornful sneer faltered, even more so when I dipped my head at her in reverence.
