“There’s a Velli in the palace.”
The soap slipped from my grasp, and my core clenched like someone struck me. My gaze drifted to my knuckles, still raw.
The enormity of my mistake surged forward like a wave. Blood spilled within the palace walls—my palace—while a Vellos ambassador lurked nearby. Not just nearby. In the prince’s chambers.
Horror clawed at the edges of my mind. I fought wars to keep blood magic from tainting this kingdom, yet my recklessness might have handed Egath a foothold on the throne.
“Send word to Tallon’s staff–”
“It’s done, Kal,” Greaves interrupted. “You were too caught up in your own rage to hear me give the orders.”
His rebuke stung, but I swallowed my retort. He stood by the window, his reflection hard and unyielding, a soldier who knew my flaws better than I cared to admit.
“They’ll burn any cloth his blood touched.” His eyes shifted, catching mine in the faint light. “But your actions—they’re a greater concern.”
If anyone else dared to chastise me like that, I would have reminded them of their place. But this was Greaves. He fought beside me, had seen me at my worst. He spoke truths others feared to voice. And he knew me better than anyone—my strengths and weaknesses.
“It won’t happen again,” I muttered, scrubbing at my skin with a cloth as though I could strip away the shame along with the grime.
“It will.” His sigh carried the weight of years. He dropped into a chair, positioning himself to watch both the door and the window. “As long as she’s here, you’ll be distracted. You need space, Kal. You’re too hot-blooded right now.”
“What are you suggesting?” I growled, scrubbing faster. The sooner this bath ended, the sooner his lecture would, too.
“Send her away.”
My hands stilled. The suggestion hit just as hard as earlier. The thought of Nienna absent from council meetings or the dinner table carved a hollow ache in my chest. Those fleeting moments in the corridors—the ones I pretended didn’t matter—would vanish.
“Careful, Greaves. What you’re suggesting borders on treason.” My tone turned icy as I shut off the water and snatched a towel.
“I’m not saying void the contract or deliver her back to Draconia.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Send her and Tallon to another district. Give yourself time to clear your head.”
I wrapped the towel around my hips, glaring at him as he stood. “You forget your place.”
To send Nienna away would crush her. She longed to see more of Radaan, but she would know the truth behind such a command. She’d think she was the problem. The blame for the library incident already rested on my shoulders. I wouldn’t let her carry it.
“Do I?” His voice softened, but his gaze pierced me. “My place is to protect you. That’s what I’m doing.”
“Your job is to protect my body.” I straightened, letting the weight of my title settle into my expression. “My heart is mine to protect.”
Leaving the room felt like pulling at the final frayed threads that held my life together—unraveling what little control I still had. He was right to worry. His words weren’t out of line. Yet they forced me to confront the truths I couldn’t escape.
I could handle Nienna.
But could I handle myself?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Nienna
Tallon was missing. His seat to my left remained empty, yet Kallias led the dinner as though nothing was amiss. I couldn’t decide which unsettled me more—the absence of my betrothed or the cold indifference radiating from the king after the council debacle. Alone beside Egath, the tension gnawed at me.
The Velli ambassador behaved impeccably, his manners and etiquette intact. For once, his arm hadn’t strayed to my chair, nor had he invaded my space with insincere closeness. His polished demeanor made his presence tolerable, though no less unsettling.
“I hear it will be a spring wedding.” He cut into his thin-sliced beef, his tone casual yet probing.
When I met his clear green gaze, I struggled to mask my unease. Egath was handsome, the kind of man whose charm cloaked a venomous bite. I’d seen the predator beneath his affable façade, glimpsed his smile sharpened into a weapon. Tonight, his eyes danced with feigned curiosity, tempting me to let my guard slip.
“You heard correctly.” I pushed the potatoes around my plate, too nervous to eat. My voice came out steady, though my nerves frayed under Kallias’ silence and Egath’s chatter. “New life comes with spring—flora, fauna, and, of course, the royal house.”
