Page 219 of Sky’s Edge

Uh-oh.

“Just to say, I was waiting for the right time to tell you,” I said.

“Tell me what?”

“Mira didn’t share?”

“No.”

Cowardly female.

“She approached me about the staffing in the castle, specifically that I thought it might be overstaffed, and sharing her advice, as who I was to you, but who I would be to Sky’s Edge, and a member of a traitor family, that wasn’t the first act I should do as the future queen.”

I got that all out, even if his eyes had saturated with red before I finished it.

“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me she spoke that way to you?” he demanded after he took a step away from me.

“I handled it at the time, and, honey, you know we’ve been dealing with more important matters.”

“I don’t give a fuck what we’re dealing with. If someone insults you, I don’t care who that is, but especially someone on my staff who I pay to offer service to me and the crown, you don’t delay. You fucking tell me.”

Oh no.

I was getting angry.

“How is this my fault?”

“I’m not saying it’s your fault. I’m telling you, in future, you don’t take these hits without me at your back, so I can ensure, in the more distant future, you don’t take them at all.”

“I know you’re at my back. But I can also take care of myself.”

“And I know you can take care of yourself. What you need to understand is, you aren’t in this life alone anymore. Like I’ve shared, we’re a team, and in that team, it isn’t simply you looking after me, it’s me looking after you as well.”

Again, so farging sweet.

But at this juncture, also annoying, because I was annoyed.

“And I know that,” I bit.

“So why didn’t you tell me this shit went down?”

“I explained that,” I snapped.

“I’m not a fragile flower, Catla. I’m king of a bloody realm.”

My voice was rising. “I know!”

We went into a staring contest I was determined to win.

Because he was also the king of patience, and I was the queen of impatience, predictably, I lost.

“So does this mean Mira’s the leak?”

“No. One of the reasons she came to me was to show this to me and share she knew nothing about it. It was another reason she wanted to tender her resignation, that she hadn’t been on the ball enough to cut something like this off at the pass.”

“All right. In order that you know it all, I’ve recruited the females to keep an eye on castle staff so we can help you find the leak.”

“We know who the leak is.”