She burst into that small room used by the servants for storing refreshments during petition days and then shoved aside a wooden cabinet, ducking into the entrance to the secret passageway the furniture had been hiding.
For once, she was without her Queensguard. For once, she was blissfully alone.
Free to cry. Free to fret without fear of being seen as weak.
Free to scream.
Her frustration ripped from her throat and echoed off the stone walls, bouncing through the familiar tunnels before being swallowed by the impenetrable darkness just up ahead. How manytimes had she crept through these walls as a girl with Olivia, guided only by a candle’s flame and a thirst for adventure?
Now, she raced through them blind, not caring when she misjudged a turn and slammed into a wall full-force, surely bruising her shoulder. At least the pain gave her something to focus on. Something to distract her mind with besides the spiraling whirlpool of her thoughts.
What now? A coup.Coreto. Her godfather had warned her about Coreto.
Perhaps if she had given him a more favorable position on her Privy Council.
Perhaps if she had named him Steward when she departed for Nerina Reef rather than the Count of Wellane.
Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps.
Is this all part of your plan, Lord?
But how could it be? Only good came from the Lord, and this wasn’t good.
Perhaps it was another trial. A test.
Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps.
Hot tears poured down her cheeks. Salt pooled on her lips. She couldn’t remember the last time she had actually been able to just…cry. Someone was always watching her these days. Olivia. Her godparents. Her guards.
Aldric.
The strength in her legs threatened to give out as the image of her husband flashed through her mind. He would surely abandonher now, too. What reason had he to stay? She was now a queen caught between her own people and her enemies.
A burden, not a boon.
Knees finally buckling, she slammed into the next wall, biting her cheek from the impact. Her forehead pressed against the rough, cold stone. Her shoulders shook as she choked on a fresh sob. It was no less than she deserved, biting her cheek. What else had she expected, running around in the dark, crying like a little girl?
What good would crying do, anyway?Nothing. Crying would do nothing.
But she couldn’t deny that it did make her feel a little bit better. More numb, at least.
Empty.
In the distance, limping footsteps scuffed against stone. Someone was coming. Someone had followed her. But, of course, someonewouldbe following her.
Heaven forbid she had a moment alone.
“Go away!” she shouted, turning to face the intruder. It had to be Olivia. Who else would have plunged into this cold labyrinth after her?
Torchlight flickered further down the corridor—a blur of orange and gold within her tear-streaked vision. But the bearer did not speak. Nor did they retreat.
They merely kept walking toward her.
A burst of irritation snarled to life inside her heart, colliding with her sorrow, her utter exhaustion, her… stress. Hands curling into fists, she called out to her best friend, “I said I wanted to be alone! I already know what you want me to do. You want me to grant you permission to assassinate Coreto, but you surely already know my answer—no.”
“Actually, I prefer the word ‘execute’ to ‘assassinate,’ but I suppose it’s all the same at the end of the day,” a deep voice rasped from the darkness, sending a shiver coursing down her spine.
Aldric. He had followed her.
