“Yep.”
“I thought she only told the staff that to wield authority over us.” Fawn glanced at Echo. “You should chop her head off. That’ll shut her up.”
“Fawn!” Amelia laughed. “You’re as bad as Rennick.”
“Her father is a council member,” Echo replied. “It might be too hard to cover up her death.”
“You two are awful.” Amelia tried to stop her laughter. “Echo, are you married?”
The guard snorted. “To my job.”
Fawn leaned in conspiratorially. “I’ve seen them flirting with one of the cooks in the kitchens.”
Both women turned to Echo with devious smiles, and Amelia wiggled her eyebrows. “What’s their name?”
“Her name is Beverly, and she’s about this tall.” Fawn held her hand even with Amelia’s chest.
“That’s enough,” Echo grumbled. “How do you know so much, anyway?”
Fawn folded the last of the towels and dropped them into the basket. “Nothing is private in this place. If you sneeze, every staff member will know by the end of the day.”
Amelia picked up one of the baskets and balanced it on her hip. “Do they still think I’m the king’s whore?”
Fawn grinned. “No. Birdie told everyone she thinks you’re the king’s true mate.”
“How would she know?” Echo mused, following the women into the hall.
“I don’t know, but she’s Amelia’s biggest fan. Tells everyone how great of a queen you’ll make.”
Amelia’s heart skipped a beat. “Do you think everyone will be receptive to a human queen?”
Fawn looked at her strangely. “You’re not human.”
“We’re not telling anyone I’m fae.” She adjusted the basket to keep it from slipping from her grip. “Claiming to be a hiddenheir of the Desert Kingdom would cause an uproar in both kingdoms.” It didn’t matter that she was a royal fae. She appeared human, and they’d probably think she was lying.
“You blabbed your very importantsecret to Fawn without pause,” Echo pointed out. “Remind me to never tell you anything.”
Amelia bumped Echo’s shoulder. “I trust her like I trust you.”
They climbed the stairs to the main floor of the palace, almost running into another guard. “Thank the gods,” he muttered. “The king is looking for her,” he told Echo, pointing at Amelia.
“I have to deliver these.” Fawn indicated to the basket in her hand. “If you’ll leave your basket here, I’ll send someone to grab them.”
Amelia set the basket down and tried to follow the guard. “I’ll find you later.”
Echo grabbed her shoulder, holding her back, and asked the guard, “What is the reason?”
Another guard appeared around the corner, stopping when he spotted them. “You found her?”
The first guard nodded. “Tell the others to call off the search.”
“Search?” Amelia looked between the two men.
“The king has every guard in the palace looking for you,” he replied. “We’ve been looking for almost an hour.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose with a huff. “What is wrong with him?”
Echo released Amelia’s shoulder and chuckled. “Let’s find the king before he tears the palace apart.”
