Mother’s eye twitches, and her hands curl into fists. “I will not be disobeyed, Genevieve. You made a commitment to Icelantica. It was your choice. I won’t allow you to cast your mistakes onto one of your siblings. I knew the moment I saw that upstart Blackwell there would be trouble. His disguise was so poor I’m shocked you believed I couldn’t tell it was that gardener’s boy.”
“You knew it was Kieran all along?”
Queen Penelope rolls her eyes. “Of course I knew. Really, Genevieve—do you take me for an idiot?”
“Then why did you allow him to stay? Even after you sent him away? Weren’t you worried something like this would happen?”
“Because I didn’t believe you’d be foolish enough to fall for his advances again. Wasn’t it obvious he was trying to seduce you into giving up everything you’ve worked for?”
She turns her back, gesturing for me to follow—but I refuse. I will not be commanded like a child. Not by this woman who’s dictated every breath of my life for twenty-eight years. So I stand my ground, even as she pivots back, her eye twitching harder.
“You would choose to ruin the kingdom over this man?”
“Choosing him isn’t ruining the kingdom, it’s strengthening it. It’s unity. It’s choosing all our people—bluebloods and redbloods, aristocracy and the working class.”
Queen Penelope crosses her arms, her gaze icy enough to freeze the room. “You are my daughter and my heir. You will be queen in less than two years. You made a commitment to Icelantica. You cannot choose this redblooded upstart. I have evidence of his crimes—whether you claim you left willingly or not. He will be tried. He will be found guilty. That, I promise you. Forget him.”
A white-hot fury tears through me. “I will never forget him. And I’ll never forgive you for taking him from me once. Try to do it again, and you’ll learn very quickly what it means to threaten me, Mother.”
“Oh, child. Even as a grown woman, you don’t understand what it is to wear the crown.”
She snaps her fingers. Two guards step forward. One presses a damp cloth to my face while the other seizes my arms. I try to scream, but the sound fractures into a muffled gasp as everything fades to black.
41
Genevieve
Iwake in the carriage, my body heavy, something soft propping me up.
“Shh, dear. Rest.”
It’s my father. He gives my arm a gentle squeeze as he helps me sit. My head throbs as I straighten, still unsure how I ended up here—or what’s happened to Kieran. Gabe and my mother sit across from me, both wearing matching dour expressions.
Then it slams into me—the cloth, the guards, my mother’s confession, the threat of a trial. Nausea roils through my stomach, and suddenly my corset feels far too tight.
“You had me drugged!” My words come out thick and slow, my arm heavy as I try to raise a heavy hand toward her.
“Don’t be dramatic. You resisted me. Haven’t we discussed this, Genevieve? I am the crown. I will not be threatened, nor will my direct orders be ignored by one of my own children.”
I turn to my father, who tries desperately not to meet my eyes.
“You’ll feel better soon enough, dear,” my mother says.
I grab at my father’s waistcoat until he finally looks at me. “How could you let her do this to me? To Kieran?”
He shakes his head, sorrow pooling across his features. “Penelope…” His voice is quiet, pleading in a way that cleaves me in two.
“She knew the risks when she chose to disobey my command!”
King Hugo’s hands tremble in mine—a small betrayal of everything he’s trying not to say.
“Penelope,” he says again, stronger now, “had I known Genny chose to leave with him, I would never have joined you in this hunt. The man is innocent, and you know it.”
My mother’s eyes turn chillingly cold as she looks at my father. “Do not question my authority in this, Hugo. I have enough evidence to convict him for the rot and for that servant’s death alone.”
I look between them, watching the battle flare in my parents’ faces, taking in Gabe’s refusal even to glance my way.
“That is not true,” my father says. “You would see an innocent man executed for your own pride.”
