King Henry nodded. “Return home. Can you promise to keep her safe?”
“I can.”
“The Lich King has made his intentions known, and I have a feeling if he gets his hands on your queen, it'll be the end of us all.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Deirdre
Any ‘bright side’there could be to look at was shadowed by the unavoidable darkness of my situation.
A beautiful breakfast spread out before me: pastries with jam, poached eggs, sugared fruit, various breads, and freshly squeezed juice. And yet I sat alone with only the company of servants who watched from the sides in silence, probably feeling all sorts of pity for the new queen who ate breakfast alone.
No king in sight.
I poked the egg in front of me, pressing it against the side of the bowl and watching the yolk spill out.
Why do I even care that he's not here? I should be grateful. Why would I want him to be here?Eating alone wasn't as appealing as I thought it would be. Was this how it was going to be every day?
I tore a chunk off the thick loaf of bread by my side anddipped it in the egg and shoved the whole thing in my mouth.At least the food's good.
The food at the temple wasn't horrible, just more plain, I would say.
Definitely none of these.I grabbed a handful of the sugared blueberries, drizzled with honey.
If there was one thing I learned about the fae, they knew how to cook good food.
The door to the dining hall opened. Gitz, in his normal tight-fitted black suit, walked in followed by Gideon.
I sat up straight and he bowed. “Your Majesty.”
His hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and he wore a light-blue brocade jacket and pants that reached his knees with white tights and dark-blue buckled shoes. He was extremely fancy this morning.
“Good morning,” I replied.
“I've arranged for you to come to the village right outside the castle.”
“Wonderful.” I took the handkerchief by my side and patted my cheeks, making sure there was no food on them. I went to stand, and a servant ran over to pull out my chair. “Thank you.”
Grabbing the sides of my cream-colored dress, I walked over to Gideon. “When do we go?”
His gaze went to the empty seat at the head of the table meant for Kane. “Whenever you're ready. If you'd like to finish eating, I can wait.”
“No, I'm ready,” I said, eager to leave this room.
“Very well.” He bowed, allowing me to walk ahead of him.
As soon as we left the dining hall, my two guards—I still didn't know either of their names—stepped in line behind us. My silent watchers dressed in golden armor.
“Guards are already stationed in the village to prepare for your arrival.”
“Is this what I will normally do here? Nobody has told mewhat a fae queen actually does. Is it different than what I learned about previous queens?” I said, lowering my voice, embarrassed that I even had to ask the question.
He smiled.
“For one, a queen does whatever she wants,” he said in a matching tone. “But there are some things that the previous queens have done, and I'll be more than happy to go over that with you. My sisters are involved in the court. They handle more unnecessary things. My mother works with the merchant’s guild.”
“Is that what your family does? Are they merchants?”
